CPU running hot, loud fan

[l1nkown]

I just built this computer and played my first game in Battlefield 2 Bad Company and the fan was really loud. Only when i'm playing the game though. The processor i'm using is phenom ii x4 955. So I installed coretemp to check the temperatures and it's saying that the highest was 64 degrees and the lowest at 50 degrees. I don't know anything about cpu temps, is that dangerously high? OR is it normal? The stock fan is pretty distracting and I can almost hear it over the sound of the game.

 

[trnddwn33]

64 is pretty normal for that processor. Get a pair of sound muffling headphones

Alternatively you can get an aftermarket heatsink which will probably help to keep the temps down and fan quieter.

 

[hunter315]

What is your temp at idle? Mine only gets up to about 55 in games, it will only break 60 if i run prime 95, i have the C2 stepping. If you are running at more than 12 or 13C above the ambient temperature in your case at idle you may want to double check that you applied the heatsink properly or invest in a better one like the hyper 212+. Mine varies between 7-11C above ambient when at low load with stock heatsink.

 

[l1nkown]

What is your temp at idle? Mine only gets up to about 55 in games, it will only break 60 if i run prime 95, i have the C2 stepping. If you are running at more than 12 or 13C above the ambient temperature in your case at idle you may want to double check that you applied the heatsink properly or invest in a better one like the hyper 212+. Mine varies between 7-11C above ambient when at low load with stock heatsink.

It's at around 36 degrees when i'm not gaming.

 

[enzo matrix]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that since the maximum operating temperature of the phenom IIx4 955 BE with C2 stepping is 62C that that is too hot.
Yeah the Phenom IIx4 955 fan is pretty loud.

Questions:
-How is the airflow in your case set up? fans etc.
-What are your ambient temperatures?

For comparison, My friend's 955 ran at 55C on prime95 in a room that was maybe 18-20C.

 

[shovenose]

is the cooler properly mounted? thermal paste?
way high

 

[l1nkown]

I know I had a lot of trouble installing the cpu fan. It took a lot of time and many tries to mount the two clips down, maybe I screwed it up? I just tried taking off the fan, but it seems impossible to get the fan off now that it's installed.

 

[l1nkown]

I managed to get the fan off and I see that some of the thermal paste accumulated on the sides from it moving around when I was installing the fan. Some stuck to the fan and some stuck to the cpu. Could the high temps be because there isn't enough thermal paste?

 

[shovenose]

it wasnt too hard once i figured it put. however, there is one thing:
the new cpu wont fit!
original cpu: amd athlon 64 3500+
new cpu: it says ATHLON 64X2 ada42001aa5cu.
it wont fit!
it looks almost exactly the smae, expect two of the little plastic sqaures are in different places and theres an extras pin in the corner. whats the problem!?

 

[enzo matrix]

it wasnt too hard once i figured it put. however, there is one thing:
the new cpu wont fit!
original cpu: amd athlon 64 3500+
new cpu: it says ATHLON 64X2 ada42001aa5cu.
it wont fit!
it looks almost exactly the smae, expect two of the little plastic sqaures are in different places and theres an extras pin in the corner. whats the problem!?

Sounds like you had a socket 939 motherboard and bought an AM2 CPU. The athlon 64 single cores were released for socket 939 and later AM2. The dual cores were released for socket AM2 with the exception of, I believe, two models.

 

[shovenose]

Sounds like you had a socket 939 motherboard and bought an AM2 CPU. The athlon 64 single cores were released for socket 939 and later AM2. The dual cores were released for socket AM2 with the exception of, I believe, two models.

aha. thank you. whats the fastest single core s939 cpu out threr?
also, is a p4 2.2ghz or an athlon64 3500+ 2.2ghz faster?

 

[enzo matrix]

aha. thank you. whats the fastest single core s939 cpu out threr?
also, is a p4 2.2ghz or an athlon64 3500+ 2.2ghz faster?

The Athlon 64 outperformed the P4 by quite a bit back then. AMD was out ahead with their Athlon 64 before the core 2 from intel.

The fastest single 939 was the 4000+ You'll want to make sure you get the socket 939 version though, not the AM2 version. The 939 is at 2.4GHz and the AM2 is at 2.6GHz.

For the dual core, the models were actually more than I thought. But they are rarer. The 4800+ was the fastest at 2.4GHz. You'll want to make sure you get the socket 939 version though, not the AM2 version. They are both at 2.4GHz.

You can double check your socket by running CPU-Z.

 

[shovenose]

is my 3500+ 2.2ghz as fast as a p4 3ghz? it kindof does feel like that (but then again its a fresh install) but anyway, how much faster is the a64 than a p4? 200mhz, 400, 1ghz? thanks.
HEY OP!!!
sorry for stealing ur thread sortof!

 

[enzo matrix]

I managed to get the fan off and I see that some of the thermal paste accumulated on the sides from it moving around when I was installing the fan. Some stuck to the fan and some stuck to the cpu. Could the high temps be because there isn't enough thermal paste?

If there is thermal paste leaking out the sides of the CPU, then you used too much. Myself, I do the application where I put an amount in the middle and let the heatsink spread the layer. There is nothing on the outer edge of the CPU. The only thing TC is supposed to do is fill in microscopic gaps between the two metal surfaces. This is much more ideal than air filling the gaps. But applying too much can be bad also because thermal compound does not conduct heat as well as metal can.

And shovenose, I am unsure. I believe that the "xxxx+" rating of the Athlon CPUs was designed to designate how fast it is compared to a P4. So (and someone correct me if I am wrong) The Athlon 64 3500+ is about equal to a 3.5GHz P4, likely in best case scenario due to it being rated by AMD. This makes sense to me though in my experience with my Athlon 64 3200+

 

[shovenose]

awesome. thanks. i think u are right, because it feels VERY snappy eve nwith only 1gig of memory!