WTF!!! 53C load @ stock w/ SP-94...

I just installed my brand shiny new SP-94 on my 2.6c w/ some AS5. I was expecting to see a decent change in temps over my other crappy CoolerMaster hsf.

I got everything installed. The x-plate on the back is sitting flush against the back of the board w/ the plastic washers. The stand-offs are screwed on tight and perfectly strait. I even tightened them down in the specified criss-cross pattern w/ a ratchet bit. The heatsink is screwed onto the stand-offs as tight as the springs will allow it to.

Given, I just installed the new hsf tonight, and the AS5 hasn't had time to settle in yet, but I was definitely expecting to see a noticable difference in temps.

My idle is still sitting right around 42-45c range, and at max load 48-53c. They haven't changed!!!!

I cleaned off the hsf before installing it, and followed the AS5 application instructions to the letter. Only a dab on the p4's ihs about the size of a grain of uncooked rice, and a layer applied in a circular motion directly on the hsf, and then whiped off w/ a coffee filter.

I haven't tried reapplying yet... I'll prolly give that a shot tomorrow. Can anybody think of anything I might be doing wrong???? I want to oc, but I'm hesitant to do that until I get my temps down...

Its most probably the mounting..
try remounting it and see if there are any changes
if not, try placing ur tower on its side and apply pressure on the heatsink while keeping an eye on ur temps.

I've found several posters who did this so I'm just gonna double check...

You mounted the fan to blow DOWN towards the CPU, and not the other way, right?

Yea, it's blowing on the CPU... not sucking air off the cpu... If temps aren't looking any better by this afternoon, then I'll re-apply the hsf & double check my contact. It's a little better now... I'm idling @ 39c atm. But that could be due to the ambient room temp being a little cooler than it was last night...

Sorry to hear about the high temps, but I do have some questions to understand your problem.

You said your temps did not change from previous hs Cooler master. This alone is an issue because,

1. You must have improperly installed both old and new hs or
2. You did installed both hs's properly and you have something "else" causing the problem..

Did your temps improved from stock hs? If you don't know or no improvements, then you have a problem outside the hs. You may want to check on core voltage, case ventilation and outside temps in your room.

Also, what are you using to read the temps? I like MBM5. Make sure you are using good measurements for temps. You may want to delete and reinstall the program or try some other temp programs.

Sniper.nkc said:

Sorry to hear about the high temps, but I do have some questions to understand your problem.

You said your temps did not change from previous hs Cooler master. This alone is an issue because,

1. You must have improperly installed both old and new hs or
2. You did installed both hs's properly and you have something "else" causing the problem..

Did your temps improved from stock hs? If you don't know or no improvements, then you have a problem outside the hs. You may want to check on core voltage, case ventilation and outside temps in your room.

Click to expand...

Well, my last hsf wasn't a Volcano. It was a cheaper CoolerMaster hsf. I never did have a stock Intel hsf on my cpu. I bought my cpu bundled w/ my mobo, and as a hardware newb, I bought the CoolerMaster hsf (assuming it would be just as good as any other hsf)... Hey! I said I was a newb at the time!!!

Anyway, I think my problem w/ the last hsf was bad contact w/ the cpu. Which may be the case w/ this one... But I can't imagine how it's not making good contact. It's screwed down to the mobo pretty tight. The only thing I can think of is the pressure being uneven on the cpu. I'll prolly try reseating this afternoon.

I'm hoping my cpu doesn't come out of the socket this time though! Every time I took my last hsf off, the cpu would stick to the base of the hsf, and get pulled right out of the socket!!! That's what lead me to believe that my previous problem was bad contact. In fact, last night when I took the old hsf off to install the SP-94 I accidentally bent one of the pins on the cpu!!! I'm hoping that doesn't happen again!

YellowDart said:

I'm hoping my cpu doesn't come out of the socket this time though! Every time I took my last hsf off, the cpu would stick to the base of the hsf, and get pulled right out of the socket!!! That's what lead me to believe that my previous problem was bad contact. In fact, last night when I took the old hsf off to install the SP-94 I accidentally bent one of the pins on the cpu!!! I'm hoping that doesn't happen again!

Click to expand...

LOL, that happens to me too. Dont know if its due to too much tim or what. Or maybe its due to the even pressure that created a good vacuum suction. As for your high temps, could it be your motherboard temp probes giving you higher temps than what they actually are? I know that some boards have that problem.

What does your case cooling look like right now? If there is nothing but hot air in there your heatsink is going to have a difficult time cooling. You need VERY good airflow for a HS to be effective at all.

sigh....this happened to me too with my damn heatsink, and i think i may know why, although i cant remount and reinstall it right now to be sure. But if someone can see if this is the problem for them.....


My temps are the EXACT same as yours. Absolute Exact same. I run the case with fan open. Multiple remounts with varying amounts of paste have not changed this. So im lookin at the side of my motherboard one night in a picture on my website, and i notice that in the back of the mobo on the x bracket or whatever you call it, that the plastic washers on 2 of the standoffs had slipped down onto the screw threads. I tried remounting then, but was unable to keep the little washers from sliding onto the thread so they got squashed by the screws, preventing even mounting pressure. I have a feeling that is the problem, but can't be bothered to break down my system now, as im doing a major proect for school on it. So you might wanna give that a look, it may be the problem.

Dammit!!!

I went to re-seat the SP-94 earlier today. I started unscrewing the screws.... and the entire thing popped off... stand-offs and all!!!! I'm hoping my x-plate hasn't lost all its threading... So tonight I'm going to try reinstalling the hsf...

