[SOLVED] Help with Core Temp readings

[banchan]

So I just bought a new Video Card.
The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT.

My mobo and computer in general is pretty old, But I don't really have the money to upgrade motherboard and all the inner workings. So I decided to get a newer PSU because my previous one was giving some power issues.

My mobo :
CPU: AMD FX 8350 8Core
ASRock 990FX Extreme4
Previous Video Card: HD radeon 5870

This may have been the case prior, and I Just hadn't paid attention to it. Now that i've started looking at Core Temp, I'm literally worried that my computer will shut down and fry or something. It also seem like my TJ Max Temp is pretty low at 70C. While idle and out of game it can hover between 15C and 30C. I've seen it go as high at 68-69C with my TJ Max at 70C it scares me lol. Here are two pictures of what Core temp is showing. The first is idle outside of game, the second is while in Elder Scrolls Online.

That is 20C

https://imgur.com/JXx89J3

View: https://imgur.com/JXx89J3


]

https://imgur.com/9qsSKxY

View: https://imgur.com/9qsSKxY

Thank you for any help.

 

[Phaaze88]

You don't use Core Temp for FX cpus. That's what you're doing wrong.
Use AMD Overdrive - it'll do what Core Temp ISN'T doing correctly, and that's 'distance to TJMax'.
In other words, the way these cpus are supposed to be read:
-FX 8350 thermal margin is 61C.
-This cpu should be read going DOWN from 61C.
-Single digits, 0, and -negative thermal margins are bad.

Link to Overdrive: https://www.techspot.com/downloads/4645-amd-overdrive.html

 

[banchan]

Thank you for your response. I downloaded AMD overdrive. I see that my thermal margin numbers are the same as if I was to subtract the CPU Temp from the TJ Max Temp that CoreTemp gave me. CoreTemp (TJ Max - CPU temp = AMD Overdrive Thermal Margin) Everytime.

So I'm still worried that I'm running to hot.

 

[Phaaze88]

Thank you for your response. I downloaded AMD overdrive. I see that my thermal margin numbers are the same as if I was to subtract the CPU Temp from the TJ Max Temp that CoreTemp gave me. CoreTemp (TJ Max - CPU temp = AMD Overdrive Thermal Margin) Everytime.

So I'm still worried that I'm running to hot.

What?

Do any of the cores read thermal margin in the single digits or negative?
If not, the cpu is fine.

 

[Karadjgne]

You misunderstand what a thermal margin is. It's not a temperature as such, it's a representative number depicting how much thermal headroom you have left.

The FX cpus do not have thermal strips inside the cores like intel. Totally no way to accurately address any temp at all. Temp being a specific number.
So amd went opposite to the way Intel was promoting temp readings. Instead they took the approach of hot-hotter-hey pay attention!

Overdrive uses a complex algorithm derived from vcore, package temp, load, VRM output and various other sensors around the socket and quantifies all that as a number. It knows there's a set specific number for maximum safe temp. Balanced against the two is the thermal margin.

So a margin in the 40's simply means you are running low current, low voltage, low temps, low loads, plenty of headroom. It does not mean you have 40°C left. 30's means you are at a medium low load, 20's and you are in normal operating ranges, teens is high demands and if you go into single digits your cooler isn't sufficient. At Zero you are at the maximum safe temp for the cpu but you are looking right at throttle attempts, and if unfortunate enough to get into negative numbers expect shutdown or damage.

But it's still not a temp reading with a quantifiable, definitive, actual °C number. It's not Intel.

The number itself isn't important. It's what the number represents that is. Where you are in relation to Zero. Further away you are, better off you are.

You can use CoreTemp for the FX. It uses the same algorithm as Overdrive on an FX cpu. Just have to go into settings and change it to read thermal margins instead of temps. Ignore the °C symbol, that's only there because it's there and the authors of CoreTemp didn't want to rewrite the program to create a seperate program without the °C just for amd FX.

 

[banchan]

Thank you both for the help. It makes sense now. If it gets into the negative I guess it's time to look at better cooling options.

 

[Karadjgne]

If it gets into the teens, pay attention. If it hits single digits regularly, then you should really be thinking about a better cooler.

I'm guessing that AMD's hope was to take the technical aspect out of the equation, make it easier to read. Simply the closer to 0 the number is, the hotter the cpu is, without a changing variable like TDP or power consumption or even cpu size. You'd have the exact same relationship with running a 4100 or a 9590, no guesswork as to idle temp differences or maximum wattage outputs etc. It's either within safe limits or not.

Intels answer was a broad statement that 70°C was safe, but you'll have to look in the data sheets to find the exact temp max for every individual cpu, because they are all different, and from Tjunction where throttle starts (which you must first find) add @ 5°C to get TjMax, which is the absolute limit of the cpu and will trigger shutdowns, but wait, the only thing listed is Tcase, which has nothing to do with either since technically that's the max temp at the IHS, which has no sensors in production models, only engineering samples and most often ends up as bios temp, which is often the source of some software programs, not Tjunction which is the core temp.

AMD saying stay away from 0 makes it far easier.

 

[banchan]

I'll keep an eye on it. If it starts getting to the teens and single digits I'll look at a better cooler option. I definitely don't have the funds right now to do any high level cooling, and would need just a better heat sink.

 

[banchan]

What do you all say would be a good heatsink for this. Also would i need to replace the thermal paste. This computer was bought back in 2014.

 

[Phaaze88]

Noctua NH-U12S/ U14S
be quiet! Shadow Rock 3/ Dark Rock Slim
Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo
Thermalright Macho Rev. B/ Rev. C
Cooler Master MA410M
Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B/ Ninja 5

Thermal paste should hold for a few years. Definitely replace it.

 

[banchan]

Thank you for your reply.

After playing elder scrolls online last night I noticed that the distance to tj max hovered around 3-9. Which means it was pretty much in single digits while in game. While outside of game in a regular windows setting, it would be much cooler hoevering between 35 and 50 distance from tj max. I plan on trying other games today to see if this is also an issue, but so far the only increase is while playing elder scrolls online. And I'm not idle when in regular windows environment. Like I said I plan to see if this is the only game this happens with, as I install more games to try. If it is only with elder scrolls online, then what does that mean in terms of my heatsink, cpu. Again thank you for your help.

 

[banchan]

Ok I just went ahead and got some new Thermal Paste from Best Buy. Their TM30, removed the heatsink (aired it out - was really dusty), removed the old paste and put on the new. I'm happy to say that even in Eso I'm hovering between 30 - 46 distance from TJ Max. I'm going to keep going through the zones in the game to see if it decreases, but it's an obvious improvement, because as soon as I entered the game before it droped to the single digits.

Thank you all for your help, hopefully this can hold me over from buying a new cpu for a bit.