High CPU and ambient air temps

PostConsumerWat

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Nov 27, 2011
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I have been experiencing higher than normal temperatures ever since I have upgraded from 4 to 8 GB of RAM.

Replacing the RAM involved removing the after-market cooler, and re-applying thermal paste.

I made some progress today in re-applying the thermal paste and dropped my temps be a few degrees, but I am not sure if the high temperatures that I am encountering are due to ambient temperatures, or possibly some kind of RAM problem (or possibly more RAM somehow adding to the core temps?).

It's my first build:

Phenom II 965BE 3.6 GHz @1.35v | AC Freezer 64 Pro | MX-2 thermal compound
4Gx2|GSKILL F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL@ 1333 8-8-8-24
XFX 5870 1GB
MB MSI 870A-G54 AM3
PSU ANTEC|EA650
CASE CM|haf-922

The major thing that is making me confront this issue is that my CPU core temps were going too high while running Prime95 at stock speed while under-volted.

I ran Prime95 for maybe 4-8 minutes using the above configuration and core temps were around 60-62.

ambient temperature may be 27 degrees Celsius or above.
 
Solution

That might be the case...

Even if it's not, you'll see much better performance with a Hyper212 series cooler than a 92MM based cooler :lol:

Good luck!
80F is roughly equivalent to 27C...which means your Delta temperature is roughly 35C.

In the room I'm working in, the temperature is around 23C (74F)...and running Prime95 for 10 minutes on SmallFFT's gave me a max temperature of around 51C (Delta of around 28C)...

I'm running an X4 955 @ 3.8Ghz at 1.425v cooled by a Hyper212+ in the stock push configuration.

Your CPU is significantly warmer considering how much less the voltage is...and I highly doubt our difference in coolers can make such a big difference.

Our CPU's will be about 5-7C apart at peak guaranteed due to our differences in ambient temps, but putting that aside, I highly doubt a second stick of RAM could have caused your CPU to suddenly sky-rocket in temperature.

What kind of temps were you getting before the RAM? And are you sure you didn't put too much thermal compound?
 

PostConsumerWat

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before I changed the RAM my temps were maybe 5 degrees Celsius lower.

I think that I got the thermal compound right this time as my temps have improved... I must have reapplied the paste ten times. I put the paste on differently this time to imitate the paste that came as part of the heatsink when it came out of the box new: I applied a line, and used a card to smear an even layer. I had been applying rice-grain-size globs of thermal compound.

I noticed that the cooler I have was originally meant for athlon 64's.... it fits the am3 bracket though. According to the box the thermal resistance is .18 c/w...... if that helps. It is in reference to the athlon64 "box cooler, " that it says is .34 c/w.

I am corresponding with the manufacturer of the heatsink device... maybe they will have something helpful to say...
 

rdc85

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What Thermal paste did u use? some thermal paste need to burn-in time so it will becoming much better after couple hours (varies for each type/brand).

edit: miss read, u are using AC MX-2, so no burn in time. the problem lies somewhere else.....
 

PostConsumerWat

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the thermal paste is Arctic MX-2. I read somewhere that there is no burn in time...the package says "non-curing."

hmm, maybe I need to work on my thermal paste skills =[

I have heard that my mobo has some kind of issue but I haven't been able to find where people have talked about it...
the MSI 870A-G54 AM3 supposedly does something weird sometimes. As mysterious as that sounds, it's all I know about it...some problems with overclocking with it...
 

rdc85

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Another thing that can make it becoming hotter is voltage, since it not the case.

The only thing i can think of is, the Cooler don't make contact properly with the Proc....

well if it don't work out, is the cooler can be added extra fan so it became push pull....

 

PostConsumerWat

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is it possible that the piece of metal that covers the cpu might somehow push apart and be bent away from contact?

I have not found any threads like that yet.. I just don't want to let it run Prime95 into the higher temperatures; a bit nervous about what might be going on with the heat problem... could it be that putting on, or taking off the heatsink somehow bends the frame and make for a less tight fit?

hnmmh... I might just have to get out some grains of rice to practice putting the heat sink on with proper goo globs... and then compare it with the stock heatsink...
 


From experience, no this has never happened to me.

Though as rdc said, maybe the cooler is not making full contact with your CPU...aka maybe a loose screw or two?

Actually, just to test one of my suspicions, can you open CPU-Z (or download it and run it if you don't have it yet) while you're doing Prime95 SmallFFT's? Record your max temperature, and max voltage CPU-Z shows.

I know some motherboards do a weird thing where they automatically set up voltages for you even if you set voltage settings to "Manual"...I've experienced this with the Gigabyte 970A-D3/UD3 where voltages would skyrocket up to 1.5v with a mild overclock on a FX-4100.
 

PostConsumerWat

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CPU-Z displayed a voltage of 1.384 while CPUID Hardware Monitor displayed a temperature of 61 Celsius.

Meanwhile the manufacturer CS said that the cooler is working normally and that if I needed better performance that I would need a better cooler... so that leads me to believe that I purchased the wrong cooler for the TDP, as the rep says it is a high TDP chip.

I guess it's the cooler.... I bought the wrong cooler way back when I built the computer... I hope it fixes it... one of the rebate, 20 bone, hyper 212..... join us ;]
 

That might be the case...

Even if it's not, you'll see much better performance with a Hyper212 series cooler than a 92MM based cooler :lol:

Good luck!
 
Solution

PostConsumerWat

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cooling performance has greatly improved with the hyper 212. core temperature has not broken 50 degrees Celsius yet...

That old cooler that I bought needed a TDP recommendation or something. Some way to tell me that besides being compatible, it would not be appropriate for my build. Oh well, I'll chalk it up to inexperience. My brother is in IT, and when he looked over my build he thought it was appropriate. Goes to show how important it is to read reviews because you never know how thorough their marketing will be.

just hit 50 degrees Celsius, and then it dropped back down to 49. :bounce: :lol:
 


I'm glad to know your CPU is showing much better temps!

And just think of it this way, you can add this experience to your list of "Check-lists" of sorts to yours or a friends next new rig! :) more experience for you :D