Huge Overheating Problems?

[questkid44]

Hi, I have a core i7 950 and it has been getting around 80 degrees C under P95 SFFT load. Are these dangerous temperatures? I have a Zalman CNPS10X Optima HSF. Would i benefit from a H100i or H80i for overclocking? I cam currently runing at stock.

 

[Onefurrybanana]

Never overclock on a stock cooler if your going to adjust the voltages. You would benefit quite a bit from a liquid cooler.

 

[svan71]

prime 95 is ridiculous torture on a cpu, if its stable under normal use and idles at normal temp of 30 to 40 your fine.

 

[azaran]

If you're normal usage isnt hitting in to that high a temp, its not as big of a concern. But yes, using the tests you're using you're running too hot.

The Tcase of your CPU shouldn't hit over 67.9C according to Intels specs. Chances are tho, you're reading the Tcore which usually runs ~ 6 to 10 degrees hotter than Tcase. So basically you should be trying to keep your temps below 78C.

You're running what should be a better than stock cooling, so the first thing I'd recommend doing is reseating and reapplying you're thermal compound on the cooler. Then test again.

Yes, Prime95 or IBT are wholly unrealistic workloads to expect you're computer to do, but they do let you know how stable and efficient your cooling is.

If you can't get your temps down under that 78C level at 100% load, and you're concerned about the temps, you may want to consider a different cooler. The Cooler Master 212 Evo is the go to cooler in cases like this. It's a better cooler and quieter to boot without breaking the bank on something like a Noctua or water cooling setup.

 

[questkid44]

well actually i thought that prime95 was similar to what i would be torturing this PC with. I am going to be using it to do rendering of my videos.

 

[azaran]

well actually i thought that prime95 was similar to what i would be torturing this PC with. I am going to be using it to do rendering of my videos.

Oh, well in that case... yeah you're going to likely run in to cooling and throttling issues. Easiest and cheapest thing to do first is the reseating and reapplying of compound and then going in and retesting. Make sure you're using a good compound. I personally like Noctua NT-H1, but there are a number of them out there. Arctic Silver is the easiest to get a hold of, and its not bad, but it has a very long cure time so its not a great one to use if you're trying to do a quick test.

 

[questkid44]

Cure Time? and how long are you talking about? months? days?

 

[questkid44]

would a 212 EVO out perform this cooler?

 

[azaran]

If I remember right, AS5 cure time was around 100 hours of use.

 

[questkid44]

Ok, thats not too bad, i leave my computer on practically all the time.

 

[azaran]

The 212 Plus was rated as a better cooler, and the Evo has been rated as a better cooler than the plus. I didn't find any direct comparisons between the Evo and your Zalman but the logic should go with the Evo being a better cooler. It's also apparently quieter, which is always a nice plus to have.

 

[questkid44]

ok. I already have a 212 EVO on my extra Pentium 4 PC, so I will just switch the coolers and reapply thermal paste with AS5. Is the 212 EVO 1366 compatible?

 

[azaran]

The downside of that long cure time is you wont get firm temp numbers till its cured but you should be able to at least see if reapplying helped.

The 212 Evo is listed as working with 1366. I don't believe you need extra hardware but I'd double check the parts you have with the parts listed on the current model on their site.

 

[questkid44]

OK. One more question: Is the CNPS10X Optima LGA775 Compatible?

 

[azaran]

Should be. Zalman lists two different CNPS10X Optima models but both are 1366 and 775 compatible.

 

[questkid44]

OK. Thats great. thanks for all your help

 

[azaran]

No worries, hope all this helps.