E6400 idles at 47°C, is that good?

[warofart]

So I've had this CPU for a couple of years, and recently had to reinstall it due to buying a new CPU that wasn't for the motherboard that I have. So until I get a new mobo, I'm stuck with my E6400.

Now is it supposed to run that hot? The max temp it has reached is 65°C.

The case that I have is a "Velocity" case, I bought this pre-built PC 3 years or so ago, and I've been upgrading it since. Is it time to upgrade the case?

EDIT: It idles at 47°.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Ok 51c is WAY too hot at idle. I doubt you have done any real stress testing so I cna see load being pretty high. You never want your CPU to exceed the 60-65c mark for any long amount of time.

 

[warofart]

Sorry If I said it idled at 51° it's more like 47°. (EDIT: It's 47°)

So what can I do? What's the first thing I should change/get? The heatsink?

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

If you are using the stock heatsink then an upgrade will do wonders. An Xigmatek HDT-S963 is at a good price and fits in most cases, but it is still pretty large so make sure it will be ok. If you are short on money then I suggest you buy some Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal paste and reapply it since the stock stuff is terrible. Are you sure the CPU is not overclocked? Can you install a temp monitor like speedfan and run some Prime95 to see how hit the CPU really gets? If it gets above 60-65c then stop the test immediately. If you need help with apply thermal paste or installing a new HS then feel free to ask.

 

[warofart]

Cool, but maybe I wasn't clear I DID HAVE to reapply thermal compound (we're supposed to clean off the old stuff if reinstalling right?). I applied a thin layer and proceeded to put the stock heatsink on top.

I'm a little ashamed to say that I never checked my CPU temp before, only now that I reinstalled it I feel compelled to monitor that it doesn't melt due to poor thermal compound application, I couldn't say what the temp was originally.

And I'm sure it's not OC. I will look into a new heatsink, I'd say the current heatsink is pretty big, so your recommendation should fit fine ($25!). How does the Xigmatek HDT-S963 compare to the stock heatsink that comes with new intel CPUs?

I'll try to get a temp monitor soon and post results, thanks.