Athlon XP 2700+ aircooled idle/load temps

I just built a new PC (thanks to my new real job). Here are the specs:

Athlon XP 2700+ (runs at 2.17 GHz)
Gigabyte GA-7VAXP mobo
512 DDR-RAM PC-333
Radeon 9700 Pro
120 GB HD
CDROM
500 watt PS (it has 2 fans)
Thermaltak Volcano 9 HSF (using thermal goo it came with)
1 case fan

CPU temp at idle: 55-60 C
CPU temp under load (Unreal 2K3 benchmark): 70-71 C
Ambient temp of the room: 65-75 C across the day
I am NOT overclocking anything!

I've read lots of forum posts and I understand that air cooling can at most only get the cpu down to the ambient air temp of the room. I've also seen that many people are running their 2+ GHz intel CPUs at temps like 30-40 C. I have yet to read a post about Athlon XP+ 2700 temperatures via aircooling.

AMD says 85 C is the max temp of my CPU. Everyone says my HSF (Volcano 9) is great. I've read in these cooling forums that cpu temps of over 60 C is very dangerous (and that 70 C is critical), despite that AMD seems to officiually say that anything under 85 C is fine.

So, what gives?!

Basically, is it the case that when you buy one of the latest AMD CPUs (e.g., XP 2700+) with an AMD certified fan and carefully set everything up (add an extra fan, make sure air flows well, cables out of the way, HSF seated correctly, etc) your cpu temperature will be always be in this dangerous temperature range?

I do not feel too comfortable when my CPU is at 71-72 C when I playing a game! I have double checked my connections and I just reseated my HSF to make sure it was getting good contact (I cleaned off the goo and applied a new thin layer as per proper guidelines). Also, my HSF seems to be free from any defects.

Are these temperatures normal for my system? Do I *NEED* to go with a water or peltier cooling system to cool it down further? For example, if I want my cpu to be 40-50 C at idle and 50-60 C under load, will I need some more extreme cooling solution?

Thanks for any help!

Derek
MGS User Testing
Redmond, WA

I wouldn't like to be room 65 degrees hot - ouch. Are you sure you're not getting confused with Farenheit? If that's the case your temperatures would be fine.

CORRECTION: ambient room temp is 65 F at most

Thanks! Correction: my heater is set to keep the house WARMER than 65 F which is 18.3 C (correct?). I think the temperature in the room is right around 65 F/18.3 C.

welcome to the forums!
here's my 2 cents. that cpu? i would be slapping an slk-800 with either a vantec tornado or a delta fan. (cent 1)
(cent 2) get rid of the thermal goop came with the heat sink. it sucks basically. up your airflow case fans wise. it will help.
i don't feel so bad now. i went out and picked up an xp 2000+ last night applied with some as3. according to SiSoft, i am sitting at 38 celsius or 100farh. not bad i suppose but with my xp 1700 i was at 89 farh. these are idle temps.

rustymaitland said:

welcome to the forums!
here's my 2 cents. that cpu? i would be slapping an slk-800 with either a vantec tornado or a delta fan. (cent 1)
(cent 2) get rid of the thermal goop came with the heat sink. it sucks basically. up your airflow case fans wise. it will help.
i don't feel so bad now. i went out and picked up an xp 2000+ last night applied with some as3. according to SiSoft, i am sitting at 38 celsius or 100farh. not bad i suppose but with my xp 1700 i was at 89 farh. these are idle temps.

Click to expand...

Yea, get some ASIII
tornado or delta- do you mind sound?

Thanks for your reply!

Its seems like the fan and heat sink combo you mentioned might cost around $75-100. I think I can get an AquariusII water cooling system for like $120-150, which does seem to be a better deal (though the whole idea of water flowing around electronics sounds unnatural

Nonetheless, are you saying that it SHOULD be possible to run an XP 2700+ at safe/desirable temperatures with only air-cooling?

