How are you cooling your cpu?

[DogfooD]

Hi all,
My question is, how are you guys controlling processor temps? I've used watercooling and air cooling, and I never can get my temps near what you guys post. Even at default clock speeds, I'm constantly running 45c+ under load. Even idle my machine is pushing 40c with a koolance waterblock. Currently I have a volcano 9+ HS and my temps are unimpressive even at default speeds. I constantly hear about you guys getting 30c temps, and I can only envy you, as I have no idea how to reduce my temps that low, unless you guys are living in an ice box. I have 4 case fans and the duel fan Enermax powersupply. Default voltage, etc etc... Is there a BIOS setting I'm overlooking as I o/c? vcore voltage keeps things stable, but increases temps... what am I missing?

[stamasd]

Do you use thermal compound properly? It certainly doesn't sound right. I currently have a Thorton at 166x13 (2166 MHz) and with a Zalman 7000A I get 34-35 degrees idle.

[DogfooD]

I use just a very thin layer, as thin as I can get it with my finger.

[MCain]

Hi DogFooD,

The system in my sig uses a Volcano 9 with the fan running about 2300 rpm. Two additional low speed 80mm Panaflo (L1A 24cfm) fans provide case air flow along with a Fortron Aurora 350W PS, the kind with the big 120mm fan on the bottom of the PS. My Palamino chip is notorious for high temps and I idle at about 43c. I'd question the readings you are getting, any way to confirm them?

Also, I think applying thermal paste with your finger is a bad idea. I'm using AS3 and make sure to get complete coverage yet as little as possible. The best tool I've found to do this is a razor blade. As careful as the folks are who make this stuff, I don't want to corrupt the formula with human skin oils.

Mobo temps are usually around 34c and ambient room temp is around 21c (my case ventilation ain't great :( ).

[Kenshiro]

Dont complain about your 45C under load until you hear me. To me, it is a very low temp and I envy your temp. I have my 1800 overclocked to 2.26Ghz and has a Zalman ALCU6000 heatsink on it. It's around 58 degrees underload heavy load.

[johan851]

I use just a very thin layer, as thin as I can get it with my finger.
For one, you shouldn't be using your finger to spread paste. :) That leaves all kinds of oils and crud in the compound, and doesn't help heat transfer. Use a clean (clean with alcohol) credit card or something similiar.

A lot of people with these very low temps use top waterblocks (White Water, Cascade, RBX, etc.) and good radiators. What's your water cooling setup like? I get about 45C load at 1.95v with my Spir@l block and a single heatercore.

[rogerdugans]

A few points:

Best way I have found to apply thermal compound is with my finger- in a plastig bag or otherwise covered. (Actually I use Saran wrap ;))
I get a nice, even thin and consistent coat. I've done this with AS2, AS3 and Ceramique. No oils touch the TIM, sink or core this way. If you DON"T cover your finger...your compound is getting compromised.

Next: don't get all bound up in comparing temps, man! They just ain't real akkerate! ;)

Seriously- with the different sensor chips in use, the mobo manufacturer's coding of the bios and the design/component placement of the motherboard all as variables there is no way one standard system can be accurately compared to another!
I have built systems with the exact same model/series components and had a few degrees variation.

The most important question: is your system stable?
Frankly, I don't care if my cpu temp is 59c as long as the computer runs the way I want without any problems.

Koolance waterblocks:
I have a Koolance CPU200g.
While they are not as bad as some have made them seem in the past, they are not a top-notch water block either.
Mine is currently cooling an mATX system with a1.95 vcore Pally XP1700@1729 to a nice, cool.....51c load temp. :D
System is 100% stable after a few days at that temp.
Really, if I had no other plans I would be happy with that.
(I always have more plans ;))

[kayl]

whats you room temperature, i find that effects me the most,
i get 45oc at 25oc room teperature at 2v


its summer here though so its up to 50oc at 30oc room temp vcore 1.925v

also has to do with the cpu, my week 030 barton is around 5oc hotter that my week 043 barton, at the same speed, i have applied thermal past over and over not getting much of a change

[MCain]

Originally posted by rogerdugans
Best way I have found to apply thermal compound is with my finger- in a plastig bag or otherwise covered. (Actually I use Saran wrap ;))

I have to try that approach. That's got to be a helluvalot faster.

[BubbaTheHut]

With my new WC set up i never break 27c :D!! I may be a spioled rotten ritch freak but it does work out with OCing. I payed $444 for all of my WC stuff. :) :) :) :)

[brakezone]

hey dogfood! I never know what temps to trust myself. I'm using a copper core heatsink, it has alot of surfance area for air too, its supposed to be good to cool xp 3200's. Anyways, i'm running a ton of fans and my bios temp is around 39-42. In windows asus probe says my temp is 34; however, MBM says my socket A temp is 35, my case temp 28, and my CPU diod temp is 45 idle 52 C full one hour load. IMO AMD tests these chips and takes very accurate tempuratures of what the chips are getting to, and they say that thier processors can run at up to 70C. They, of course, most likely have an idea what they are talking about. ALot of times people probably post thier socket A temps in here and thier cpu diod is about 10C hotter than thier socket A temp. So what does this mean I guess? Its tough to say really. I would say that generally you won't see 30C-40C full load temps unless ur using some really really awsome water cooling on the cpu diode; however, u might see that on ur socket A temp even with air cooling. On an oced system I guess looking at the diode is important and I would imagine that you would want to keep the temp below 50C as much as possible, slightly going into 50-52 C might not be imo a reason to hold off on the OC, but a good effort to keep the temp down is probably not a bad thing.

[LawyerLynn]

In the below Sig. are the specs. on temp as I wrote the Sig. per Asus probe last September or so. At THIS very moment of writing THIS post, according to my Aerogate II (the temp probe is in the fins of my heatsink as close to the middle as I can put it) the CPU temp is 34.5 Centigrade or 94.1 Farenheit. Per Asus probe it is 37 Centigrade or 98 Farenheit. I will note for this post that the computer is sitting (deliberately) in the MOST ambient temprature sensitive spot in my house (i.e. when it is hot outside, it is hot in this corner of the den, when it is cold outside, it is cold here too.). The temp outside at THIS point is 25 Farenheit, at the time I posted my sig below I would guess the temp outside was 85-90 Farenheit (I didn't note it at the time, but I will from now on). Hope this helps. Oh yeah, I almost forgot your basic question. The signature below shows the HSF I'm using. It came right off the shelf at CompUSA and I used Artic Silver 3 as the compound on the CPU after cleaning both the CPU and base of the Heatsink with pure Acetone and then using an unlined/unpowdered plastic glove as the method for spreading the Artic Silver in as thin a layer as I could on the CPU and spreading it, rubbing it into and then wiping off the excess, on the Heatsink.
Lynn

[ChillPhatCat]

I'm on air 49% over stock and hit about 45* C under load with about 35CFM across an SLK800 Heatsink w/ Arctic Silver III.