How to check for system stability with new buid?

[goaskalice00]

Hey guys,

Just finished my first build!

I'm curious now to ensure that everything is installed properly, and that temperatures are okay, ect.

How do I check GPU, CPU, and MOBO temps? What are optimal temps for these components?

I have a i5-2500k with stock cooler, GTX 560, and ASRock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68. How can I ensure that air flow is sufficient and temperatures are in healthy range?

Thanks

 

[Raiddinn]

Asrock makes a program that can monitor temperatures. It is called OCTuner. DL it and play around with it. It should have everything you need.

Benchmarking programs are helpful in testing how solid your setup is once you have Windows installed.

You can look up "<part type> torture test" in google and come up with programs that put serious strain on specific parts as well, but be careful with it because Furmark has been known to single handedly destroy video cards on Day 1. OCCT does that too.

If you look up "<part name> safe temperature" or similar in google you can find where people discuss the max temperature for specific parts. This info isn't always easy to find and can vary between different manufacturers of the same part, so it is helpful to go this route instead of having me list some sort of general average.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058.html

Those two links can tell you everything you need to know about cooling setups.