[Solved] Newbie with AMD 965 needs some help

Hi,

I have not built a system in MANY years (in my day, I was King with a 250 meg hdd to put some perspective here).

I just recently did some reading to catch up and then built a system. No OC here, just stock stuff at this point. I need a little help. Here are the system details:

AMD 965 C3
Giga MA785gm - US2H
Stock Chip cooler/fan
CM 690, no additional fans yet (one panel, one front, one exhaust)
OCZ ModXStream 600 PSU, air pulls from bottom vent out the back
XP
Using EZtune 6 to check temp and adjust cpu volts
Ambient temp in my house is about 22-24 c.

A friend assembled the processor/sink. He just used the grey stuff that was already on the sink to attach it and added a little additional grease around the edges since the CPU was larger than that patch...not sure that was a good choice, but I had no idea and it was his grease, so I don't know what kind it was.

Anyway, idle temps showed 45-48 c. Not good, so I went into the bios and disabled smart fans so that the fans would run faster. That helped. The stock CM front fan only hits about 1300 rpms (its attached to the NB fan header, I believe, the CPU cooler now hits about 3300.

But I also noticed in EZtune 6 and in the bios, the voltage was set to 1.425...

I was going to turn off Cool and quiet but decided to see if it would adjust the volts down on it's own under load, so..

Running Prime95 (newest version, 25.7 I think), I ran the small fft test. It pegged all 4 cores and temps quickly hit 63c whereupon I turned it off. The voltage never responded as I thought cool and quiet would do, so I changed it myself in EZtune. I finally backed it down to 1.35 v and it ran the same test for an hour and a half or so at 57 degrees.

Still, this does not sound good, especially when I read about much cooler temps online. And if I want to OC for fun, that does not look possible at this point.

The obvious possibility would be the cpu cooler grease, but I would think a stock setup should be able to run on stock grease?

Another possibility is the front fan, it does not seem to be very robust, I can't feel much with the case open and my hand in front of it, lots of air is probably blocked by the drives (two).

Still, it seems like this chip should run a little more trouble free as this is a stock setup...it seems it would be impossible to run this in a Dell or HP system in a mini tower.

So some questions:

Am I using the right sw to monitor temps? Seems like EZ tune temps matched bios temps when I checked.
Should I be making voltage changes etc in the bios directly instead of EZtune?
If I make changes in Bios or Eztune that crash my system, how will I recover it?
Did I get a bum chip here?
What brand of fans should I look for for maximum effectiveness, net research is unclear.
Other recommendations, suggestions or perspectives?

Oh, and I never got any message from my Bios about heat, even though I set it to alert me when temps hit 60...hence my questioning of what I am seeing on temps.

Thanks in advance, and please remember to respond in small words so I can understand

Reply to catorres1

Best answer

Well, your friend didn't do you any favors by installing to much thermal paste on the HSF. I would start off by taking it off, removing all the existing thermal paste, and replacing it with a SMALL amount (about the size of a grain of rice) of quality thermal paste. Less is more when it comes to thermal paste. Here's some nice paste and some instructions on how to install it.

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound $9.98

Best Thermal Paste Application Methods

Arctic Silver instructions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffK [...] re=related

I would use Realtemp to monitor the temps. It seems to be the most accurate.

I like Scythe Slipstream fans. The 1200RPM drive offers a good balance of airflow and quiet operation.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] am&x=0&y=0

Scythe SY1225SL12M 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan $8.99

I wouldn't mess with manually setting the CPU voltages. You should be able to return all the BIOS settings to the optimized settings. The only values I would manually set are the RAM speed, timings, and voltage.

Message edited by shortstuff_mt on 04-27-2010 at 12:36:30 AM

Reply to shortstuff_mt

Chip runs a little hot. Follow shortstuff's suggestions.

Thank you both for your reply. I spent some more time last night doing some reading and found that this series of Giga board tends to overvolt (silentpcreview from another thread). In changing the voltage, I was able to run 3-4 hours with all cores pegged and my temps were 55 or 56 c. Turns out ambient in the room is more like 27 or 28 (I decided to check with a thermometer). Idle temps are about 34 or 35. The cpu temp and the system temp are about equal at idle. BTW, system temp does not rise when I push the system, so I assume that indicates airflow is fine, though I would probably expect to see temperatures closer to 33 c at idle?

Which, as you point out, points back to the chip cooler/paste. So I will have to order some good paste and put it on and see what I get. Alternatively, as I am having fun playing with it, I might wait until I can get a new chip cooler so I can OC for fun, and then do it.

