AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition temperature

[JKessell]

http://products.amd.com/en-us/Deskt...&f5=&f6=C2&f7=45nm+SOI&f8=&f9=&f10=False&f11=

So I haven't touched any overclocking on my system at all. Brand new system built about one month back.

Start playing Crysis 2 recently and I see my temperatures on the CPU are reaching 63-65 through my G15 keyboard LCD screen.

I started randomly perusing the website about information on the CPU and I see the max temperatures are 61-62 and now I'm freaking out.

How much have I damaged the CPU thus far if I've been playing Crysis 2 for a week?

 

[JKessell]

Just for clarification I'm still using the stock Intel cooler with a full tower case and the fans are in all of the right configurations.

 

[trents]

Stock Intel cooler on an AMD socket? Did you mean to say that?

Also, its not clear to me how you are monitoring temps and with what or even what you are monitoring (are you reporting CPU socket temps or CPU core temps?). Please download and install "HWMonitor". Do a screen capture of HWMonitor using Windows' "Snipping Tool", crop the pic (Snipping Tool has a cropper built in). Then upload the pic with your next post. To do that, click on "Go Advanced" button at the bottom of the news post window. Scroll down to "Manage Attachments". Click on "Choose a file" and "Upload" and then click on "Submit".

 

[JKessell]

Sorry about the post I meant I'm using the stock AMD cooler on the AMD Phenom™ II X4 955BE.

The core temps there are showing 59 when I alt-tabbed out, but were reaching 63 while playing Crysis 2 just now.

 

[trents]

I hate to think what you core temps would be if you were running something that stressed the CPU cores 100% like Prime95. By the way, the standard we use for testing temps is the Prime95 blend test run for 10-15 minutes. I don't suggest you do that with temps as high as you are already getting when only partially stressing your CPU.

So, there are several things that can cause excessively high temps like that in a non-overclocked computer using the stock heatsink:

1. Poor case ventilation. What kind of case do you have? Make? Model? Number, size, and placement of fans and direction of flow of the fans. Some people have fans oriented in the case so t hat all are blowiing in to the case so that they cancel each other with regards to air flow. The there can be obstructions from cables and wires. Can you describe what you have for all of the above variables here in #1.
2. Poor contact between the heatsink and the CPU face, e.g. applying the thermal paste too thickly or too thinly, mounting mechanism not tight.
3. High ambient (room) temps. How hot is it in the computer room you are using?

 

[JKessell]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103033&cm_re=xclio-_-11-103-033-_-Product

I haven't touched or reconfigured the case in regards to switching fans in any direction. Fan speed controller on the case is turned up to high at all times. If I put my hand in front of the fan it feels like all three are blowing air onto my hand.

https://imgur.com/OVfON

There are SOME cables in the way but I've cable tied them back as of now (that's not a recent pic, but a reference one for you).

2. I never touched the thermal paste since it came pre-pasted on the AMD cooler I just placed it onto the CPU, locked it down, and all was said and done.

3. Room is normaly 50-60 degrees F.

 

[JKessell]

For reference, this is my idle computer just browsing the internet.

 

[trents]

Something is really wrong here. You're idling at around 50 C. Your room temps are quite cool and your case has plenty of fans and big ones too. First, let's try another temp monitoring program just to check HWMonitor against something else that we trust. So, download and install "CoreTemp" and report back to us with the idle temp and max core temp under stress.

The other thing I'd like you to do is download, install and post pics of "CPU-z" tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD".

 

[JKessell]

Idle is the first picture.
Load was the second.

 

[JKessell]

Three info tabs as requested.

 

[trents]

Man, you're quick!

Nothing looks out of line for bios settings as reflected in CPU-z tabs. You're core voltage looks a little high to me for stock settings but certainly not to the point where it would be giving high temps like you're getting.

My recommendation to you would be to reinstall the cooler using a quality after market thermal paste like Arctic Silver 5 ("AS 5") or Arctic Cooling MX2 or 3. They can be had for about $5 for a 3 gm tube at many computer/electronics stores. Before reapplying, however, clean the CPU face and the heatsink face with a paper coffee filter dampened with some rubbing alcohol.

It wouldn't surprise me if you will find when you remove the heatsink a thermal paste pattern that reveals poor contact between the cooler heatsink and the CPU face.

Even better, I would recommend you buy a 120mm fand-based aftermarket tower cooler like the Coolermaster Hyper 212+.

 

[JKessell]

Going to go ahead and grab this HSF: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018&Tpk=nh-d14

It's the best on the market in regards to cooling and beats out some close-looped water cooling solutions.

I'm just so upset that putting together this whole system without touching ANY settings at all is resulting in a very un-efficient operating temperature, I don't understand at all...

I've got some AS5 on me right now so I guess I'll wait to put it on when the cooler comes.

 

[trents]

Do you have tall heatsink ram? That Noctua NH-D14 is probably the best air cooler on the market but it presents clearance problems sometimes.

 

[JKessell]

Yep I checked the RAM compatibility on their site and they said it would work just fine.

Lastly, if this doesn't help, what could it be? Any ideas?

 

[JKessell]

Lastly, I think I'm going to go with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097 since it seems to have a better mobo tray (one where I can loop the cables through it so that there won't be any cable monsters.

Do you think going from a Full tower (the one I have) to a mid tower will increase the temperature even more?

 

[trents]

Lastly, I think I'm going to go with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097 since it seems to have a better mobo tray (one where I can loop the cables through it so that there won't be any cable monsters.

Do you think going from a Full tower (the one I have) to a mid tower will increase the temperature even more?

Good choice for the case. No, it shouldn't cause temperature increases. There's still plenty of room. One thing leads to another, doesn't it?

 

[JKessell]

Welp hopefully that case/HSF/thermal paste fixes my issues, I should have them by friday

 

[trents]

Welp hopefully that case/HSF/thermal paste fixes my issues, I should have them by friday

Let us know how it works out.

 

[JKessell]

Bah well apparently the NH-D14 will BARELY fit in the Antec 902 v3 case, so close that you'd need to take off the fan on the side panel of the case, that's really upsetting.

I'm thinking maybe the Corsair H70 is a better option now?

 

[JKessell]

(Linked a pic)

Am I more concerned with the core temp or the CPU temp? I've highlighted the two. If you go by the CPU temp, 55 load isn't BAD, but not good.