AthlonXP Temps Comparison

[FiL]

Just looking at my AthlonXP 1900+ idling, it's at 51 C.

That's in a Coolermaster ATC201 Aluminium case, (4 case fans) and a copper cooler with a 7000rpm fan on it. I've still got instability problems, and i want to finally make sure heat isn't to blame.


so i'm wondering what temp other people's AthlonXP's run at. Use Motherboard Monitor 5 and see what you get, after leaving your system on for 30 minutes.

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[BordRider]

My XP 2100+ runs in a fairly warm room at 46 degrees idle and 55 degrees at load. When the room temp is around 22 or 21 degrees it idles at around 40 and load is about 46.

However, from a previous post on this board (How Hot is Too Hot?) I have learned that those are pretty low temps. Take a look at that post.

It's possible that the instability is from a non-cooled northbridge or an ailing hard drive. There's a million things it could be.

For reference, I'm using the cooler that came in the retail box with my XP 2100+, though I did scrape off the stock thermal interface so I could use Arctic Silver III. I have three 80mm case fans (all on the lowest setting because for some reason increased air flow doesn't really lower any temps in my case for some reason) and an Enermax 350 watt whisper power supply (with sleep support! wooooo!) that has an intake fan and an exhaust fan.

"Always two there are..."

 

[Black_Cat]

That sounds kinda hot, but I don't think that is what's causing your instability. Heat related instabilities generally occur around the 60C mark. With a 7000 RPM fan you should be running much cooler. What kind of thermal compound are you using?

To start press any key. Where's the "any" key? --Homer Simpson.

 

[FiL]

I'm using UNIK silicone heat transfer compound....

i guess my mobo is at fault here....i'm going to try and put a friends thunderbird 900Mhz CPU in there, and see if that is stable, if it's not then i know my Palomino CPU is OK

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[sacklinger]

I have an Athlon XP 1800+ with a cheap heatsink..its 50ºC idle and 60º full load, but I have no stability problems.

 

[FiL]

yeah the problem for me is deciding what exactly is wrong with my system, it could be mobo, CPU, or harddisk, i've no idea, i'm going to give this CPU to a friend for a day to see if it can crash his system

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[lhgpoobaa]

i have to say this is a pretty pointless exercise im sorry to say.

there are just too many variables. what your temps are apply to <b>you only</b>
heres a quick check of all the variables i can think of
1. room temp
2. case temp
3. case airflow
4. case design/metal
5. brand & model of cooler
6. fan & speed
7. dust layer depth
8. thermal interface material & thickness
9. temp reading source, undersocket diode or XP internal sensor
10. error in diode/internal sensor
11. software temp recording errors
12. mobo brand & bias
13. hsf/fan flaws
14. differeing OS conditions
etcetcetc

put simply
<b>If it doesn't crash then its OK</b>

Proud owner of the <b>Beige Beast</b> :lol:

 

[FiL]

yeah, but it does crash, so it's not OK....

i've done all types of driver installs/uninstalls, to no avail, swapped RAM sticks, changed CPU coolers, changed to a AL case with 4 case fans, changed to an enermax 430W PSU, changed graphics cards,

it has to be the mobo, HD, or CPU at fault now,
unless the way i've installed the HSF/thermal compound is so wrong but temps are never over 54 C now so perhaps heat is not what's at fault.

i'm tempted to replace the mobo and CPU and go for a Northwood B solution, but knowing my luck then it'll be the HD at fault...

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[lhgpoobaa]

if you think its the hard drive, run some diagnostic program provided by te manufacturer.

if you think its the CPU, run a cpu only intensive application like TOAST

to check the memory, try running MEMTEST86

P.S. how long are your IDE cables in that pic? some of them look awefuly long.


Proud owner of the <b>Beige Beast</b> :lol:

 

[cakecake]

Having a problem you can pinpoint to 3-4 different peripherals is one thing. But it seems like everything in your case is affected. I think it is your power supply. It could also be your processor but if something went wrong with that your computer wouldn't crash, it would simply freeze up.

As for your cooling compound, please, please, please: go buy Arctic Silver III now. My fan runs at 1500 RPM and my temps have never gone beyond 54C and that was when ambient temperature was 80F. You'll be happy. Just don't apply too thick of a layer.

This little cathode light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!

 

[nja469]

You mentioned XP internal senor as a reading, how does one get the info from the Athlon's internal senor? I count on my mobo, I didn't know their was an internal senor such as that on the XP.

