Not Sure Why It's So Damn Hot ..

Hi, I emailed this list before but i'm having some troubles so not sure how to proceed.

I have an athlon thunderbird 1.4 (socket A) in my pc (not overclocked), it used to run at about 40 degrees which of course is great. but now after making some system changes (new mainboard) it runs at over 60 degrees, and under strain 65 degrees or more until my mainboard actually detects it is too hot and shuts down my system (halfway through me playing worms armageddon online usually!!! =(

I have tried two different heatsink/fan combos (one is an official amd heatsink/fan, the other is the coolermaster basic heatsink/fan i used to use with it which kept it at around 40 degrees) but none keep the temp under 60 degrees now. I have also tried using thermal pads, thermal paste (spread thinly on cpu only) etc.. no change in temp, it always eventually finds its way back to 60 degrees +

so, can i assume there must be something wrong with this cpu which is why it is running so hot? the die looks ok though, no cracks or chips. what other reasons might it be running too hot? please dont say 'case cooling' or incorrect use of paste. it used to run at 40 degrees, and now it runs at 60 degrees, and all that's changed is my mainboard (and i also now have ddr memory), the case, airflow, and other parts (psu etc) are the same. could the cpu just be having some problems with my new mainboard perhaps?

i am thinking of getting a much higher quality heatsink and fan for it (eg. something popular with overclockers), is this likely to sort out my problem? if i can just keep the temp under 60 degrees under strain so my mainboard doesnt shut down i would be happy!

thanks

Ur *new* mobo may be overvolting the chip. Try backing off the voltage and see what it does

How are you getting the temp? Try updating the BIOS maybe?

And yes, it's possible that the mobo is overvolting it, but a 20C difference seems a lot. I would look into the BIOS option.

Gee, is it an Abit motherboard by any chance?? Abit mobos are well known for reporting way hot CPU temps.

Also your previous mobo may have been *under* reporting the chip temp too, who knows. 40C is pretty good for a Tbird with basic cooling (tho not too surprising with good case ventilation.)

Anyhow, if everything is pretty much the same (take a look at reported core voltage for the CPU if you like, should be near 1.75v) then you'd just have to say that it's the mobo reporting differently.

In which case you'd need to find a way to set shutdown temp higher, around 70+C. Or maybe a BIOS update ...

the wesson

Thanks for the suggestions all. i checked in bios and vcore is more like 1.8 thing is i have no idea how to lower it a bit, is this only possible with certain mainboards? how would i lower the voltage to 1.75 then?
ps. my 60+degrees reported voltage is shown in bios and also in windows using different software so it is indeed i would say reported correctly. ps. im pretty sure i have the latest bios

Thats about the right temps for the stock cooler. The default voltage was 1.75v I thought, so set it to that. Tbirds ran hot, so I would suggest a decent copper aftermarket heatsink, like this one here: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-114-011&depa=1

I like that sink because the fins are not pressed, or soldered to the base, but actualy part of it. The whole sink is cut out of a solid piece of copper, as well as its price. You may want some thermal paste as well, if you dont have any already, like this stuff here: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-100-009&depa=1

That should get your temps down.

montezuma said:

i checked in bios and vcore is more like 1.8 thing is i have no idea how to lower it a bit, is this only possible with certain mainboards? how would i lower the voltage to 1.75 then?

Click to expand...

That's the reason why they have this thing called the "manual" at the Abit site for your mobo model.

Thanks, hmm do you think this (see link below) would get my temps down as i may be able to get one cheap, or is this not much better than a standard coolermaster or amd heatsink and fan?

http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/volcano/si/a1138.htm

"That's the reason why they have this thing called the "manual" at the Abit site for your mobo model"

and who said i have an abit mobo eh? i have an asrock mainboard but couldnt find help in the manual:
http://www.asrock.com.tw/product/product_k7s8x_r3.htm

The volcano 6 isnt much, if any better than the stock sink. Get one thats all copper, like in the link I gave you. The only good non-copper sinks are the aeroflow and the ALX series.

ok many thanks i will get myself a decent one as you suggested

No problem! I hope you hang around for a while, and maybe join our folding team when you get your heat problem fixed.

1.8v isn't notably high for a Tbird. My Asus board kept core voltage at about 1.8 when it was set for the nominal 1.75 - perhaps they like to keep the voltage a skootch higher than nominal just so a little sag won't mess things up.

the wesson

ps. i know this is not part of this thread, but if an athlon xp 2400+ is really running at 2ghz what is my thunderbird 1.4 really running at? =]

A TBird 1.4 is supposed to be running at 1400 MHz. They came out before the switchover to P-ratings.

I think a tbird-1400 would be called Athlon M4 1700+, something like that, in the new naming convention.

The later ones are unlocked, and are supposed to be run at 133x10.5 ... I suppose you could check your setup to see if you are accidentally running at > 1400 MHz - that would account for a temp rise!

Also wanted to mention, you could try readings with Motherboard Monitor 5 (google and get a free download) and see if it agrees with the BIOS.

the wesson

yep i am using motherboard monitor it's nice software

vcore is reported as 1.82/1.84, ..temps same as bios

in bios it says 133x10.5 so that looks ok..

anyway, i think i will probably sell this 1.4 athlon on ebay and get an athlon xp instead which hopefully my motherboard will get on better with =]

thanks again everyone for the help