I'm going to give it a try w/ less AS5 this time around... It seems to have spread pretty evenly since I installed it last night.... I prolly shouldn't have been so impatient in retrospect... oh well... I've got a project sitting at home for tonight.

CompPro3: Is that at stock? Or is that at your 3.4g oc???

Ok... Just rebuilt the computer... Same temps, even after double checking the degree of contact. My sp-94 is making decent contact w/ the p4, but it's still running idle in the low 40's...

I'm still a little scepticle about my load temps though. I guess I'll try an oc, and just keep a close eye on my temps... I'll be a little worried when summer comes around though. I'm not looking forward to 122 outside and 85'ish inside. HOT!!!

Anyway, it freaked me out that the standoffs came out when I tried to check the hsf. But everything turned out ok. I'll let the TIM settle in for a few more days and see what I get for temps. Hopefully they'll go down a little more!

<-- is getting antsy to overclock!!!

Dart ,Any time you take a setup like this apart you have to backup (hold) the lower stand off.That way it won't turn or back out of the X plate.Its like holding a nut to take a bolt loose!
Keep us posted. THE FANMAN

those temps i gave you are at both stock and 3.4ghz overclock. The only time the temps deviate from that is when i raise the voltage. This is ticking me off though because i see a lot of people that have like 32 idle, 38 load with this. My uncle has a zalman 7000-cu on his 2.8c and he idles at 34, loads at 38. That is what i was expecting with this cooler, not load 53, idle 39-40. We have the same ambient temp to, 20C. One thing i noticed though.....on Overclockers.com, they list the thermal resistance as .14C/w, the lowest of any heatsink. For Sandra 2004, it lists my copoling system thermal resistance at .22C/w. That is another reason i think its not properly mounted. You might wanna check your thermal resistance in Sandra, and then if someone with good temps with this cooler could check theirs, to see what it is, that would be great.

I would like to know how Sandra could calculate the thermal resistance? Sandras temps should be based on the same sensor that the BIOS is using. I like Sandra for a few things, but my temps have always been off. I would suggest a temp probe ( still hard to get a true reading ), then you have something to compair to and try to average with.

K1ll1nT1m3 said:

I would like to know how Sandra could calculate the thermal resistance? Sandras temps should be based on the same sensor that the BIOS is using. I like Sandra for a few things, but my temps have always been off. I would suggest a temp probe ( still hard to get a true reading ), then you have something to compair to and try to average with.

Click to expand...

I actually figured out the other day, Sandra draws it's temp readings from mbm if you've got it running. I even started messing around w/ mbm's temp probe settings, and running the CPU info function in Sandra. Every time I changed my mbm temp probe setting, Sandra would show a change. For example: If I set my temp probe to Winbond 2 in mbm, it will display temps around the low 20's. I then ran Sandra, and it showed the same temp reading I was getting from mbm...

BTW: Sandra posted my thermal resistance @ .12/w

BTW CompPro: Nice oc... So you got 3.4g on stock vcore???

YellowDart,

That thermal resistance is about right. Mine, is off however. What is your ambient temperature and voltage?

I find it interesting that Sandra takes the readings from mbm, i always have it running. And there is a formula on Overclockers.com for calculating thermal resistance....something to do with watts, temp, and volts, which Sandra can read. So i would think that the thermal resistance is failry accurate, or at least consistently inaccurate, as it changed every time i remount the chip but doesnt change a lot otherwise.

Yea, i did get a 1ghz overclock to 3.4 on stock voltage . I love this chip. Its a Costa Rica too. At 3.4, its prime stable, can run benchies at up to 3.55 with 1.65 volts, and can boot into windows, but cant do anything, from 1.65 volts up to 1.725. That should change with my cascade-maze4 GPU-mc250-p northbridge-Procore setup on the way!! Just got the MAze4 and res in today, waiting on the cascade and procore. Im hopin to go 3.6 prime stable around 1.65 volts, which is a very safe amount under Intel's max. My memory bandwith (single channel for now, so this is decent) is pushing 3550gb/s. Hopin to pick up some level 2 black pc3500 mushy soon.

My ambient case temps have been right around 30-33C. It hits around 35-37° or so when I'm gaming. I'm figuring on the temp jump since I'm running my video card @ 360/880 atm with stock cooling...

thats your problem. definetly. My case ambient is 20C idle and 24C at full load. And i'm getting the same temps as u. Your case is REALLY hot. Everything points to this as even your thermal resistance is correct. Run your case with side off and a big house fan aimed at the side to simulate proper airflow. I bet you're temps will be in the lower 30's. Try it and lemme know what happens

edit: just noticed you are in Arizona, that could explain the high temps. You may want to consider watercooling. Just think of you're temps in the summer!

Don't forget the abit ic7 temp monitor is usually 10 degrees high or so.

Is your uncles mobo an abit ic7?

Here's my case fan setup:

-Fortron 350w PSU (120mm fan on bottom, very thin grating on the rear w/ no fan) I usually run this on silent mode... I don't know what kind of CFM it has.

-2 side intake fans - 80mm Antec Blu LED fans. One positioned over the cpu, the other positioned over the video card. Both push 32-34 CFM.
-1 front bottom intake fan - 80mm Antec Blu LED fan. Positioned under hdd cage. 32-34 CFM.

-1 rear exhaust fan - 80mm generic Blu LED fan. Positioned direcly under the psu. I'm not sure how this fan is rated, it came w/ my case.

I've also got a 92mm Antec clear fan on my SP-94.
BTW: Here's my case.

Any suggestions??? I'm not really into doing huge case mods.... So I'd like some pretty easy suggstions....