Motherboards Thermonitor miscalculating?

Have you guys ever heard of a motherboards built in thermometer miscalculating or sending back false temps. mbm5 says my cpu is 55*C and so does my bios ( with case off and computer un-overclocked back to 1400 t-bird. I stuck a reliable thermometer on top of my heatsink and it reports about 1/2 the temp my computer is reporting. Is it that much hotter under the hsf by the processor or is my computer sending bad info?

Other information:
I used to have a $76 motherboard and my computer overheated all the time. I began running my computer with the case off and it didn't overheat but it was hot. I decided to get a trusty asus board (A7V266-E - I'm using it right now) and it gave same temp readings but doesn't overheat. Why is my computer so much hotter then everyone elses. I have a hsf and and extra fan in the back. I would just upgrade to an Alpha 8045 hsf but I dont know if it would help any.

Thanks for any help you can give me in advance. It will be much appreciated!

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What kind of hsf are you using now and what fan does it have installed on it?

its like the one that comes with the retail 1400 t-bird and the fan is also a standard one. It says Cooler Master but I have no idea what its specs are. Sorry i dont know much about what I have but if i did upgrade to an Alpha 8045 could it make a 20*C diff?

Those retail hsf's that come from the factory are pretty darn marginal, IMO. You need to buy a good hsf for your proc. The SK6 is good, but loud and can be a little tricky to install. The Swiftech MCX462 is probably the best socketA hsf out there right now, but is pretty expensive. The Alpha 8045 is also a good choice for your XP. I don't know if it will take it down 20° C, but it will take it down to 39-40° C at full load and cooler than that when the processor is idle. One thing to note on the Swiftech MCX462 and Alpha 8045, the motherboard will need to be removed to install the standoffs that these heatsinks use to mount with in the 4 holes around the processor. Hope this helps out.

If you do a search on Asus and temp in these forums you will find that Asus boards give high temp readings. I think something like a 10 degree difference. In socket temp probes are generally not accurate in any board, and should just be used as a reference. Example if you normally run at 45 and you look and it is at 65 then you know to check your system over for a problem. If you want to know the right temp then place a compunurse or similar temp probe next to the core. Hope this helps

so if asus are 10*C high should I just post my temps as 10*C cooler then mbm5 says or is there a way I can tone down mbm5? Or should i just let ppl who read my posts realize that I have a asus?

Robbiem01 said:

so if asus are 10*C high should I just post my temps as 10*C cooler then mbm5 says or is there a way I can tone down mbm5? Or should i just let ppl who read my posts realize that I have a asus?

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That is up to you. I would do a search because it might be fixed in a bios update. I do not have an Asus board or I would help more but I do not, which is why I suggested the search of the foums. I just did a search and could not find the post I was looking for. I would also suggest starting a thread in the asus motherboard section about it. I am sure you will get some helpfull responses. I would also check to see if their is a new bios for your board. Good luck.