How hot should a CPU be?

[Cown]

Well I've noticed a lot of ppl asking the same question over and over again (including me :p) so try reading this before asking the most commen question :D

The temperature limits as shown by AMD and Intel are the limits that the CPU can handle before it is destroyed. But this is not a guide to go by when looking for a normal operating temperatures. If your CPU were to even approach 80C it would most likely and hopefully lockup before it is destroyed.

Most CPU’s under idle conditions should not be running above 50C (122F). A good temperature to aim for is 40C (104F). And as always when overclocking, the cooler the better. A cooler running CPU will last much longer, and lessens the chance of crashing the system.

A CPU is made up of transistors, when a transistor gets hot, it tends to leak current. Too much leakage can result in calculation errors, too many errors will cause a crash. More speed equals more heat. More heat equals more crashes. Better cooling means less chances of errors, less crashes and more speed .

Your motherboard temperature should be fairly close to room temperature, within 5C (9F) degrees or so. If the motherboard temperature is higher than that, try adding more case cooling.

[Iron Hawk]

Also keep in mind that some motherboards report false or incorrect temperatures. The most accurate motherboards measure the temp for a diode located inside certain CPUs. A third party temp probe is also very handy and usualy quite accurate. I recomed the DigitalDoc5, however the CompuNurse or a inexpensive RadioShack prob may do the trick.

[Cown]

Also keep in mind that some motherboards report false or incorrect temperatures.

Think asus has a problem there...

[Silver]

Cown, I really like your answer on this. Undoubtably you will get responses that some are running in the upper 50s to low 60s but not unlike you I follow this:

45 and below = good
45 to 50 = time to look for better cooling
over 50 = not my computer

Take Care.

[CrashOveride]

hey silver, what are ur temps- i havnt seen a 2200+ under like 48 -or somthing- from any 1 who has 1, most ppl with them have temps of like 50 - 52 for their idle ( i think idle but it could be load):D :eh?: :D

nice explination cown- the transister leakage thing explains a bit for me

[Cown]

Originally posted by Silver
Cown, I really like your answer on this. Undoubtably you will get responses that some are running in the upper 50s to low 60s but not unlike you I follow this:

45 and below = good
45 to 50 = time to look for better cooling
over 50 = not my computer

Take Care.

Well I cant neglect that a lot of ppl would agree (including me) with you on those temps, but unfortunally not everybody is that lucky :(
45 - 50 degrees would be acceptable for me, but there still ppl that run at temps like 50 - 60 are concerned, thinking their CPU could die at eny momment.

[Penguin4x4]

Originally posted by CrashOveride
hey silver, what are ur temps- i havnt seen a 2200+ under like 48 -or somthing- from any 1 who has 1, most ppl with them have temps of like 50 - 52 for their idle ( i think idle but it could be load):D :eh?: :D

Thermalright AX-7 and a Vantec Tornado with inline thermal sensor would do it...............................:D :D :D

[Silver]

Originally posted by CrashOveride
hey silver, what are ur temps- i havnt seen a 2200+ under like 48 -or somthing- from any 1 who has 1, most ppl with them have temps of like 50 - 52 for their idle ( i think idle but it could be load):D :eh?: :D

nice explination cown- the transister leakage thing explains a bit for me

Am presently at 2.15 at 31c. Under load it will peak at 41c. At 2.2 it idles at 35 and peaks around 44c.

[Yodums]

K Well explained. I have things to add: When posting temps always include, ambient and case temps. If you were cooling your chip at 55 degrees, and your case temps were 50, that's one crazy cooling. You're looking mostly for C/W other than just temps.

Hmmm, the melting point of the chip is when it will just burn out as mentioned, this is another exception because we ARE OVERCLOCKING. I mean I would run 60 degrees load at stock, but no way overclocked.


Yodums

[Silver]

Originally posted by Yodums
K Well explained. I have things to add: When posting temps always include, ambient and case temps. If you were cooling your chip at 55 degrees, and your case temps were 50, that's one crazy cooling. You're looking mostly for C/W other than just temps.

Hmmm, the melting point of the chip is when it will just burn out as mentioned, this is another exception because we ARE OVERCLOCKING. I mean I would run 60 degrees load at stock, but no way overclocked.


