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What temperature should I shoot for?

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kevral

Registered
Joined
Sep 13, 2003
Using a fan controller at full speeds, I can get my CPU idle temp down to 36-38. With a lot less noise I can get 41-42, but wouldn't mind getting even less noise.

So, what would a decent temperature be? Would it be allright to run it at, say, 50 idle?
What point shouldn't I pass?
 
50 idle seems kinda high. What are your ambient temperature and case temperature. And what kind of heatsink are you using. Also keep in mind that your processor will heat up by quite a bit under load so you should be more concerned with the load temps.
 
I crank the fans way up whenever I am putting any load on the cpu, was only wondering what temps would be OK if I am only idling; surfing and mailing and whatnot.

Ambient is 23-24, case 24-25. Running an slk900 with a 92mm 102 m3 Papst and five case fans.
 
36-38 at idle is too high?
Guess I can reseat it -- again....:)
 
Is this stock speed? 50C is a pretty high idle temp. What's your motherboard? Some report based on the CPU diode and others adjust to make it look like that's so (which can result in temps 10-15C higher than expected).
 
Like I said, I can easily get the cpu temp down below 38. Just wondering about highest safe temperature I can run it, to make it easier on the ears.

Have a NF7-S v2.0 with the latest bios.
 
my rule of thumb is, if i can keep it 60C or below then your fine, technically the limit is 85C, but 60 is a very safe spot, Dont worry about temps unless it surpasses 60. It is ok to run a cpu at 60C 24/7 as long as it is stable. I would rather have a quiet pc at 60C rather then a loud one at 30C, but only if it is stable, so get the quitest stable setup yo ucan get and you will be fine, set a fan speed, run prume for 24 hours if it passes, lower fan speeds soem more til i either reaches instability, or the temps go above 60C.
 
My target for my CPU is 50C under load when I'm not doing anything that I need done fast, 60C under load at all times.
 
mine idles at 56º and thats really bad, but its due to inproper install by the "pro's". If i were to overclock it id have take the heatsink off, reapply the AS3 and change heat sinks. But not at that stage yet, need to get a case with air circulation 1st.
 
lol...
when i was running with the stock cooler and stock everything (amd) i would get temps at 60c+ idle, and one time it set off my mbm5 alarm for 70c. my comp was running fine for about a year before i finally noticed and got a different hsf. now i refuse to buy complete comps with that evil Warranty VOID if removed sticker on the back
 
Seems to me with your setup that lower 30's at idle would be the norm unless the ambient temperture is up there...And IMHO above 50C under load is too high for your heat sink...Most Papst fans that I have experience with are quiet but do not push much air...You might try a 92m/m Enermax adjustable fan and see if it will drop your temps.
 
Well, this is the fastest Papst fan, and pushes quite a bit MORE air than the Enermax, actually.
I am a little disappointed with my temperatures, too. I wondered if I had installed the heatsink wrong, but I have retried several times, with a thin layer of AS3. Have also tried a lapped Aero7+, with even worse results.
 
Depending on room temp, my system routinely gets to 55C at full CPU load (folding). When it's cool, the temp will get down to 50C at full load.

Before installing the Aeroflow heatsink, my system seemed to be less than stable when the temps hit low-mid 60's for the CPU (diode measurement). I suspect the northbridge was getting too hot since I was using the integrated nforce2 video. I've improved cooling alot since then (added case fans, vantec aeroflow w/ AS3, changed PS fan, changed NB cooling) and the system is now stable. Much higher room temps might cause problems, but I have not had them yet.
 
Just read on another board two possible reasons for the high temps:
-cpu may need simply removing and reseating (beats me, but that's one thing I haven't tried yet)
-the slk900 apparently doesn't like 92mm fans, due to the large dead zone in the middle.
Guess I have something to try tomorrow morning, then:)
 
The funny thing is that, because part of their tech support is that i have to take apart my computer to trouble shoot it, there are no such stickers and i could do anything i want with it and my waranty wouldent be void (aside from hardware like drives with waranty void ir removed stickers). If i were really up for it i could oc this 1900+ to 3ghz and watch it burn, then send in for a replacement. The problem with that is that i would be out 1 cpu for about a month and it would take them for ever to "guide me through the trouble shoot" and get to a point where they will tell me they will send me a new 1900+.
 
Will a cpu lifetime be reduced if 24/7 at 52C?
I've got a p4 2.0a...idle = 40C, full load = 52C
 
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