WOW its gettin hot

[Heywould3]

i just got an X2 4200 chip (upgraded from 3200+) trying to keep my ole mobo alive a bit longer. anyway i pop it in load the amd optimiser and drivers. and go about my business of overclocking. i dont know y but i HAVE to over clock everything i can. i got it running at 2.75ghz stock is 2.2ghz and i uped the voltage from 1.35 to 1.45 it is rock solid BUT at idle its 32c no problem there. but if i run the x264 benchmark on this page. by the time i get to the last pass its running at a whopping 63c 31 degrees? damn. everything is clean so im guessing i need to re apply the thermal greese and maybe upgrade my HS. ive never seen such a range before.

it runs like a champ though.. i also added a gt8600 vid card and oc that to the GTS ratings.. im using this computer for watching HQ vid.. like x262 hi res and hd dvd etc.. i just got band of brothers in 1080P and man is it awsome..

[budz]

sounds like you need to either reset the cpu w/some artic silver or buy a better hsf. are you using the stock AMD hsf? if you're overclocking the cpu it's best to buy a aftermarket hsf.

[redwudz]

With OCing and the voltages you are using, those temps are about right. But I would add a major CPU cooler or you may risk CPU damage. 63C is safe, but harder on the CPU. You should be able to drop that down with some improved cooling. If you are getting stable operation, it's well worth adding a better cooler. Most AMDs can run up to 70C, depending on the model, with no problems, but I would not push it that far.

The reason I mention this is the X.264 benchmark. (I assume you are meaning Graysky's benchmark program.) It is only a short encode. If you do a one hour encode where your case temps rise, you may see a lot higher than 63C.

Definitely try Arctic Silver thermal compound or equivalent, not the 'pads' that come with many coolers. You also want good case fans that can move enough air through the case and a very stable power supply. The computer may not be too 'silent', but if you want to OC, that's not uncommon. But if you OC commonly, you should know all this.

For extreme OCing, think water cooling, of the CPU, the Northbridge/Southbridge chips, and the GPU chip on the video card.

[Heywould3]

EDIT::: Thx guys. FYI my north/southbridge are activly cooled as is my GPU i have a fan controll program and a temp monitoring pgm. GPU N/S bridge and case temps are all good. i dont like the idea of watercooling only because of the cost. im a cheep bastard when it comes to computer. im not the guy that will go spend 300 on a top GPU or 200 on a PSU i research and dig and wait untill i get what is needed. thats one reason i OC i basicly got a 8600 GTS for under 100bux all my benchmarks are ar par with that card anyway. FYI i got the 8600 for the hardware encoding of x264 etc. better than the 8800 line. most of my HD were free except for my WD 500 ext which i paid under 100 for. i got my memory for 60bux 1gig 2x 512 name brand T1 CL2 timings. i did just have to get a new PSW though and that cost me a bit more than i would have liked. around 100 after long research it was decided that i shouldnt scrimp on this.. good stable 12v is important. bit im doing pretty good IMO for a cheep ass.. under 400 for a computer that will play just about any game out and can play 1080p and will encode better than real time.

funny thing is i dont really game and rarely encode and ony sometimes watch video thats HD so i guess i do it to see if i can.

I have two laptops that i dont mess with. and my kids computer cost a bit more than mine and isnt have as powerfull lol.. it is a bit older though. ::EDIT



its a stock HSF byt rated at 2.6 i and for single core.. i guess going to dual core needs more than i thought.. ive always overclocked and always used the stock HSF in this case i got a OEM (50bux) CPU not boxed so i used one of my old AMD HSF rated as i said for 2.6 works great at idle lol... ill go find a better HSF and some better thermal crap.

I was really just commenting on the range though. a 31 degree range in temp ive never seen that. i cant believe it can cool to 32 if its not enough . and i checked thats with out cool and quiet or cpu throttleing being active. when its throttled to 70% i get in the 20s

[budz]

you can get free shipping from svc.com if you wanna order some ARTIC SILVER thermal paste. I use the ARTIC CERAMIQUE thermal paste.

http://www.svc.com/as5-3g.html

http://www.svc.com/chidethcobya.html

[redwudz]

I run a AMD dual core 5600+ OCed to 3Ghz on one of my computers. It also runs about 32C at idle and about 42C when running Graysky's benchmark. But when I tried a real encode of a full Xvid video, I saw temps up around 48C. Still reasonable considering I am running a 'quiet' system, but even that is a 16C gain. Not uncommon. And I run stock voltages with just the FSB and multiplier changes. The difference was the case temps were higher. I run fans that don't change a lot of case air, so that likely was the cause.

Since the temps are reasonable, I don't plan any changes.

If your MB has a 4 pin CPU fan connector, make sure you use a four pin CPU cooler. Not all of the AMD coolers have that. It makes a big difference if you are running 'Cool and Quiet', as that cooler is a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controlled fan and you need to enable that in BIOS. Otherwise it doesn't track the temps properly and adjust the fan speeds. PWM is quite a bit different than a controller that just changes the fan voltage to adjust RPM.

