Maximus Formula temperature & voltage readings

[cvladan]

HI all.

I've got a brand-new Maximus Formula SE w/Q6600 G0 which seem to work together like greased lightning. I tried a Gigabyte DQ6-X38 previously and it had many issues regarding failed BIOS updates and improper voltage, but this Asus has been flawless in operation except for one thing that is really bugging me. I've tested out the Formula's BIOS overclocking, and the Q6600 does exactly whatever settings I have tried, no questions asked - it is currently running at 3.6ghz with DDR2-8000 RAM. However..

The BIOS and Windows-desktop utilities for displaying CPU and DRAM voltage, as well as CPU and chipset temperatures seem WAY off from each other. In the BIOS my Q6600 running at 3.6ghz shows an idle temperature of 62C, but in Windows only seconds later it shows only 52-54C idle..

Likewise, the CPU and DRAM voltages display higher under the Windows utility than settings in the BIOS. I have PC2-8000 DDR RAM, which I can manually set to 2.0v in the BIOS, but under the ASUS AI Suite utility, it shows the DRAM voltage operating at 2.3V!

I am currently testing the system on 'CPU Crazy' BIOS mode with a 400mhz FSB - but with the stock CPU fan, this is obviously not enough cooling no matter what the readings. QX6800 and QX6850 modes also worked perfectly but showed about 8-10C less so I think until I get better cooling one of those will do just fine.

I'm somewhat concerned because everything seems perfectly stable so far even at 3.6ghz.. but the DRAM voltage is supposed to be 2.1V max for this RAM, and some sites indicate the max-rated thermal tolerance of the Q6600 is ~62C..
Is this an issue of the chipset or some onboard hardware giving inconsistent readings, or is this a problem of the ASUS Windows utility not reading properly? Can anyone tell me what will give an accurate reading within Windows?

 

[cfvh600]

Which program are you using the monitor your temperature readings in windows? If your system is stable that is a good sign.

 

[cvladan]

ASUS AI Suite that is posted at the ASUS site. But like I said, it seems to be giving a reading that is different from the raw BIOS readings.

Also, I did manage to force a thermal shutdown last night - I watched a Blu-Ray HD movie full-screen, and it hit 70C. Currently I have set my PC back to QX6850 settings and the CPU is averaging about 50-53C under normal load in Windows.

 

[Granite3]

I have a hard time believing 3.6 stable load on the stock cooler, bios is prolly right, 62c is not far from your top, is it stable running prime 95 or orthos?

Best Q I have seen so far on stock cooling was in the 3.1 range...

Download Coretemp, and TAT to check cpu temps. along with speedfan and cpu-z to confirm voltage and settings.

Is your Q a GO stepping? If so, those are allowed to hit 70c....., but the B series needs to throttle back in the 60-62 c region.

 

[cvladan]

I have a hard time believing 3.6 stable load on the stock cooler, bios is prolly right, 62c is not far from your top, is it stable running prime 95 or orthos?

Best Q I have seen so far on stock cooling was in the 3.1 range...

Download Coretemp, and TAT to check cpu temps. along with speedfan and cpu-z to confirm voltage and settings.

Is your Q a GO stepping? If so, those are allowed to hit 70c....., but the B series needs to throttle back in the 60-62 c region.

Well.. like I said.. maybe if you'd read my posts.

Q6600 G0 ... - it is currently running at 3.6ghz with DDR2-8000 RAM. However..

I did manage to force a thermal shutdown last night - I watched a Blu-Ray HD movie full-screen, and it hit 70C which was the limit I set in the BIOS. Currently I have set my PC back to QX6850 settings and the CPU is averaging about 50-53C under normal load in Windows.

I've had it playing Team Fortress 2 for about 8 hours straight at QX6850 setting - I believe that is 3.0ghz? No problem at all and the AI Suite utility showed an average around 60C. However I will grab Coretemp and TAT to confirm proper temperatures. I usually use Sandra for a load test, how does Prime95 compare?

 

[Blue frog]

No answers but more questions.............
I have the same mobo but with a E6750 which is OCed to 3.4GHz. Similar memeory to yours, runs well although haven't done a heavy load test yet. But my FSBT and NB voltages are high (I think) 1.57v and 1.5v respectivley both about 20% over original. What voltages is yours running at? I'm worried I'm going to fry my NB.

 

[lankiller]

fear not! I am running a p5n32-e board and a e6750 and am getting voltage errors also in probe. The voltage is all over the place but the comp is cool and stable as a rock, even under cyrsis and wow on max settings for over an hour. I dont get it, it got so bad had to shut off the warnings in probe. I think theres a bug with vista because vista gave probe a very diffcult time installing. I also dont think all the bugs have been worked out with it in vista. Sometimes i even get voltages of 0!!! That tells me its the program because at 0 volts my system be dead in the water lol. I know its not the psu because i tested it and its way over rated for my system (700w silverstone with a single 8800gt and two raptors one 120 mm fan and a cdrom drive lol). I am going to look into this issue and see what i can dig up. I know the voltages are wrong though, the temps seem ok though. My memory is rated for 2.1 volts but it says its sitting at 2.250! I know this cant be because when tried to oc it, it wouldnt post past 2.15v, soo like said something fishy going on and gonna see what i can find and post back

p.s. your bios temp and os temp will always vary to a degree. I forgot why but i think has something to do with how the bios obtains a temp and how the os does it. Anywayz i know the temps will always vary, how much is normal cannot say but cant imagine a great deal.

 

[ginbong46]

my DRAM volt overvolts by .128.. so im running my 2.1V corsair sticks on 2.0 bios settings..

ran a couple of stress tests and it works fine..

so you should just back down your voltages to compensate for the overvolts, i think asus overvolts to be safe on overclocking

im not too familiar with FSBT and NB voltages though so i left them at auto