Am I safe to OC w/ these temps??? Advice plz...

[YellowDart]

Man... I'm REALLY itchin' to oc my chip. I have a dilemma though... My sytem temps are a little on the warm side. Basically I wanted to get a little advice from you guys to see if you all think it will be safe to oc my p4 2.6c.

My system temps are:
Case: 27-30°C idle / 30-32°C load
CPU: 37-40°C idle / 48-50°C load

This is my case.

Here's my cooling setup:
-1 80mm intake - bottom front (Thermaltake SmartFan 2 75.7 CFM)
-1 80mm intake - side panel (Thermaltake SmartFan 2 75.7 CFM) - ducted to my hsf
-1 80mm exhaust - top rear (Thermaltake SmartFan 2 75.7 CFM)
-This is my PSU.

I've got a Thermalright SP-94 mounted w/ Arctic Silver 5. The duct only has 1 fan, the duct is connected to my hsf w/ a fan shroud.

To answer your preliminary questions:
-Yes, my SP-94 is mounted correctly, I've remounted 3 times.
-I used very little AS5, the amount specified by Arctic Silver. A small dab, just about (slightly smaller) than a grain of uncooked rice. I also tinted the bottom of the SP-94 w/ AS5.
-I didn't lap my SP-94, but it came pretty flat. No visible ridges, and the base was pretty shiny.
-There was no original thermal pad to remove on the hsf.
-I've been running all my fans @ or near full speed.
-My case is pretty dust free. I use fan filters like this on both my front and side (ducted) intakes. I also blow my case out w/ compressed air, and clean out my hsf fins about once a month or so.

I'm liking my system temps so far. They're a little cooler than before, w/ my lower airflow setup. I like the fact that my case doesn't really rise in temp under a full load. I'm a little leary of my CPU temps though. They seem a little warm, so I'm pretty hesitant. They are warmer than what I've seen from other people who have similar setups to me. Given, I am in Phoenix, AZ, and it is 80°F outside in January right now. My apartment is usually between 70-80°F. I've seen my CPU get as high as 52°C under full load when my room temp was around 80°F.

My thought is, that my temps are high due to environmental conditions. I think I've got an awesome cooling setup for my (very limiting) case. Is there anything else you think I could do to improve my cooling. My rig is sitting on the floor, away from any vents (heat or AC). It's not by any windows or doors either. It's in the corner of the room, which seems to me that it might get poor circulation, but I don't really have room to move it elsewhere in my apt. Are there any ideas that you may have??? I'm also trying to consider what may happen when it's 120°F outside in the summer, and around 85°F in my apt. Would a humidifier in the room help/hurt at all??? Is there any good way to get more cool air directly to my computer???

Any suggestions/opinions would help me out a lot guys!

 

[slater3333uk]

Not sure exactly what to suggest but you should be able to overclock a bit eaven with those temps.

The high cpu but low case temps suggest its a problem with the Hsink/Fan or the Tim but im not sure what the problem could be

 

[archilochus]

Hey Dart just out of curiousity what were your temps with the stock HSF? I see your case temp is around 90° F under load.
Mine is a couple of degrees above ambient,for comparison.Do you have a seperate remote temp probe,to read CPU temp? Start your OC and keep it under 60° C for test purposses.If its stable,your temp reading on CPU may be off. THE FANMAN

 

[YellowDart]

Hey Dart just out of curiousity what were your temps with the stock HSF? I see your case temp is around 90° F under load.
Mine is a couple of degrees above ambient,for comparison.Do you have a seperate remote temp probe,to read CPU temp? Start your OC and keep it under 60° C for test purposses.If its stable,your temp reading on CPU may be off. THE FANMAN

W/ my other hsf (Coolermaster), my temps were about 42°C idle and I saw it get as high as 56-58°C load. I'm wondering if my mobo temp sensors are even giving me correct readings...

 

[YellowDart]

-=[bump]=-

Could it be that MBM isn't giving me correct readings. I remember not seeing my mobo on the list of supported mobos on the MBM website...

 

[waynebike]

i dont like MBM, as it makes my PC crazy, telling me my temps are well over 75C, before yesterday when i received a link to a gigabyte specific temp reader, i was using Aida32, it seemed to read temps just fine.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

yeah MBM i dont like - i like asus probe - but u need an asus board.


as for the amount of Artic S u put on - i usually put about 2 or 3 grains of rice worth on mine and my max load temps hit 38C with a spark 7 (@ 5000rpm) on a p4 2.4 @ 2.98.