 

[FiL]

ok the computer doesn't crash...it DOES lock up, if you're playing a game the last....0.2 seconds of sound start playing over like a stuck record, and even the num lock light can't get turned on and off, and picture on the monitor just freezes.

I've recently changed power supplies from a cheap 300W PSU to a 430W Enermax and this DID NOT solve the problem


I'll get some AS3, but i'll imagine it's the CPU or mobo...but some AS3 will be useful anyways


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[FiL]

The IDE cables are/were 18" long, they've changed since the picture was taken...now they're still 18" long but they're the rounded type.

(also in the picture is the Live! Drive ribbon cable)

i;ll run all the tests and get back to you.

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[lhgpoobaa]

18" cables... goood. just checking.
to me they looked longer than normal thats all.
you can get cables 24" or even 30" long, but they can cauze data corruption.

more points:
if you can run a CPU stress testing program ok then i would be leaning towards the graphics card locking up or the northbridge.

Proud owner of the <b>Beige Beast</b> :lol:

 

[FiL]

more points:
if you can run a CPU stress testing program ok then i would be leaning towards the graphics card locking up or the northbridge.

right, done some tests.

TOAST: Interesting this one....within 1 second of me double-clicking on the toast.exe icon i have a system lock up.

MEMTEST-86: no errors reported.



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[lhgpoobaa]

whoa.... thats telling. hmmm.
never seen toast make a cpu keel over quite so quickly... usually it takes at least a minute for the cpu to overheat. temps are around mid fifty's arnt they? hmmmm

*thinks*
your running motherboard monitor arnt you?
... what are your voltages like... particularly the 5v line?

cauz with the speed at which your system crashed im inclined to think that the PSU aint supplying sufficient juice.

Proud owner of the <b>Beige Beast</b> :lol:

 

[Hoolio]

may be motherboard power distribution problem

 

[FiL]

whoa.... thats telling. hmmm.
never seen toast make a cpu keel over quite so quickly... usually it takes at least a minute for the cpu to overheat. temps are around mid fifty's arnt they? hmmmm

temps were 54C at the time of running toast.

*thinks*
your running motherboard monitor arnt you?
... what are your voltages like... particularly the 5v line?

cauz with the speed at which your system crashed im inclined to think that the PSU aint supplying sufficient juice.

the 5V line has been at 4.85V-4.88V since i got the enermax it can still occaisionally drop to 4.69V, but not often.

it can't still be the PSU can it?!!!! not after i spent all that money on an enermax!?

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[lhgpoobaa]

hmmm

u said 4.69v... thats not very good, infact thats pretty bad. how often does it do that?
and more importantly, does it do that at the time of freeze?

even though its an enermax doesnt rule out the chance of a faulty product every now and again.


Proud owner of the <b>Beige Beast</b> :lol:

 

[FiL]

knowing my "luck" it'll be the one in a million faulty Enermax,



oh and additionally it goes to 4.69V very rarely, and i don't know if that's near crashes, the log files the mobo monitor spits out after crashes certainly don't contain fluctuating voltages<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by FiL on 07/15/02 11:51 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[lhgpoobaa]

hmmm ok.

and this 54C... have you ever run ABOVE it for any length of time?



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[FiL]

i've recorded it hit 59C ONCE, but apart from that i've never seen it over 55C ever.

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[Smokey]

FiL,

What motherboard is that? I saw the VIA chipset...

<font color=purple>I'd like to thank my Audigy, VIA KT333 & ATI for teaching me the dangers of drivers</font color=purple>

 

[FiL]

It's a Soltek 75-DRV2 that uses the VIA KT266A chipset.

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[ritesh_laud]

temps were 54C at the time of running toast.

According to what? I wouldn't trust the temperature readings on an Athlon system farther than I could throw a Via motherboard, because they're not based on an actual core temperature diode reading like Intel temps are. Your actual core temp could be 20° higher!! Your CPU is probably close to 70°C when Toast crashes.

You mentioned you have lots of case fans. That could be your problem. All you need is one big case fan for exhaust, in addition to the PSU fan. That's it. No intake fans are necessary. A powerful enough exhaust fan doesn't need "help" from an intake fan, it generates enough vacuum on its own. More than likely your case fans are fighting each other and stagnating the air around the CPU.

Ritesh