Another cooling thread ...

[Lucifers_Ghost]

Oooook. So my current setup:

PSU: Antec Truepower 550
MB: MSI K7N2 Delta
CPU: AMD Athlon Barton 2800+
Mem: 1gb pc3200 ram
Video: ATI Radeon 128mb
HD: 120gb and 80gb
Optical: dvd burner

For fans: Thermaltake (not sure the model though) on the cpu. (1) 120mm side intake case fan over the cpu. (1) 120mm rear exhaust case fan. I'm not sure how the fans for the psu run but there is one out the back (exhaust) but there is also one on the bottom of the psu (not sure if its sucking or blowing though).

My cpu running temp is usually around 50 celcius. Under load it can go up to 54 or 55. That doesnt seem normal.

I have disassembled the whole computer and cleaned out all the dust and such. Removed the cpu and applied some new paste (same temps before the change so I didnt make it "worse").

What am I missing? The temps arent in "danger" zone but they are a little high. I believe I have proper ventilation in the tower. What else can I do to drop those temps?

Thanks a bunch.
LG

[mh2360]

You should check that your CPU voltage is OK, it may be a power supply problem. Check your bios for a steady 1.65v VCore, though the most accurate way would be with a multimeter if you know what you're doing.

[redwudz]

Those particular CPUs can run fairly warm. They have such a small heatspreader size over the CPU chip that they are difficult to properly cool. I would rather the temp was a little lower under load, but that CPU can handle up to 85C before it reaches the max rated temperature. Your temps aren't bad. 55-60C should not cause any problems.

[Lucifers_Ghost]

mh2360: I know WHAT a multimeter is but a) I dont have one and b) wouldnt even know where to start to use one lol

Redwudz: For sure. I know they arent in the "danger zone" but was kind of hoping that once I added the extra fan for exhaust (didnt mention that .. previously, I only have the one intake fan on the side) that the temps would drop a couple of degrees. Would adding an additional fan on the front of the case (Im assuming intake) help at all? Ultimately, Id like to get the temp down to about 45C under load (if possible).

I will also mention that the room the two PC's are in is fairly small but well ventilated. I dont notice any temperature change when walking into that room from another room in the house, leading me to believe that this room is no warmer than the rest. The temp in the house is usually set to about 17 - 20C, depending on the weather outside.

LG

[Nelson37]

That temp is not too extreme for that CPU. Another front fan might help a little, but a different heatsink and/of fan will probably be needed to get a significant decrease. Depending on the airflow, you might try putting an additional fan at 90 degrees to the main one, blowing across the open vanes of the heatisink, ideally from whichever side is cooler. The additional front fan may have a significant effect on this.

If you haven't thoroughly blown the dust from all fans, intakes, and heatsinks that might help, along with removable intake filters. A square of old packing foam works nicely. Wash, dry, and re-use. Dust build-up is a major source of overheating and fan failure problems.