So a couple additional questions:

What are the best pastes...I know Arctic silver is popular, but I hear it takes 200 hours to cure? I never run my PC for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time, and not every day, so that would take forever.

How do you clean off the old stuff. I am a bit nervous about breaking things (my specialty).

I have read a lot about various coolers on various sites (frozen cpu etc.) but they seem to contradict in many cases. Any recommendations for something, er, price effective?

Lastly, an odd thing with my CPU fan. When the CPU ran for a while, it finally hit about 4500 rpms. I then turned on smart fan in bios to mess with the control in ez tune. But it would not hit 4500 under load, it maxed at like 3500. So I turned it back off and expected it to roar again, but now it will not go above 3500. I acts like there is some other controller I am missing. Any ideas on this?

Thanks!

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to catorres1

catorres1 wrote :

Thank you both for your reply. I spent some more time last night doing some reading and found that this series of Giga board tends to overvolt (silentpcreview from another thread). In changing the voltage, I was able to run 3-4 hours with all cores pegged and my temps were 55 or 56 c. Turns out ambient in the room is more like 27 or 28 (I decided to check with a thermometer). Idle temps are about 34 or 35. The cpu temp and the system temp are about equal at idle. BTW, system temp does not rise when I push the system, so I assume that indicates airflow is fine, though I would probably expect to see temperatures closer to 33 c at idle?

Which, as you point out, points back to the chip cooler/paste. So I will have to order some good paste and put it on and see what I get. Alternatively, as I am having fun playing with it, I might wait until I can get a new chip cooler so I can OC for fun, and then do it.

So a couple additional questions:

What are the best pastes...I know Arctic silver is popular, but I hear it takes 200 hours to cure? I never run my PC for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time, and not every day, so that would take forever.

How do you clean off the old stuff. I am a bit nervous about breaking things (my specialty).

I have read a lot about various coolers on various sites (frozen cpu etc.) but they seem to contradict in many cases. Any recommendations for something, er, price effective?

Lastly, an odd thing with my CPU fan. When the CPU ran for a while, it finally hit about 4500 rpms. I then turned on smart fan in bios to mess with the control in ez tune. But it would not hit 4500 under load, it maxed at like 3500. So I turned it back off and expected it to roar again, but now it will not go above 3500. I acts like there is some other controller I am missing. Any ideas on this?

Thanks!

Use a high % isopropyl alcohol to clean the chip. Don’t worry about the 200 hour cure time, it will still do its job, but temps will slightly lower when it is cure. As for other thermal compounds: I have been looking at OCZ Freeze Extreme and it sounds like it is very good stuff and it also has no cure time. I have always used AC but next build I’m trying OCZ.

The hs that I like is the rifle because you can normally get it for cheap and it works well.

The only way I see the cpu fan not going up to 4500 rpms is because the temps are not getting high enough for it to need to.

Reply to Pro Llama

i been using ocz freeze since it came on the market and its the best i have ever used just take it easy the consistency is different then most so practice on a plate or something to get used to the action

a good budget cooler is the coolermaster hyper 212+

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------------------------------ When in rome ..
Reply to obsidian86

obsidian86 wrote :

i been using ocz freeze since it came on the market and its the best i have ever used just take it easy the consistency is different then most so practice on a plate or something to get used to the action

a good budget cooler is the coolermaster hyper 212+

In comparison to AC do you normally need to use a little more or a little less or about the same? I’m not expecting you to be exact just an estimation.

That is also a good hs.

Message edited by Pro Llama on 04-27-2010 at 10:26:19 PM

Reply to Pro Llama

compared to ac5 a lil less is actually needed due to the freeze's curing action but i use bout the same amount

------------------------------ When in rome ..
Reply to obsidian86

Cool, I also just got a small fan in today for the back of the board. Unfortunately, only a 80mmX15 will fit, so it may not help, but it was worth a try.

I will look into what is available at the local Fry's and see what I can get as far as pastes go. If neither the AC nor the OCZ is there, I will order, but will probably wait till I decide what cooler to get and just make the change at that time.

As for the CPU fan, this is really puzzling to me, the temps when it was running at 4500 verses 3500 are the same. Besides, with smart fan turned off in the bios, what is making that decision? I thought that it would just run flat out all the time when I turned it off.