 

[archilochus]

I say if your mobo isn't on MBM5's list,uninstall it!!You need a remote thermal sensing probe on the side of your IHS to read temps from.What does your bios show? THE FANMAN

 

[gustav]

i use more as5 too. i put a good amount on, more than they suggest. i also didnt pre-apply it to the heatsink. they dont suggest this in the instructions. they say to ONLY apply it to the processor. i think the temps are due partly to your ambient temps.

i have the same heatsink. i have a antec plusview case, with 3 panaflow 40cfm intakes, and 2 panaflow 40cfm exhaust. then i also have the psu fans, 1 92mm and 1 80mm. my heatsink fan is a 92mm 56cfm panaflow. my ambient is about 20C (68F) my case temps are (at full load) 24C while my cpu temps are 32-35C. ive heard though, that asus boards under-read the temps. i think my temps are prolly in the high 30's low 40's. my cpu is a 2.4 @ 3.3 with 1.6vcore.

i think you shouldnt have pre-applied the as5 to the heatsink, and should have used more on the cpu. you have a very nice heatsink and it should be performing better. it may also be something whack with the temp sensors. try using aida32 (get it here).

 

[clocker2]

Arch, I'm surprised you didn't ask if YellowDart had cut out the stock case fan grills.
If not, those, in combination with the dust filters, are really cutting down on the CFM those fans can move.

Dart, given your cooling setup the temps you report don't surprise me at all.
I think that you are going to need either more/bigger case fans or a different setup altogether to get your temps down much further.

 

[YellowDart]

Gustav: I've never heard of Arctic Silver recommending against tinting the bottom of your hsf. I was instructed to from the AS5 application instructions. I tried to follow their instructions as closely as possible. I'm not convinced that my problem lies w/ my TIM/hsf mounting though... I've reapplied/remounted several times already... I'm almost positive I've got it on right and w/ good contact w/ the P4's ihs.

Arch: I checked out my bios readings last night. The bios reading is the same one I'm getting from MBM. I'm wondering now if my mobo is giving me screwy temps...

Clocker2: I have cut out the stamped fan grids from my front intake and my rear exhast fan positions. I've beent thinking of giving it a shot w/o the filters in there. But these high cfm fans I've got really bring in a LOT of dust.

 

[Ultam8um]

Is it possible you are supplying more voltage than required to the core? Even a .05v increse would make you cpu hotter.

 

[clocker2]

Clocker2: I have cut out the stamped fan grids from my front intake and my rear exhast fan positions. I've beent thinking of giving it a shot w/o the filters in there. But these high cfm fans I've got really bring in a LOT of dust.

I can sympathize...Denver is quite dusty also.
It would be interesting to see what happened if you tried it though.

 

[YellowDart]

Is it possible you are supplying more voltage than required to the core? Even a .05v increse would make you cpu hotter.

I don't think so, my vcore settings are @ default.

clocker2: I'll give it a shot... I won't be looking forward to blowing out my case every week though! =P

*edit*

Would more humidity help my temps? Humidity is non-existant in Phoenix... I've noticed you all w/ lower temps than mine live in cooler/more humid environments...

 

[gustav]

I don't think so, my vcore settings are @ default.

clocker2: I'll give it a shot... I won't be looking forward to blowing out my case every week though! =P

*edit*

Would more humidity help my temps? Humidity is non-existant in Phoenix... I've noticed you all w/ lower temps than mine live in cooler/more humid environments...

No! as i recall, arch said he was waiting for humidity to go away as it hold heat.

as for the AS5, if you go to their site, and go to AS5 and then to the instructions (found here) they redirect people who use p4's with the big IHS to step 10. people without the IHS (AMD) use steps 3-9. 5-8 in the steps give directions to apply it to the heatsink, but again, this is for AMD. later, they said this, and i quote

Note: Arctic Silver 5 is much thicker than our earlier silver compounds and it is very difficult to rub it into the base of the heatsink. With it's superior flow characteristics, the tinting steps can be skipped when using Arctic Silver 5.

now they said this step MAY be skiped, but again, this whole process was for AMD chips. they never say to do this for intel chips. although i dont see how it could hurt, it may be whats causing this.

