Something is not quite right here

[Weatherlite]

So I have my new system set up finally and I was chacing a few things out (CPU-Z, HW Monitor, etc) and numbers just aren't matching up at all.

First, the voltages are WAY out of whack. HW Monitor shows everything low but the ASUS utility shows them where they should be. I checked with a meter and they're really close to what ASUS shows. So, I know this means there is an error somewhere in HW Monitor and I really have nothing to worry about there. However, would that error also translate over to the temps? The room was a little chilly (high 50s/low 60s) but at one point the core temps showed around 80 and at other down to the 30s. I know you can't get sub-ambient with air cooling so I'm just trying to figure out what is wrong and where. I don't want to be stress testing my system and have it tell me the CPU is only at 40C when it's actually at 70C. Here are a couple shots of what I'm talking about...also, you can see where HW Monitor shows the CPU as being at 45C while under load from Prime95 but the cores show only at 28C.

I took the liberty of combining the info from different screen shots so you guys don't have to look at 8 different pictures. lol But note that the VCore on the ASUS program doesn't match HW Monitor because it was copied from a different pic, so a different voltage at that time. But, if you want unedited pics for proof that I'm not making all this up, I'll post those as well.

 

[trents]

Have you tried other 3rd party monitoring software like CoreTemp or Everest to compare them with HWMonitor? Even AMDOverdrive might be good for core temps. Most monitoring software that ships with motherboards doesn't show core temps but otherwise I would trust it more than 3rd party when push comes to shove because it should be matched to the sensors.

 

[Weatherlite]

I hadn't considered using those, though I have heard of them before. So, I installed and ran them all simultaneously. The results are below...one at idle and one under Prime95. Same problem across the board. CPU shows what you would expect it to but the individual cores are all ridiculously low, even sub-ambient at idle. This tells me it's not a software glitch since multiple programs show the same thing. So is this a problem with the motherboard or the CPU? I checked and the BIOS is version 0901 which is the most recent available.

I normally wouldnt be too concerned with this as long as things were getting cooled, but since I plan on OCing and it's the core temps that matter more than just the CPU/socket temp, I'd sure like to get this figured out.

Thanks guys!

 

[Frooble]

Hullo Weatherlite,

If you think your voltages are bad you should see mine! lol

Speccy says: +3.3v reading 1.896v, 5v reading 3.427v and +12v reading 8.160v.

I get similar with HWMonitor and a couple of other programs I've tried.

Seems to me that this is a software issue. The only program I can find that will read my voltages correctly is Speedfan (so far). Though temps are 10 Degs C higher in Speedfan than any other program too but no idea which is correct?! Lol

I'm also using the same PSU as you, I have an ASUS M5A78L/USB motherboard and I've an AMD FX-8120 8 Core Bulldozer CPU.

I tend to believe Speedfan when it comes to the voltages because my computer runs well and I've been playing "Dead Space" on high settings for a few hours without issue. With voltages that low, I'm sure I'd have seen a problem if my voltages were really so low. My BIOS has similar voltage readings to Speedfan (on idle) which makes me think Speedfan is the more accurate, as for the temps though I've no idea?! I'll check what the BIOS says about my CPU temp and post again (I forgot to check it when checking the voltages).

Looks like we need some software than can accurately communicate with our ASUS motherboards. Unfortunately, most of the software that ASUS supplied with my motherboard just won't work on my Windows 7 64bit system and the ASUS AI program is not compatible with my board.

Give Speedfan a try and see what that tells you, I'd be interested to know your results too.

Froobs

 

[Knufire]

This might help us see the numbers clearer.



For voltages, software is typically really inaccurate, I'd trust a meter over anything else.

+1 to to trent's advice about the temperature.