-<[question about p4 temp reading and thermal throttling]>-

[Jeff Bolton]

i just built the new p4 rig in my siggy, and have it running at 2.63 ghz (155x17) right now, with an alpha pal8942 and sunon extreme 80mm fan. according to winbond hardware doctor my temps are running about 40-43c idle, but from what i read, thats the internal temp probe inside of the CPU itself, correct? so 40c isn't actually too bad of an idle temp since it is inside of the cpu itself and not on the die? correct me if i'm wrong, because the heatsink is never hot to the touch, even after playing morrowind without stopping for 5 hours straight. at worst, its just warm, and it cools down very quickly.

i kind of want to get an external temp probe like a digidoc or something, but where would i go about installing the temp probe, and would the intel IHS affect the temperatures at all? i just don't want to spend my cash on somehting to read temps if it isn't going to help me much.

thermal throttling kicks in at 65c, correct? so until the temp probe in the chip reads 65c, i'll have no problem with throttling...not that i'll ever let it get that high...but still, i just want to know.

thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer my questions...i'll check back later.

jeff

 

[batboy]

Thermal throttle begins about mid 60's or a little higher. It starts out gradually and then increases as the CPU gets hotter. Your CPU idle temps don't look too bad, but the real test is CPU full load temps. I don't see any mention of what mobo you're using. Some have monitoring programs that you can install so you can check temps and voltages in real time. Otherwise, download the MBM program that will do this. Also, some Abit mobos (and maybe others) come with a remote temp probe you can install anywhere you want.

 

[Jeff Bolton]

my mobo is the bd7-ii raid, no remote temp probe, but i am using winbond hardware doctor which does basically the same thing as MBM. haven't had the chance to stress test it yet, seeing as i just got it online (new modem) last night. i haven't had a chance to download any diagnostics yet, like sandra, or anything to stress it like 3dmark or prime95.

i'll post back the results when i have.

jeff

 

[Jeff Bolton]

ok right now i'm on test 38 of prime 95, temps are reading a constant of about 48C, but i don't know how much to trust them, because the HSF is still cool to the touch, and ABIT if i rememebr correctly is pretty notorious about their crappy thermal sensor readings. plus, its saying my system temp is higher than my cpu temp which can't be right, it says its 54C which is like impossible. its almost chilly in my room, its raining outside and i have the window opened. no way.

jeff

 

[Ani_Mator]

my mobo is the bd7-ii raid, no remote temp probe, but i am using winbond hardware doctor which does basically the same thing as MBM. haven't had the chance to stress test it yet, seeing as i just got it online (new modem) last night. i haven't had a chance to download any diagnostics yet, like sandra, or anything to stress it like 3dmark or prime95.

i'll post back the results when i have.

jeff

The BD72 does have a header for a temp probe. It's in between PCI slot 4/5 and the back of the case. It's labeled JP1 or something like that.

 

[batboy]

I use that Hardware Doctor program, it's not bad. The CPU temps you posted look ok. I agree the system temp seems a little out of wack. What do you have for case ventilation? Maybe you need another case fan or two? Other than that, you new system seems to be doing pretty good, congrats. Ani-M is right, that mobo has a remote temp probe header. I have one of those Abit remore sensors, but I don't want to get rid of it. Look around, maybe you can find one if you really want one.

 

[Jeff Bolton]

thanks!

now i have it at 2.68 (157mhz fsb, 3:4 mem) and i ran prime95 for about 10 hours while i was at work today with no errors, so i'm calling it stable. i'm going to push for more in the near future, but i'm just sheepish of my temps even though i know they're probably not too accurate.

edit: oh yeah, this is a costa rica chip so i'm not expecting to get too much more out of it without going balls-to-the-walls. if i can get 2.8 stable i'll be pleased as punch. also i'd like to keep the 3:4 memory ratio because i'm more of a proponent of high memory bandwidth than high clock speed. right now i'm at about 3.1 gb/s on the memory...how fast would my ram have to be to equal pc1066 speeds?

jeff