try removing the heatsink, and the processor. get a few cotton balls and some Isopropyl alcohol. try to get it in the highest concentration possible. i have 70% myself. clean both the bottom of the heatsink, and the IHS on the processor. use one cotton ball with some Isopropyl alcohol (not much is needed) to clean each, then use a second one for each and clean them off again. then follow the instructions for your chip in the link i gave above.

if this doesnt work, id try removing the fan filters. you can make better ones by streching out some panty hose, then cutting out pieces to fit your fans, with a little bit overlap, and tie them with a twist tie or rubber band. this will increase flow, but keep down on dust/fur/hair or what have you. if you can, try and use a dremel and make more holes for fans.

your temps wont be perfect, but they should be better. if you try cleaning off the heatsink and the chip, and re-applying as5 (i would use more that what they suggest, just not too much cuz it might seep out, i personally used about a grain and a half, maybe more) and also try making your own filters out of panty hose like u said. make sure the grills on the case are cut. and consider making more fan holes in the case.

 

[archilochus]

Clockers I've been working with Dart since I came to the forums in Sept / 03..I already knew he had done the deed! Its been a hard long road.But its along ways to Pheonix from Houston.
With a case temp of 90° F,its hard for the HS to dissapate the heat created by the processor. I have the same prob in the summer here in Houston,with the A/C set to 83° F.All I can do is keep the humidity at bay.Just for the record,I used AS Ceramique.
Applied a thin line of it across my IHS and used a single edge razor blade to screet it evenly across the IHS. My heat pipe orentation is 180° out from his also.My orientation is the worst for all of the given combinations.Go figure,my temps.2 front 92mm intakes..2 rear 92mm exhaust.NO FILTERS..A HSF that can do 68.80 CFM. Soon to be all 92mm's,,,,THE FANMAN

 

[gustav]

i just put a pile of as5 on top of the core like they suggested, and put the hs down straight on top of it and wiggled it around, then i did the torquing sequence and it was done, i thought i used too much, but appearantly i used the right amount. it didnt seep over.

my heatpipes are facing the back of the case (they are parallel to the botton of the case, like thermalright suggested) this may also be a reason, if the heat pipes are perpendicular, you wont get as good as results. i thought about putting them towards the front of the case, but decided to try this first. it seems to work well. in the summer, even though it gets hot, we keep it about 72-74 in the house. im gona put my case right in front of the vent so when it kicks on, my pc can be AC cooled!

 

[YellowDart]

Clockers I've been working with Dart since I came to the forums in Sept / 03..I already knew he had done the deed! Its been a hard long road.But its along ways to Pheonix from Houston.
With a case temp of 90° F,its hard for the HS to dissapate the heat created by the processor. I have the same prob in the summer here in Houston,with the A/C set to 83° F.All I can do is keep the humidity at bay.Just for the record,I used AS Ceramique.
Applied a thin line of it across my IHS and used a single edge razor blade to screet it evenly across the IHS. My heat pipe orentation is 180° out from his also.My orientation is the worst for all of the given combinations.Go figure,my temps.2 front 92mm intakes..2 rear 92mm exhaust.NO FILTERS..A HSF that can do 68.80 CFM. Soon to be all 92mm's,,,,THE FANMAN

Yea arch, I'm thinking my high *** temps might be due to my environment/case location. I don't think my rig is getting a whole lot of fresh air, just more warm air getting re-circulated. I swear, I think my apt doubles as a convection oven! =P

I think I've got a good cooling setup, well, as good as I can get w/o some heavy duty modding. I'm not sure I've got the stomach for hackin up my case w/ a vengance yet. I may give the oc a shot. I spoke w/ DFI tech support. AngryGames posts here, and works as DFI support. Anyway, he says my temps are pretty normal looking from what he's seen... Angry recommends giving it a shot, and not to worry, unless I hit over 60°C... What do you all think??

 

[gustav]

put the board and components on a piece of plywood and see if it does better. then you will know if its your case cooling thats the problem.

 

[YellowDart]

put the board and components on a piece of plywood and see if it does better. then you will know if its your case cooling thats the problem.

I thought about that... haven't tried yet. I did run my case w/ the door off & a desk fan (about a 13" fan) blowing directly into my case. It only cooled my system temp down to 27°c! Still warmer than room temp. W/ that fan blowing fresh air into my rig, shouldn't I be getting near room temperature inside my case??? I'm thinking it might be environment and possibly an inaccurate temp reading. I asked AngryGames if he could get one of his work buddies to run a temp probe test in their lab (since I don't have the money/time to get one yet).