I7 overheating - TRUE 120 + Thermaltake V9 Chasis

[Foozo]

I need help re: overheating. I've tried to read up and figure out what I should be doing. However, after a custom aftermarket cooler, its stock paste and fan, bios tweaking ad nauseum, and some ambient room temp jigging, I've still got an OC'd i7 920 ready to combust.

I have not figured out how to:

Adjust voltages on my Thermaltake V9 Chasis fans to increase rpms - would like variable temp-proportioned speeds (please help)
Adjust voltages on my Thermalright TRUE 120 to increase rpms - would like variable temp-proportioned speeds (please help)
Make core temps go down under full load - Prime 95 is killing me on stress tests - can't go past 10 minutes without red flags all 'round...

Is cooler gel really that big a deal? I gave an (admittadly generous helping) of stock Thermalright gel between chip and heatsink - is this what's f*ing my temps? I read one article suggesting so, but really I didn't put that much (a complete smearing of the heatsink pad but thin as sin)...

Please no speculation - I've read and printed forum posting for evening reading 'til I'm blue in the face - I think the above questions are best focused on my dilemma...

Thanks in advance for some guidance... This is my first post after *tons* of useful information on Tom's that I've put to good use...

Many thanks in advance...

My system stats/vitals are here:

http://beginneroverclocker.webs.com/

 

[Foozo]

Sorry - link doesn't come out in legible res... Here is my system... Hep meee?


Full intstall November '08 - CPU cooler + stock tim & fan last month
Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe (Bios 1303)
Chip: Intel i7 920 @ 3800 (19 multiplier x 201 base clock)
Ram: 3 x Patriot Viper 1Gb @ 1600+ (XMP on @ 201 base clock)
Video Card: Asus HTDI 4870 1Gb @ 800 clock / 1110 memory (recent driver – 9.x?)
Other: Samsung HD 103UJ 1T @ 7200, wack of USB junk, standard optical R/RW/DVD…
Cooler: Thermalright (TRUE 120) rear fan pulling thru heatsink, pushing towards rear chasis fan
Chasis: Thermaltake V9 (front fan pulling in; top fan pushing out; back fan pushing out)
Power supply: 1000w
Ambient room temp: usually 17 Celsius / 63 Fahrenheit

Q - why is my gosh-darned chip so hot???


Am at 90+ after 10 minutes on Prime95 stress... (blend)...

 

[Inktfish]

90+ is way to hot.
What are your volts and is your cooler/heatsink seated properly with a small drop of TIM?

 

[blackwidow_rsa]

whats the voltages the cpu is running at?

 

[Foozo]

CPU Voltage is 1.35
DRAM Bus 1.66
QPI/DRAM Core 1.35
CPU PLL 1.96

I have a sneaking suspicion it's the TIM. I used stock and, now thinking back, might have put too much in... Will it dissipate over time and work better? Or will it, with too much, always reduce the cooling capacity?

 

[richardscott]

tim is a pain in the ass to get right not enough and ure temps go through the roof too much and it also hinders ure temps, my suggestion is to reseat ure hs and try again thats all, make sure the hs is very secure

 

[Conumdrum]

TIM needs a speck between a grain of rice and a small pea put in the middle on the CPU, actually very little. Then you just push the HS down.
TIM is meant to be like that for a long time, it does not wear out over time.

 

[bakedcpu]

Is your case clean? Does cables flop everywhere? That may have something to do with it.