Any suggestions on a good fan control program? I have heard of speedfan, and downloaded, but frankly could not make heads or tales of it.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to catorres1

catorres1 wrote :

Cool, I also just got a small fan in today for the back of the board. Unfortunately, only a 80mmX15 will fit, so it may not help, but it was worth a try.

I will look into what is available at the local Fry's and see what I can get as far as pastes go. If neither the AC nor the OCZ is there, I will order, but will probably wait till I decide what cooler to get and just make the change at that time.

As for the CPU fan, this is really puzzling to me, the temps when it was running at 4500 verses 3500 are the same. Besides, with smart fan turned off in the bios, what is making that decision? I thought that it would just run flat out all the time when I turned it off.

Any suggestions on a good fan control program? I have heard of speedfan, and downloaded, but frankly could not make heads or tales of it.

I would suggest getting the thermal compound offline when you order your cooler because it will be cheaper. For some reason every time I see thermal compound at a store it is at least double the price of newegg.

As for controlling the fans I normally have the case fans running on full all the time and I get a cooler that has a speed control knob. With that being said I really don’t know any good fan control software.

Reply to Pro Llama

Thanks for the tip. I am going to tackle case fans first. I am about to order 6 Zalman f-3's. I am also going to replace the front LED fan that pushes NO air, and add an additional.

Plus a controller to keep all these, er, under control.

Next comes a chip cooler, but wonder if I am doing this backward? Maybe the chip cooler should come first? This post is probably buried by now, maybe I will post and see what folks think.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to catorres1

catorres1 wrote :

Thanks for the tip. I am going to tackle case fans first. I am about to order 6 Zalman f-3's. I am also going to replace the front LED fan that pushes NO air, and add an additional.

Plus a controller to keep all these, er, under control.

Next comes a chip cooler, but wonder if I am doing this backward? Maybe the chip cooler should come first? This post is probably buried by now, maybe I will post and see what folks think.

I would order it all at once and work from the cpu outward.

Reply to Pro Llama

i've got the 965 and it can cook.........just ordered the corsair liquid cooling which is a good buy at tigerdirect for 79 dollars.....you might try it too.

Reply to Flankercom

Yeah, I need to find some reviews on it, preferably where they compare to something like the Mungen 2. I saw some good sales on it one day recently, but was not knowlegable enough to be willing to jump. Looks like a cool way to start with water, nice entry point.

Reply to catorres1

OMG the corsair works great. It cut my cpu heat in half compared to the stock cooler.

If I posted this in the wrong place I apologize. What the heck is temp 3 and why is it at 100-120C and why have I seen so many with the same question and none of us can find the answer very easy on here?

Black edition Phenom II Quadcore w/Corsair H50 liquid cooler
MB:MSI K9N2 Diamond
GPU:Nvidia geforce fermi 480 sc
Ram:Crucial x2 2gb sticks 1066MHZ (4 gigs)
Case:Coolermaster HAF 932 fullsize (I LOVE IT)
Powersupply:Kingwin 800watt modular
OS:Windows 7 64bit home basic

Quote: Computer geeks are like pornstars, theres a crap load of us out there but nobody can tell from sitting inside an Applebee's restaurant. ~C.S. Couture

Reply to Flankercom

Its the corsair H50 its awsome however because of my cases design i had to remove the motherboard but its been entirely worth it. Plus that stock fan was loud as hell when it was really hot. Now my rig is as quiet as mouse. You'll love it, you should buy it, at least i recomend it.

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Reply to Flankercom

There are clearly some real fans of the H50 here. I have read a few reviews since posting and it seems like it's great, but still cannot keep up with the Venemous II, Megahalems, etc...IE the top end of air coolers. Could this be related to the stock setup and fans etc?

I am getting ready to get some kind of cpu cooling solution but am still unsure which direction to head. It does seem like the H50 will easily fit in my case and I will not have issues with ram slots etc...on the other hand, it seems like it falls behind the air coolers that are top of class and a little cheaper. Anyone have both and used them under ideal condition for each?

Reply to catorres1

Flankercom wrote :

Its the corsair H50 its awsome however because of my cases design i had to remove the motherboard but its been entirely worth it. Plus that stock fan was loud as hell when it was really hot. Now my rig is as quiet as mouse. You'll love it, you should buy it, at least i recomend it.

Flanker,

Can you post your pre and post temps (ambient, idle, load) say running prime 95 with the small threads test?

I am curious to see what kind of difference you saw with this specific cpu and cooling setup.

Reply to catorres1