Yodums

Definately agree with that, especially on the overclocked issue. Many will compare their temps to the reported maxes (AMD) however those are in a non-overclocked state. One note, forgot to turn on the psu for the pelt today and booted. After many cuss words and a windows error at boot, I shut down and immediately brought up the psu. Forget the stupidity, the thing of interest here is that a 1/4 inch copper cold plate (dimensions of the maze 2) is enough to absorb the heat (at cold boot) of one faulty boot. Started up and caught 45c at boot up after this mishap. Something to think about for those going to pelts. I doubt that the stock cold plate on the maze 2 would have saved the processor.

[goldenlight]

I just recently finish lapping my ax7 heatsink to a mirror finish.

Using Artic Silver my temps According to Asus Probe are 42C.
at load about 46C this is at 1.77V

This is using 4 Vantec Stealth Case fans
AntecTrue Power supply 550
Mectronics Fan about 4500RPM 39dba 53CFm

[Stumpjumper5200]

When I had my 2.8 in my ASUS Probe, it gave me about 33C with it overvolting it to about 1.58-1.6volts.

Now with this Gigabyte board, I use EasyTune4 to compensate for the overvolt (I have it set to 1.5volts, overvoltage gives me 1.53 volts........Intel says the processor should run at 1.525volts.......close enough :D), right now it's telling me the processor is at 41C.

Both of those setups are with a ThermalTake Dragon orb 478..........which, in maybe a matter of hours if I get off my lazy but, will be swapped with a Swiftech MCX 4000 :D

[Dave65]

My EPOX 8K3A+ shows 60C @ load,but I have been told it is ten degrees off,so it is actually 50C..
I hope this is true:

[pik4chu]

just thought this was a good place to put these temps before and after I changed things in my case...

Before changes:
Idle Load
Cpu 57 67
MB 36 40
Case 36 39

After Changes
Idle Load
Cpu 34 39 :cool:
MB 38 40
Case 37 42


Note-1: before changes FSB was at 100MhZ and after chagnes it was pushed up to 133MhZ (where it SHOULD be)

Note-2: changes made was adding an slk-800 and Sunon 80x80x38(non-modded) to the proc and a Sunon 120mm intake fan (exahust is still stock pos but will be changed when paycheck arrives :) )

Note-3: also used ASIII instead of thermal grease crap :)

Well, I just thought Id sahre that with everyone ^_^

*edit* origannly it read at 75C :eek: under load but temp sensor was waaaaaay off ;)

[CrashOveride]

im curiouse if my temps are off too... i hope they are but i dont really know and i kinda doubt it... its pretty much 53C Folding (neve idle) i think it MIGHT be off by about 5C... but im not sure... lol since i moved my computer to the other side of my room my temps have climbed to 55... that sucks:( im thinking im gonna get a new HSF cuz my temps are getting to the uncomfortable point and i dont want to turn up my super high speed 80mm delta and all my case fans.. its :eek: LOUD:eek: but then again my temps drop lik 3-4C lol

EDIT:: lol just for shiz's and giggles i un 5 volted it... LOUD!!! but my temps are now 45C!:D

EDIT::EDIT:: hey looky there... stablized at 42-43 C all the time now and ym case temps droped by 4C... lol amazing what going def can do to ur temps:D

[Mad Leper]

Hmmm, ya similar problem. I just bought an Abit NF7-s with athlon xp 2000 with thermalright ax-7 hs and 80 mm fan. The ambient temp reported by the mb is quite low-25C, but it reports cpu idle at 49C. Have people heard of this abit board reporting temperatures that are too high?

[jlin453]

Originally posted by pik4chu
\

After Changes
Idle Load
Cpu 34 39 :cool:
MB 38 40
Case 37 42

\

How do you have a lower CPU temp than mb/case???

[AntmanMike]

does he have a peltier or some kind of phase change?

[pik4chu]

Originally posted by jlin453


How do you have a lower CPU temp than mb/case???


Its Because the case does not yet have good airflow.. so Proc is always cooler than board by a few degrees...always

And no, no pletier...yet.

[jlin453]

Originally posted by pik4chu



Its Because the case does not yet have good airflow.. so Proc is always cooler than board by a few degrees...always

And no, no pletier...yet.


but...egh, I don't know.

[pik4chu]

Its because I ddint have enough money to get a third fan (for exhaust) so I got positive pressure (big tme...heh) and not enough holes for the air to get out.


PS: Aggies Rule!! :D