YES. i may not be on the cutting edge of processor technology like yourself but i do know heatsinks and i believe the slk would bring your temps down to a more acceptable level. don't overlook the case fan thing either. it is very important. looks like i will be upgrading my fans to all tornadoes. i don't like the 38c/100 far. thing. (how vain am i?) i don't even overclock.
as far as the aquarius setup goes. i posted a thread not too long ago asking for feedback. wasn't too good. i will see what i can squeeze out of air cooling first before i delve into that world.

Sounds like a nice new rig dtox.

Good luck getting your temps down.

I read this post rather fast, but didn't come accross the case you are using or how many case fans you have or where they might be located if you have any.

So do you have any airflow in your box? If so what fans and size?

I got a cheapo run-of-the-mill case ($30). I didn't expect that cooling was such an issue for new CPUs (I figured AMD had worked it out so that a HSF did the job!). Here is the side view of my computer (I hope this makes sense!):

top of case
--------------
1
2
3 4

5

6
--------------
bottom of case

1=power supply (it has a fan aimed right down on the cpu/hsf sucking air in)
2=HSF & CPU
3=case fan (about 8x8 cm) sucking air out of the case
4=a tiny fan on the mobo chipset
5=gfx card w/ fan on its chipset
6=case fan (about 8x8 cm) sucking air into the case

So, are the temps that I am getting what is to be expected for an XP 2700+ with a Volcano 9? Or is there some other problem?

Oops, that case fan on the bottom (6) should be on the far right (the front of the case). It erased the leading spaces.

My xp2700 is 38C idle, 46c Load with a slk800 but only at 2000 rpms on the smartfan2( I have it turned way down).
Using Stealths as case fans to keep it quiet, the MB temp reads 29-34C pending room temp.
It is high to most, but well within range of being fine and very quiet.

dtox said:

Oops, that case fan on the bottom (6) should be on the far right (the front of the case). It erased the leading spaces.

Click to expand...

Put underscores next to it, like this:

_________6

So, basically, my Volcano 9 can't do the job (even though it says it can)?

Also, using a slk800 would really drop the temperature over 10c?



Here is a more correct diagram:
top of case
--------------
1
_2
3_4

__5

________6
--------------
bottom of case

1=power supply (it has a fan aimed right down on the cpu/hsf sucking air in)
2=HSF & CPU
3=case fan (about 8x8 cm) sucking air out of the case
4=a tiny fan on the mobo chipset
5=gfx card w/ fan on its chipset
6=case fan (about 8x8 cm) sucking air into the case

oh it should do the job but i would think it would depend on what your expectations are. will you be planning on overclocking? if so, and right now you are not that impressed with the temps then i would try other things before you give up on the heatsink.
arctic silver 3
airflow throughout the case...then go from there.

No, I'm not planning on overclocking. I'd just like to get it to idle around 30-40c. However, it is idling at around 55-60c now.

So by using Artic Silver 3 and improving airflow (adding more case fans?), my Volcano 9 should get it down to 30-40c?

my xp 2000+ right now with the window slightly opened on a cool toronto evening is idling at 37cel. or 98far. that is not too bad. ambient or your room temp will also tell the tale of the tape. i would take a guess and say you could probably get temps down to low to mid 40's. that should be acceptable with that hs. with better flowage of air you should be able to see low 40's consistently.
how are you with noise? i mean noise level of fans.

rustymaitland- for someone who uses tornados and deltas, the LAST thing i thought you'd worry about is sound.
Are you deaf or something?

Sorry, but I couldn't handle my Sunon at full blast Resorted to a rheostat.

ArBiTaL 24 said:

rustymaitland- for someone who uses tornados and deltas, the LAST thing i thought you'd worry about is sound.
Are you deaf or something?

Click to expand...

yeah i thought i was going to be more tolerant too!!
got everything rheo'd now so all is good!

I'd like to minimize noise (since I'm a human factorist/ergonomist I'd hate to not practice what I preach ) But, right now all I care about is getting my system working right!

BTW, now that I am home again, I see that the ambient temp of the computer room is about 65 far.

I've read about how to maximize air flow but I still would appreciate *specific* advice. Here is a shot of my system.

Thanks for the help!