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Case temps vs idle temps

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[TA]Cat

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2004
My watercooling setup is currently fairly simple: Via Aqua pump at bottom left of case, to radiator at bottom right, to NB block, to CPU block, to reservoir at top of case and back to pump.

I have a MSI motherboard. Previously, people have been complaining about wrong temperature readings from the sensors. I used to get these:

Ambient - 26c, Case - 32c, Idle - 39c, Load - 48c

Now comes the new BIOS revision with "corrected" temperature value; apparently MSI realized that their temps were high. Now I get this:

Ambient - 26c, Case - 32c, Idle - 30c, Load - 36c

What are the chances that my idle temp really is lower than my case temp? Not sure what to believe :bang head :bang head
 
Your 'case temp' isn't really the temperature of the case, it the temperature at some point on the mobo where a thermistor lives. They could have that thermistor on the bottom-front of the board (where it's really cool), or they could have it nestled in the voltage regulators (where it's really hot). Unless you know where your 'case temp' sensor is, there's no point in comparing it anything.

Your CPU temps are an entirely different problem. The P4 thermal diode is off in the corner of the die, away from all the parts of the CPU that generate a lot of heat. There can be a 30 to 60 degrees diffenence between the the diode you can read and the hidden diode that controls thermal throttling/shutdown. Add to that, board maker's who don't want their boards to be known for being 'hot', and fudge that already inaccuracte diode temperature.

So, take an inaccurate CPU temp plus and unknown fudge factor and compare it to a 'case temp' from an unknown location....anything is possible.
 
Yeah, I figured the case sensor is probably somewhere hot, maybe at the bottom of the case near my pump ;)

Since my load temp dropped by about 10c, I played safe and lowered the auto shut down alarm by 10c.

Better safe than sorry.
 
have you updated your bios? my msi board temps were off like 10C until i updated the bios.
 
Yes, that's the whole point... The new bios seems too good to me.
 
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