vapour :
@ Rogue Leader
I actually ran prime 95/Aida/realbench all. Prime95 will cause temp 10 degree higher than the other two. New comers may not know what they are getting into. When I first OC, prime 95 was recommended and I did try it. You know I was very cautious, so I didn't fry my stuff. i actually hope prime95 has a thermal limit that can kick in so nobody needs to worry.
vapour,
Respectfully, you appear to be misinformed. Don't feel singled out, as there's a tremendous amount of misinformation circulating around the Internet concerning this poorly understood topic.
The issue with Prime95 is strictly
version dependent. We have a Sticky which explains this in detail;
Intel Temperature Guide -
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html
Please read the entire Guide very carefully, however, pay especially close attention to Sections 11 and 12.
For the record,
there is nothing wrong with Prime95 version 26.6!
• Prime95 v26.6 -
http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=15504
Prime95 v26.6 Small FFT's is the best utility for
thermal testing. I've been working on this topic for over 10 years to which I've devoted thousands of hours of research and hands on testing. I've evaluated every test utility available. Although there are many utilities better suited for
stability testing, I've never found any other utility better suited than P95 v26.6 Small FFT's for
thermal testing.
For everyone's benefit, here's some highlights from the Guide:
" ...
Section 11 - Thermal Test Basics
When working with processor temperatures, taking a methodical approach is always recommended. One of the guiding principles for properly conducting a test, is that it's crucial to set up the same conditions and follow the same procedures every time. This minimizes variables so results will be consistent and repeatable.
Here's some reasons why users find processor temperatures so confusing:
Terminology and specifications
Abundance of misinformation
Inconsistent test procedures
Since Ambient temperature, hardware configurations and stress test software are major variables, in order to compare apples to apples it's important to be specific. “Load” or “full load” are misleading user terms that could mean anything. Gaming, applications, rendering, transcoding, virus scanning and web surfing are partial and
fluctuating workloads with
fluctuating temperatures, which aren’t well suited for testing thermal performance. Also, 100% CPU utilization seldom equals 100% workload or Thermal Design Power (TDP).
Intel tests their processors under carefully controlled conditions at 100% TDP.
Prime95 version 26.6 Small FFT's is ideal for CPU thermal testing, because it's a
steady 100% workload with
steady Core temperatures that typically runs Core i variants with Hyperthreading and Core 2 processors within +/- a few % of TDP. No other utility so closely replicates Intel's proprietary test conditions. This is also the utility that Real Temp uses to test Core temperature sensors.
Note: Do
not use Prime95 versions
later than 26.6 on 2nd through 8th Generation i3, i5 or i7 CPU's, which all have AVX (Advanced Vector Extension) Instruction Sets. Prime95 versions later than 26.6 run AVX code on the CPU's Floating Point Unit (FPU) which causes
unrealistic temperatures
up to 20°C higher. The FPU test in the utility AIDA64 shows similar results.
AVX can be
disabled in Prime95 versions later than 26.6 by inserting "CpuSupportsAVX=0" into the "local.txt" file in Prime95's folder. However, since Core temperatures will be the same as 26.6, it's easier to just use 26.6. AVX doesn't affect Core i 1st Generation, Core 2, Pentium or Celeron processors since they don't have AVX Instruction Sets.
Under proper test conditions, there are only three relevant values:
Ambient temperature
Core temperatures at
steady 100% workload.
Core temperatures at
dead idle.
Sections 12 and 13 will explain how to properly test your rig using standardized methods which minimize hardware, software and environmental variables. Follow the "Setup" in both Sections to replicate Intel's test conditions. Each 10 minute test will establish a valid thermal "baseline" at
steady 100% workload and at
dead idle.
Section 12 - Thermal Test 100% Workload
Note 1: Keep in mind that we're
thermal testing only.
Stability testing is not within the scope of this Guide, which assumes your rig is properly assembled, configured and stable. If you're overclocked, then a combination of stress tests, apps or games must be run to verify CPU stability.
If you’re overclocked and run AVX apps such as for rendering or transcoding, you may need to reduce Vcore and Core speed or upgrade your cooler and case fans so Core temperatures don’t reach 85°C. Many 6th, 7th and 8th Generation motherboards address the AVX problem by providing offset adjustments in BIOS. An offset of -2 or -3 (200 or 300 MHz) is usually sufficient. Asus RealBench runs a realistic AVX workload typically within +/- a few % of TDP, and is an excellent utility for testing overall system stability, whether you're overclocked or not.
• Asus RealBench - http://rog.asus.com/rog-pro/realbench-v2-leaderboard/
Prime95's default test, Blend, is a fluctuating workload for testing memory stability, and Large FFT's combines CPU and memory tests. As such, Blend and Large FFT's both have fluctuating workloads which aren’t well suited for CPU thermal testing.
Other stability tests such as Linpack and Intel Burn Test have cycles that peak at 120% workload, which again aren’t well suited for CPU thermal testing. The test utility OCCT runs elements of Linpack and Prime95, which will terminate the CPU tests at 85°C.
The "Charts" in SpeedFan span 13 minutes, and show how each test creates distinct thermal signatures.
Shown above from left to right: Small FFT's, Blend, Linpack and Intel Burn Test.
Note the
steady thermal signature of Small FFT's, which allows accurate measurements of Core temperatures.
A steady 100% workload is crucial for thermal testing.
Shown above from left to right: Small FFT's, Intel Extreme Tuning Utility CPU Test, and AIDA64 CPU Test.
Intel Extreme Tuning Utility is also a fluctuating workload. Although AIDA64's CPU test is a steady workload, it's far below TDP, which is insufficient for thermal testing. All other AIDA64 CPU test combinations are fluctuating workloads, which again aren't well suited for thermal testing. Also, AIDA64 is not Freeware, so the Trial version expires. ... "
" ... Here's the operating range for Core temperature:
Core temperatures above 85°C aren't recommended.
Core temperatures increase and decrease with Ambient temperature.
Idle temperatures below 25°C are generally due to Ambient temperatures below 22°C. ... "
Please let me know if you have any questions.
CT
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