System temps too high?

[FinlayG]

I recently put together a HTPC and am concerned about my temps after running prime95.

I am running:

Gigabyte 785GMT-USB3 mobo
WD Caviar Green 1TB HDD
AMD Athlon II X4 620 CPU
4GB DDR3 1333mhz Kingston Value Ram
Antec NSK 2480B case w 380w Earthwatts PSU
Generic Panasonic DVD-RW drive
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Max temps after 1 hour:

Temps on MOBO

Temp0: 44C
Temp1: 69C
Temp2: 61

Temp for CPU

CPU: 64C

Temp for HDD

HDD: 32C

Are these too high or are they OK?

 

[tecmo34]

Your CPU temp looks a little high but it is an HTPC case You should be closer to mid 50's on a non-overclocked CPU.

What do all four cores read using RealTemp or CoreTemp during Prime95? What is your ambient temperature, which can effect your temps (could make the acceptable)

 

[FinlayG]

Well all four cores are reading 62 to 63 (only occasionally 64). They are all at about 26 on idle. Ambient temperature would be about 25 degrees celsius I should think. I have re-routed my cables to try and improve the airflow a little but I have not seen an improvement. It is odd though because the case fans are only putting out slightly warm air. I was considering a running a scythe mini ninja passively. Would this decrease or increase heat? I am pretty sure I installed the stock heatsink correctly and even moved it around to make sure I had spread the thermal compound evenly and seated it in the middle of the cpu. How often is it really going to get up to full load in a HTPC set up?

 

[tecmo34]

You will probably never hit full load unless you are doing some major format converting.. Your idle temps are great so to me it is your cooler, so going with an aftermarket cooler will make a difference.

 

[FinlayG]

Would the Scythe mini ninja running passively provide an improvement or should I use the fan? I thought that if I went that route I might swap out the fan in the PSU with the one from the minja and chuck in some quieter case fans. I know that quite a few people have done it with this case. I think it would make it pretty silent. Is it really worth me replacing the stock cooler? Is not doing so going to dramatically affect my system's performance and lifespan?

 

[tecmo34]

Running the Scythe mini ninja passively will provide improvement on the load temps but will only slightly improve your idle temps, since those are good now.

If you want your system quieter, adding the Scythe and switching out fans is your best route. It will not dramatically affect your system by doing so other than the noise. Your idle temps are good and you won't be running a full load much, if really ever. My recommendation would be to continue to monitor your temps and if they look to be increasing or you start getting system issues, add the Scythe HSF and replace your other case fans.