But for what you are doing, the stock CPU cooler is not enough. Unfortunately, I don't know of any high performance CPU coolers that use PWM control for the fan speed, but there may be some out there. Without that, Cool and Quiet doesn't work as well.

[Heywould3]

im gonna look for a good cooler tomorrow.. i dont want to spend 50 or 60 bux on a cooler because this is an older 939 board. i think ive toped this baby out.. i might got to 3.0ghz on the chip if i have to get a biger HSF though.. seems as people are getting there on air. well have to see i guess.

[budz]

If you want a cheap cpu cooler get a Cooler Master RR-CCH-L9U1-GP Hyper TX 2 CPU Cooler. I have one but haven't installed it yet. There's a mail in rebate and the hsf would then be free. Many online retaliers have this hsf on sale.

http://www.svc.com/rr-cch-l9u1-gp.html

COMPUSA has the ZALMAN 9500 on sale tomorrow with a $20.00 instant savings which comes out to $49.99.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=335987&pfp=oct28

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=341717&pfp=oct28

[Heywould3]

well it looks like im gonna have to spend the 50 bux.. oh well.. i guess il be able to get another good year out of this thing.. then maybe pass it on to kid. she onl plays the sims 2 and age of empires 3 which both work fine on her ole semperon with ati9600 should last her for years when im done

[Webster]

idle its 32c no problem there. but if i run the x264 benchmark on this page. by the time i get to the last pass its running at a whopping 63c

Did you noticed the FSB and clock speed of the CPU when it is idle vs when it was running the x264 benchmark?
Some AMD will run in Cool'n'Quiet mode (lower clock speed/lower FSB) when idle thus gives you a much lower temperature when idle.

[Cobra]

What are you using to measure the temperatures? CoreTemp should work on an Athlon64 and it will give you a reliable reading. Where most utilities read the CPU "zone temperature" and basically take a guess, CoreTemp reads the DTS (Digital Thermal Sensor) embedded into your CPU core. This will give you a reliable reading - and probably a higher reading.

63 deg C isn't too bad - my Core 2 Duo (2.4GHz --> 3.6GHz) can hit 80 deg C per core if left under heavy load for hours. CoreTemp will probably report "Tjunction" - this is the temperature at which your CPU will throttle itself back to prevent overheating.

As for bringing down temperatures: redwudz has suggested Arctic Silver 5 - this is good compound, but remember that less is more (to an extent) so don't make the layer too thick. If you want air cooling, invest in a good HSF (heatsink/fan). Perhaps water cooling would suit your needs better, though? All-in-one kits come pre-assembled so they're very little trouble, and a good kit will cool your CPU quite effectively.

You could also consider lapping the HSF (using sandpaper to smooth the base to a shine) and even lap your CPU IHS (integrated heatspreader) if it has one (and if you're not too worried if you ruin the CPU by accident).

[redwudz]

Lapping the copper heatsink base is a good option to keep the thermal compound as thin as possible and maximize the heat transfer and cooler efficiency. I bought some 1500 grit wet or dry sandpaper and it works great for this. If you can find ~3000 grit, use that next. Use plenty of water with just a bit of dish soap added to lower the surface tension of the water, and rinse the paper often. Use a small piece of plate glass for a flat surface. You would be surprised how much many heatsink bases are warped.

Buy about 3 sheets. And get one sheet of very fine paper, sometimes called crocus cloth or polishing paper, for the final polish. You don't have to get it 'mirror' smooth, but it should be as smooth as when you started.

With aluminum heatsink surfaces, you might have to use a coarser paper to start, maybe 600 grit. They warp easily, and not really recommended for a good heat transfer anyway.

Then apply a thin layer of a good thermal compound. Arctic Silver or Ceramic is good. About the thickness of a magazine page. Use a plastic card like the demo credit cards you get in the mail to spread it out. Make sure the coating is thin and even.

You may lower the temps 2 - 4 C by doing this. Well worth the effort.

You can also lap the CPU heatspreader surface, but that's not for the 'faint of heart' and will void your warranty.

[Cobra]

...although I lapped mine, and if I can do it...

CPU heatspreaders (certainly Core 2 Duo ones) are actually copper underneath a thin layer of nickel. Lapping your CPU exposes this copper, polishes out all the big gaps and scratches and flattens your CPU surface - all these things help heat transfer. If you're serious about getting your temperatures as low as posible and don't mind risking your CPU and completely voiding your warranty, you could do it.

[Heywould3]

thanks guys. i have no problem doing the lapping other than im lazy. seriously. i dont feel the need. to lower my temps by 3 -4 c im just not picky. some out there will go to the extreme to get every last degree cooler out of their CPU. for me as long as im below 60c at load i dont care.

since posting this i havent added the AS or a new HSF. i use biostars software to monitor MOBO temps fan and voltages. the temps are in the 40s 99% of the time and i will upgrade before i do any hard encoding or gaming.

[Cobra]

Download CoreTemp. You might be shocked to learn the real temperature of your CPU core(s).