Core 2 Quad Temp.

[imtomtoo0825]

I was wondering if someone could help me. I just built yet another brand new pc and put a core 2 quad Q6600 2.40 Ghz in it. the heatsink/fan that came with it was crap so I bought a thermaltake max orb with huge fins, 6 heat pipes and the whole deal (it is awesome!). I'm concerned though, the heatsink is as tight down as can be, the fan is wizzing around at about 2159 RPM's and yet my idle temp is at 52c, sometimes more, and i don't do any overclocking! I'm at my wits end about it, I've tried everything, i'm starting to think I have a faulty processor that runs hotter than it should. I also have about 9 fans in total in the case, 2 of them being exhaust fans. There is no reason for my Core 2 Quad to run idle at 52c (and that's if i'm lucky). I will give total specs of system, I hope someone out there has some ideas, I would be very thankful for them.

XFX nFORCE 680i LT SLI ready
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40Ghz
4.0 GB OCZ Gold Vista PC6400 800 Mhz
EVGA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3
Vista Ultimate
Hitachi 500GB SATA 300 7200 RPM

 

[drumr1829]

Hi imtom,

Weird...did they for some reason put the fan on backwards so that it's blowing out instead of in? Also you might want to check the amount of thermal paste. I'd refer to the artic silver site for application...did you use artic silver 5 or some cheap stuff? I also did the penny mod on my ultra 120 extreme and it's now, at stock, idling around 19-20 C.

 

[imtomtoo0825]

Thank you for your reply drumr. Unfortunately it isn't something easy like a backwards fan on the heatsink, I wish it was. In response to your question I just used the paste that came with the fan I bought, it's a Thermaltake Max Orb. The paste it came with is just some white stuff, probably cheap...... As far as the amount, I was worried I put too much, so I don't think that's it, i'll look into that artic silver stuff, thanks for your help.

 

[CompuTronix]

imtomtoo0825, you haven't specified if your Q6600 is a B3 or G0 Stepping, or whether you're referring to the single Tcase (CPU) temperature, or the 4 Tjunction (Core) temperatures. Since there are different maximum temperature specifications between the 2 Steppings, and there's a 10c difference or "Delta" between the 2 distinct temperatures, it's important to know which temperatures you're posting, and at what ambient temperature.

If you'd like to understand how it all works, and learn how to correctly test, accurately calibrate, and properly monitor your temperatures, then check out the Core 2 Quad and Duo Temperature Guide: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/221745-29-core-quad-temperature-guide

From reviewing your posts, it's most likely that Tcase (CPU temperature) has incorrect thermal algorithms in BIOS, or support is not enabled for PECI, (if equipped), ACPI or ACIP. It's also possible that a BIOS flash to the latest release may correct the problem. Regardless of which temperature, it's nearly certain that 52c at Idle is incorrect, especially for your hardware configuration.

From the Guide:

"...Section 6: Scale...

...
Scale 2: Quad
Q6x00: Tcase Max 71c, G0 Stepping, Tjunction Max 100c, Vcore Default 1.372, TDP 95w, Delta 10c

-Tcase/Tjunction-
--70--/--80--80--80--80-- Hot
--65--/--75--75--75--75-- Warm
--60--/--70--70--70--70-- Safe
--25--/--35--35--35--35-- Cool...

...
Scale 4: Quad

Q6600: Tcase Max 62c, B3 Stepping, Tjunction Max 100c, Vcore Default 1.372, TDP 105w, Delta 10c

-Tcase/Tjunction-
--60--/--70--70--70--70-- Hot
--55--/--65--65--65--65-- Warm
--50--/--60--60--60--60-- Safe
--25--/--35--35--35--35-- Cool..."

Also, contrary to popular mis-information, Arctic Siver 5 is NOT the best thermal compound.

From the Guide:

"...Section 14: Recommendations...

...(B) Masscool Shin-Etsu X23 can reduce CPU temps by ~ 4c compared to Arctic Silver 5, which is far more popular than it is effective. The first link shown below is to a very in-depth Thermal Interface Material (TIM) comparison that was posted 2/2/07 on Tom's Overclocking - Cooler and Heatsinks Forum, which was conducted by DaSickNinja. This 6 page thread is very revealing, however, the review has been moved to the second link shown below, Xtreme CPU.

DaClan Review: Thermal Interface Shootout: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/221751-29-daclan-review-thermal-interface-shootout#t1653411

Note: Due to Tom's servers forcing asterisks in the link below, when clicked it will cause "This page cannot be displayed". Simply backspace the 3 asterisks and type x-c-p-u-s without hyphens, then press enter.

Thermal Interface Material Comparison: http://www.***.com/forums/case-psu-cooling/3902-thermal-interface-material-comparison.html

Masscool Shin-Etsu X23 Thermal Interface Material (TIM) can reduce CPU temps by ~ 4c compared to Arctic Silver 5, and is simply the best TIM for CPU cooling.

X23 is available at the following sites:

http://www.chillblast.com/product.php?productid=16932
http://www.ajigo-store.com/se7783d.html
http://www.crazypc.com/products/50118.html
http://www.watercoolingshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=496&osCsid=78
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/product.php?productid=1236&cat=0&page= ..."

Comp