Athlon XP 2800+ Overheating...

[oolceeoo]

Well a while back I posted that my friend was having random reboots and shutdowns. I have tested the PSU, which is good, I have tested each individual RAM stick, which is good, I have updated his BIOS, chipset drivers, video drivers, sound card drivers, and I've tested his hard drive, which is also good. There are no legacy devices installed in his computer and he does not have any hardware conflicts.

I have narrowed it down to his CPU overheating to be the culprit. The truth is his Athlon XP 2800+ just gets WAY too hot. At idle in WinXP, its at near 55C(Asus Probe, which I know isn't entirely accurate but it gives a good estimate) which is too high. When in the CMOS setup, it jumps to 70C.

He is using the stock Athlon heatsink, but it does not do its job. I put Artic Silver thermal paste on the heatsink but it did little to cool his CPU.

He has a small case and needs 2 more fans and better airflow in his case, but he also needs a good heatsink for his Athlon.

What heatsink would you recommend for his CPU? His RAM modules are very close to his cpu socket, so no big Zalman heatsinks will fit. It has to be somewhat small.

Any advice or tips will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!



P4C 3.0ghz
Asus P4C800E-D
GeForceFX 5900 Ultra 256MB
2x512 MB corsair dual channel pc3200
200GB WDJB HDD
Nothing OC'd

 

[Xiph0s]

Im thinking its the case configuration, bad circulation

Basic Specs:
Amd Xp 2500+
768mb pc2700 RAM
Asus A7n8x-e Deluxe
Geforce Fx 5700 ultra ddr2 ram
Samsung 19" SyncMaster 955df

 

[khha4113]

<b><A HREF="http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=HAC-L82&other_title=0" target="_new"><font color=green>CoolerMaster HAC-L82</A></b></font color=green>, I've been used for my Barton XP2500+ (oc to 3200+/2200MHz). It's considered cheap(~$15) and real quiet.

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[oolceeoo]

Yeah, he does need better airflow in his case, but he has a hot room that doesn't always have the air conditioning on.

On newegg, I see a lot of good reviews for the Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12 and 10+. I might go with one of those.

P4C 3.0ghz
Asus P4C800E-D
GeForceFX 5900 Ultra 256MB
2x512 MB corsair dual channel pc3200
200GB WDJB HDD
Nothing OC'd

 

[pat]

I would check too in BIOS if the CPU doesnt get too much voltage. Overvolted cpu get really hot. I'm not sure, but I think tht a 2800+ shoulg get 1.65V. If more, then maybe the BIOS is not identifying the CPU right.

But good airflow is needed too. With good airflow, you may not need another HSF, the stock one should suffice. No matter how good the HSF is, if inside air is too hot, it wont be able to do its job. So, I would first check voltage, improve ventingwith at least one fan in front to blow fresh air in and one behind to push hot air out. some case has on the side panel that blow directly on the CPU. other has a fan on top to exhaust hot air, as hot air stay at the top of the case. Bigger case are not so expensive since you already have the PSU. Sometime include fans. At the end, a good case could cost less than buying fans and a new HSF.

Apart from CPU, HDD are often generating a lot of heat too. moving the HDD lower in the case, if possible, to have the front fan to cool them will help too.

In my case, I did a rack to hold my 2 HDD that I bolted right in the bottom of my case, in front of my fan. I removed the PCI card shield at the back and directed hot ait to get out there. A side panel fan blows air on my CPU while another at the back, just under the PSU take hot air out.My PSU has a bottom fan to help removing hot air.

This way, I can run my mobile 2500+ at 2.4Ghz 600MHz overclock with a Thermaltake silent boost HSF in my small 16 and half inches case. If I had a beltter HSF, I could reach more. But for normal use, I run it @ 1.8 Ghz(9x200) which is .033 MHz less than a desktop 2500 (1.83 Ghz). I have a fan controller ant I run all my fans, including the one on the CPU cooler half speed. Temps are around 44 celcius here in summer at normal load and around 49 full load. The only noise I hear now are my HDD...which is good for a HTPC.

-Always put the blame on you first, then on the hardware !!!

 

[oolceeoo]

His core voltage is at 1.7V. And yes I agree with good airflow. He has a small case and in need of more fans on top, but I figure a good heatsink wouldn't hurt and extend the life of his cpu.

P4C 3.0ghz
Asus P4C800E-D
GeForceFX 5900 Ultra 256MB
2x512 MB corsair dual channel pc3200
200GB WDJB HDD
Nothing OC'd

 

[pat]

Not really sure about that,but I think it is supposed to be at 1.65. I would check that.

-Always put the blame on you first, then on the hardware !!!

 

[Wolfy]

yeah id agree with pat that it should be at 1.65v it actually surprised me when O/C'ing my xp2600 the difference in temps from 1.65 to 1.7 but im not definite on what the xp2800 should be but i cant see why it would be higher than the xp2600 seeing as its all more or less the same regardless though dropping the vcore back to 1.65 wont drop the temp a lot.... basically just take the above advice from the other post.... or hell if its a small case invest in a larger more airy one.

oh and i use a falconrock2 cooler from spire which is quiet and keeps my cpu happy although im sure there are better coolers on the market

"Its only when you look at ants closely with a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames"