new Q9450 w/ aftermarket cooler 58C IDLE. what's wrong?

Desperado84 · Apr 15, 2008

I have an Asus P5K-E/WIFI with a Q9450 (C1)
running the latest 1012 BIOS.
I have this HSF
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200024
I know it isn't great, but it was FAR, and is better than stock.

isn't an IDLE temp of around 60C really high? (esp. for 45nm!!)
CPU-Z keeps showing it kick down to 6 multi (for 2GHz)

I've heard lots of different things:

the 45nm temp sensors may be bad.
My Mobo doesn't have good support for 45nm (something about them supporting C0, but not C1 stepping well)

I'm pretty sure the HSF is attached well with AS3

Any ideas?

jimmsch · Apr 15, 2008

I think the problem lies in the $15 heatsink.

Try one of these or one of these

Albuquerque · Apr 15, 2008

I don't know about that heatsink, but quads do put out far more heat than a dual core. Still, even the stock Intel HSF shouldn't make it get that hot...

My first suggestion is to get a straight-edged utility razor and check your heatsink for flatness. I'd wager that it isn't flat, and that it isn't making contact appropriately. I'd also wager the CPU isn't flat either, and if they're both bowed just right, the contact patch could be even worse...

That's my theory. I'd expect that quad to idle around 30*c on air at 2ghz, give or take, on the Intel stock cooler. Your mileage may vary...

KillrBuckeye · Apr 15, 2008

There's no way the CPU is really that hot at idle unless your heatsink is making very little contact with the IHS, especially with the speed step / power saving options enabled. If you've installed the heatsink correctly and the fan is running at full speed, the CPU temperature should only be ~2 C above ambient. This is part of the calibration procedure described in the C2D/C2Q temperature guide that is stickied in this forum.

So assuming everything is installed correctly, the reported temperature at idle is definitely not correct. What are you using to read the temps? I suggest going into BIOS and looking at what the hardware monitor reports for CPU temp (Tcase). If it is still reporting ~60C, then my guess is that your BIOS isn't reading the Tcase temperature correctly, or the temperature sensor itself is screwed up.

Desperado84 · Apr 15, 2008

i'm using Real Temp 2.4 to read the temperature.

I was thinking that maybe my motherboard BIOS was to blame.
my q9450 replaced my G0 Q6600.
I now wish i'd paid attention to its temps.
maybe i'll swap it back out to see (i was about to sell it)

Those heatsinks are pricey!
I usually buy stuff when it's a 'slickdeal'

Automata · Apr 15, 2008

Desperado84 said:
i'm using Real Temp 2.4 to read the temperature.

Please get CoreTemp to measure it.

Desperado84 · Apr 15, 2008

just switch out to my G0 Q6600
and temps seems to still be high
realtemp shows 41C idle
coretemp shows 47C idle

but i easily got them to 75C with a little prime95

if it isn't the CPU, maybe it really is my cooler
could it really be worse than the stock cooler?

the BIOS shows MB temp 37C and CPU temp 43C
and it's not even doing anything!

i still have the stock cooler. guess i could try that too

Desperado84 · Apr 15, 2008

just switched to the stock cooler.
it's a little lower IDLE, but a little higher on prime95 (high 70's)
i'm not happy

what else could it be?
both the heatsink and CPU seem very flat when measured with a razor blade.
could it be how it sits in the mobo?

i'm tempted to just buy a really good heatsink.
is the zalman 9700 the best all-in-one HSF for around $60 ?
I'd rather not buy a heatsink and then add a fan. I used to love fiddling with stuff, but the older i get, the more i just want simple

TankGuys · Apr 15, 2008

Thermalright ultra-120 Extreme. Needs a fan, which I know you're not thrilled with - but it's a fantastic cooler.

prime81 · Apr 15, 2008

thideras said:
Please get CoreTemp to measure it.

I had a similar reaction with my Ultra ChillTEC, I loaded my new X3350 up and it was idling at 46-47c per Real Temp and 56-57 on Coretemp. I figured ahh hell it's my dam cooler crappin out and went back and revived my water cooler. To my suprise I'm getting about the same temps as I was before. Either these new quads are running hotter.... or.... the new quads have sensor/bios glitches like their E8400/E3110 cousins.

I'm also running the latest 308 Rampage Formula BIOS so that could be part of it as well. But anyway I have reseated several times and I've used both the Zalman brush applied grease and AS5... same temps. From what I can tell my CPU is flat, so maybe we need to research this alittle more but all in all I would suspect BIOS/sensor glitches.

My temps on idle are:

44,44,36,44

So pretty good there!

Desperado84 · Apr 15, 2008

possible.
but that wouldn't explain why my Q6600 G0 is behaving similarly.

i just bought a XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 (the ultra-120 extreme knockoff) ($37 incl ship)
i'll post when i get it installed

Albuquerque · Apr 15, 2008

RealTemp is a great temperature monitor - IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS

The directions are this: Set your processor to the 6x multiplier, and type in the lowest FSB your motherboard will allow. Turn ON C1E and EIST in the BIOS, and turn up your fan speed as far as it can go.

Boot into Windows, run RealTemp, and wait for the system to get as cold as possible. Now, your CPU should be somewhere between 3-5* centigrade hotter than the ambient temp of your room. Find out what your room temp is, do the grey math, and use the calibration settings within RealTemp to make it all line up... (you do this through the IDLE0/1/etc settings in the INI file)

Now go back and change the settings in the bios until you're where you want to be; temps reported by RealTemp should now be pretty damned close to "real".

If you don't follow those directions, then RealTemp, CoreTemp and pretty much any other temp monitoring utility is a shot in the dark as far as accuracy goes.

KillrBuckeye · Apr 15, 2008

Any temperature monitoring program that reports the absolute values of individual core temperatures is making a lot of assumptions. The temperatures simply can't be trusted unless you perform the calibration procedure described in the sticky in this forum. Real Temp and Core Temp do essentially the same thing to estimate the core temperatures, it's just that the author of Real Temp changed some of his assumptions to yield more accurate results (based on his own experimentation and observing significant inaccuracy with CoreTemp readings).

EDIT: Darn, Albuquerque beat me to it!

GoldKnyght · Apr 28, 2008

Yeah mine reads 44-47 Idle with Realtemp and i felt the lowest part of my heatsink i can get to and they are cold

edit: And i dont have a 15dollar heatsink so cant preach that this time.

Desperado84 · Apr 28, 2008

I've built more than 20 machines, but this one is making me doubt if i know hot to apply thermal paste

i just put on a massive new heatsink [SIGMATEK HDT-S1283 (the ultra-120 extreme knockoff)]
but temps are still usually in the high 50s, low 60s at idle.
they're probably 70s when playing games

i've heard a lot about faulty temp monitors on penryn.
should i RMA my chip ?
i don't really want to be without a chip for a few weeks

GoldKnyght · Apr 28, 2008

Desperado84 said:
I've built more than 20 machines, but this one is making me doubt if i know hot to apply thermal paste
i just put on a massive new heatsink [SIGMATEK HDT-S1283 (the ultra-120 extreme knockoff)]
but temps are still usually in the high 50s, low 60s at idle.
they're probably 70s when playing games
i've heard a lot about faulty temp monitors on penryn.
should i RMA my chip ?
i don't really want to be without a chip for a few weeks

Well I've been searching the WWW and if you get realtemp and lower ur FSB to 266 and ur multi to 6 so ur processor uses the least amount of power possible. and calibrate realtemp accordingly you will get a more accurate temp reading. Just look up realtemp it will have a link to a www.xsystems sumthing and scroll down and they tell u how to calibrate the program. Its not really a good guide to how to do it but it tells u a little bit. I havent done this myself yet because im at work reading up on this but thats just what i have read hope that helps.

Desperado84 · May 3, 2008

the problem is, as the mobo detects the high temp, it drops the multi to 6x, giving my 2000Mhz

sbinh · May 3, 2008

Desperado84 said:
the problem is, as the mobo detects the high temp, it drops the multi to 6x, giving my 2000Mhz

Might want to check your vcore because Q9450 chip takes much less voltage than Q6600 chip.

SuperDave1685 · May 3, 2008

Its called C1E and speedstep. It automatically drops your cpu's multiplier when the cpu isn't under load. You need to disable it in your bios. Also, that cooler you got is nothing but junk. Sorry bro, but you really need to get yourself a better cooler like the Thermalright.

Jolly-Swagman · May 3, 2008

Sorry bro, but you really need to get yourself a better cooler like the Thermalright.

Yeah those temps are high might even be better as SuperDave said or even an ArticFreezer7 Pro would give better cooling

new Q9450 w/ aftermarket cooler 58C IDLE. what's wrong?

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