Prescott 3.2GHz is hot.

[adrianxw]

I have recently changed my system to an ASUS P4P800S-E DeLuxe MoBo with a 3.2GHz Prescott on it. I fitted the Intel heatsink that came with the processor, with some Arctic Silver in the gap.

I run the BOINC distributed computing system on the machine so the CPU is ~100% busy 24/7. I have not noticed any instability. or troubles, but the MoBo came with a utility called ASUSProbe which keeps complaining about the temperatures in the system.

The ASUSProbe has alarms if the MoBo temperatur reaches 55C, (never happened), or the CPU reaches 65C which DOES happen from time to time, like usually a couple of minutes every 15 mins, then it drops below the alarm threshold again. I have never seen the thing over 66C.

So do I have a problem here or is this within spec? I have tried to find an answer at Intel's site, and ASUS, but they do not seem to want to give an upper limit, just a load of vague maybe's.

If I have a problem, is there a different heatsink I can put on the chip that is easy to fit, i.e. take the old one off and fit the new one, that will not be vastly larger as there are space consideration, and that will not make a lot of noise, ideally less noise then the one I have now which my wife finds irritating.



Med venlig hilsen,
adrianxw

 

[fishmahn]

If its stable and doesn't reboot or freeze on you, then its probably fine (then change the mobo warning to 70c). I think those CPUs are OK at 65c (Prescotts are hot, and the 500's are the hotter of them - heh, great english ), but I would be inclined to try and get it below 60c.

You can try one (or both) of 2 things - increase case airflow, or replace your CPU HSF. (but a new CPU HSF won't do any good if case airflow stinks)

For the replacement HSF, Zalman (7000/7700) or Thermalright (XP90/120, SI-120) are among the best, with the SI-120 having the edge (actually, all the Thermalrights have that edge) because you can get your preference of fans. The 120's and the 7700 may not fit on your mobo because of size - check the specs for the mobo compatibility list.

For airflow, a fan in front blowing in, a fan on the side over the CPU blowing in (not the HSF - one getting outside air), the PSU fan blowing out, and another fan in back or on top blowing out. Those are generally the best orientations, but some people have found cooler temps if the back fan blows in. Of course, cables & other stuff blocking clean airflow can mess up your airflow.

Mike.

<font color=blue>Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside the dog its too dark to read.
-- Groucho Marx</font color=blue>

 

[mpasternak]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF THE PRESHOtts

the Prescott has been Intel's worst chip for thermal design. it easily reaches those temps are higher. i was runnign around 50c on water cooling with mine. intel doesnt even throttle the chip till it hits 90c. it can easily go up to the 70c's safely. though who'd want that.

i'd prefer my AMD though, idles at 32c

 

[hashv2f16]

is there really such a big difference between the 3,0ghz and the 3.2ghz and up? because the 3.0 i have never gets anywhere near 50 on the standard hsf cooling. the highest i have seen it is 46 degrees...

 

[prometheas]

Well i have the 3.0 version on the non-deluxe asus board and it was HOT. idle-load was like 60-75... once it reached 83 on a ot summer day after 4 hours of gaming...but you dont need to spend 40+ bucks on a new hsf unless you overclock... i bought this- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106606 - and oly 15 bucks too... now i oc my cpu to 3.15 and it is 30-45 idle load.... i never saw it go above 50C...

 

[TunaSoda]

My LGA 3.4 with a stock hsf runs at around 59°-63° at load, but I am also using it inside an Antec P180 with 4 120mm fans

 

[RichPLS]

I would't worry as long as temp stays under 70C
It won't hurt it or throttle back, so it is what it is.

 

[Crashman]

Did you remove the sticker on the bottom of the heatsink before installation? Why did you use Artic Silver, wasn't there already some thermal interface material stuck on the bottom of the sink? You didn't use both the stock thermal interface and Artic Silver did you? Didn't you know the stock Intel stuff is BETTER than Artic Silver?

 

[RichPLS]

I have recently changed my system to an ASUS P4P800S-E DeLuxe MoBo with a 3.2GHz Prescott on it. I fitted the Intel heatsink that came with the processor, with some Arctic Silver in the gap.

doh! Crash spots the trouble again and takes the crown! Top o' the morning to ya, mate!

 

[Dark_ForceBE]

I have the same CPU and somethimes it can go to 65 ° on hot days, but it never gots unstable so i think its normal for that cpu

 

[RichPLS]

I did some heat testing on my Prescott last night, and ran ThrottleWatch...
Prescott does not start throttling till it reaches 80C...
That leads me to think that under 80C, the chip is within operating range.

 

[Admiral_Cecil]

Hello,

Get a copper hsf it may help. Stock coolers may not be the best in keeping such hot cpu low enough. Also, get PCI slot fans or extra fans to keep the case even cooler.

 

[RichPLS]

Stock Intel coolers are pretty damn efficient, only real drawback is they are noisy.
But very good for stock air cooling.

 

[prometheas]

really? my stock one sucked... it could go up to 85C on load...

 

[Crashman]

Did you remove the sticker on the bottom of the heatsink before installation?

 

[RichPLS]

**looks around**
Of course I would man, not that one came on my Opteron or TT BigWaterSE cooler.
I tested my older P4-3200 the other night running throttlewatch to see when or if throttling was or could happen on my PC.
I did this by using a rheostat to slow fan down while running a CPU burn-in prog that stressed CPU 100%.
Seems throttling begins at 80C from my findings.
BTW, Prescotts run hot, but handle it well too.
And multi-tasking is pretty good with Intel compared to single core Athlons.

 

[Crashman]

That last question was ment for you!

 

[Crashman]

Sorry I clicked the wrong name in me response, but I'm glad to see you've had similar experience.

 

[adrianxw]

Did you remove the sticker on the bottom of the heatsink before installation?

Yes, I removed what appeared to be some kind of double sided sticky pad, cleaned everything with alcohol, polished it and then smeared it with Arctic Silver.

Why did you use Artic Silver,

Because previously here, I have been told that is the best.

wasn't there already some thermal interface material stuck on the bottom of the sink?

There was, as I mentioned above, a small square "pad" of something on the heatsink. I removed it.

You didn't use both the stock thermal interface and Artic Silver did you?

No, I removed everything and cleaned the heatsink prior to applying the Arctic Silver.

Didn't you know the stock Intel stuff is BETTER than Artic Silver?

No. In the past, when I have had suspected overheating problems, (wasn't the problem in the end), people here advised me to remove "thermal transfer pads" clean and use Arctic Silver.

Generally it would seem that my chip is hot, but no hotter then expected. It is not locking up or showing any instability. It did creep up towards 70C but a good session with a cotton bud, a paint brush and the hoover to remove the build up of grime and crud on the fins dropped it back to 63C, although it has since started to creep up again.

 

[Crashman]

Tom's did a bunch of testing with the stock P4 radial style cooler and found a few things out:
1.) The stock cooler cooled as well, or better, than similar designs from 3rd party manufacturers (ie, go big or don't bother).
2.) The stock thermal pad worked better than AS5 at first, but AS5 eventually "caught up" as it settled in. AS5 never passed the stock material.

 

[adrianxw]

Ah well, always learning. The unit was assembled almost a year ago, so I guess the AS has caught up, it is moot anyway since I long since discarded the thermal pad.

I had started another thread, here, concerning another heatsink issue. I had not noticed this thread had been awakened. Perhaps you have an angle there as well?