FX-8120 Acting Strangely, Temperature readings off?

[Vertices]

Hey all,

I've been lurking here for ages but have never posted. I'm a fairly experienced system builder (7+ years) but I've never encountered something this... odd.

I recently built a budget rig for a friend of mine using an FX-8120, ASRock 970 series motherboard and 8GB of Corsair Ballistix 1333MHz RAM.

I've been working on overclocking the 8120, but I'm staring in disbelief at the temperatures he is getting. We are using a Hyper 612 cooler (a VERY beefy air cooler, even compared to the Hyper 212) and he is still hitting the 8120's max temp (reading from the CPUTIN on HWMonitor) at 61c after only ten minutes of prime95.

This is impossible. What concerns me more, however, is that I do not get individual core temperatures readings for the chip, only a package temperature. The package temperature never exceeds 45c under load at stock frequency and voltage. In fact, I have him undervolted to 1.35v currently and am getting ~40c package temps under load while at the same time getting 61c on the CPUTIN.

What's going on here? Should I disregard the CPUTIN and aim for a <55c package temp to be on the safe side? I've never dealt with the FX series before. Seems a bit touchy.

Help appreciated, thanks in advance!

EDIT: Some more information. I applied thermal paste (Ceramique 2) using the bead method and have tried reseating the heat sink to no avail.

 

[caddi daddi]

please post a screensot of hardware monitor

'PACKAGE TEMP" is core temp.
cputin will be socket temp. but please post the screen shot.

the latest hardware monitor just gives the single core temp and displays it as package temp.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Also, what case are you using it in and how many fans?

 

[caddi daddi]

+1 mandrake..

 

[Vertices]

Ambient temperature in the room is around 65F. Case is an Antec Three Hundred w/ all fan slots filled. These screenshots are with a mild overclock, CPU is running at 3.5GHz. I am not at the computer to lower clock speed right now to post new screenshots.

Idle:



Load (~5 minutes Prime95):

 

[caddi daddi]

yup ,i was right and so was mandrke, you need a side case fan blowing into the socket area to cool the vrm section.

 

[Vertices]

How can you tell? I'd like to know for future reference.

EDIT: Also, how would cooling the VRM/capacitors help to lower CPU Temps?

 

[ssjwizard]

It doesnt, what it does do is help keep the stupid thermoster in the CPU socket stay cooler. The problem is that even though the CPU is exhausting most of its heat through the HS/F the bottom of the chip is still pumping heat into the center of the socket area which is basically impossible to cool. The issue is not that it will cause instability but that some motherboards tend to freak the **** out when the socket temp gets over 65C regardless of how awesome the CPU core temps are.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Vertices what Asrock 970 board do you have?

 

[Vertices]

It isn't mine, its a friends.

It's an ASRock 970DE3/U3S3.

That makes good sense, ssjwizard. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[caddi daddi]

when you put the big aircooler on there that took the airflow away from this area because the stock cooler fan blows down through the heatsink and the air flows out at the bottom.

 

[Mandrake4565]

I think I see the biggest culprit, no heat sink.

 

[caddi daddi]

he'll need BIG airflow to feed that 8 core.

 

[tungureanu]

maybe do the penny heatsink? 5x80mm long copper/aluminium bolts + 15-20 pennys+ adhesive thermal compound.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Vertices, I believe his problem is as follows. The Fx 8 series chips are power hungry, which require a lot of power, especially when overclocked. If you look at the section that I highlighted on his board, that is the VRM area, which provides the CPU with power. It doesn't have a heat sink on it, which in turn is causing it to get really hot. If your friend really wants to overclock that 8120 I think there are 2 options. 1. get an after market heatsink for that area, this will not insure a good overclock though. Even though you may be able to get the temps down this way, the board may simply not be capable of providing enough power for the 8 series chips. Therefore my second option, which I feel is the better one, is get a better board. The second suggestion is taking in mind, the user wants to push the overclock.

 

[WhitehawkEQ]

You can goto EnzoTech and get these:



That should help a bit.

Edit: you can get these at Newegg

 

[caddi daddi]

i think those ideas will help but, i looks to be less than 8+2 power phased.
i think this and the lack of cooling is going to limit this to a 4.0 board with 6-8 cores like the asus m5a97 boards are below the evo.

 

[WhitehawkEQ]

The MB in Mandrake's post does have a 8 pin power input:



The MB in my post, is a MB used by EnzoTech to show how thier HS was mounted.

i think those ideas will help but, it looks to be less than 8+2 power phased.
i think this and the lack of cooling is going to limit this to a 4.0 board with 6-8 cores like the asus m5a97 boards are below the evo.

 

[ssjwizard]

8Pin power input and 8 phase power distribution are completely different things. The Asrock 970 series all carry a 4+1 power phases, so even the Extreme 4 with the HS is going to have a tough time really pushing a 8core much past 4Ghz.

 

[Mandrake4565]

8Pin power input and 8 phase power distribution are completely different things. The Asrock 970 series all carry a 4+1 power phases, so even the Extreme 4 with the HS is going to have a tough time really pushing a 8core much past 4Ghz.

+1