Heat Buildup Problem or False Alarm ?

[Seeker47]

A year or two ago, I read a recommendation in a computer hardware thread here on VH for the utility SpeedFan, and I've been using it ever since. As best I can tell, it's a pretty good utility. (It also includes some extras, like a SMART module that will test your HDDs, then call up an online comparative report, based on data for the same make and model.) I've taken to creating "snapshots" to document what it has to say about various rigs.

Attached below are a couple of these, possibly documenting an emerging problem on one box. These stats don't look so good to me . . . but I'm not sure that I believe them. The first is static, "resting state", with the computer not really doing anything, except maybe accessing some email. After seeing this, I went into the BIOS and bumped UP a couple fan settings a couple of notches. This made far less of a favorable difference in the respective heat sensor reports than I was hoping for, and made the computer objectionably noisy from the fans, so I throttled one of the two (probably the System Fan) back to a Medium setting. The second snapshot is from during an HC video encode by AVStoDVD. [In case the 2nd. snap doesn't attach -- I'm not seeing it in the preview -- the Interior Temp report goes up to 108C. Also, this system was just idling overnight, and that temp when I checked it in the morning was 102C.]

Rather than post additional snapshots, I'll just quote similar ones from other (generally comparable) rigs from the same family of Shuttle cube desktop computers. One has an Intel vs. the others' AMD cpus, some dual-core, some quad-core, different video cards, two HDDs rather than one, etc. I know these could be significant variables, but maybe not so much . . . ? (Disregard any third HDD that may show up: that would be an e-SATA external, not always on, and not relevant.)

For one box it shows NO red warnings, temps from 36C to 48C (the latter temp is for an older Velociraptor HDD), Core @ 39C.

Another box also shows NO warnings in red, temps from 13C (! -- a 5600+ dual core X2 Athlon cpu), up to 47C.

But this last detail might be the most telling: the rig in question has two places -- along one side and at the rear -- where you can place your hand to feel how warm the air is exiting from the case. Despite those red warnings, at no time has that air felt warm to a worrisome degree. And this is pretty much irrespective of what the fan settings happened to be at the time. In contrast, I can recall feeling HOT air coming out of the older rig immediately above (the SN27P2, with the surprisingly cool temp cpu), during longer encodes with other multitasking stuff going on.

So, is this reading too much into what SpeedFan is reporting ?

[EDIT: Whoops -- I have no idea why this snap is showing 0C for the cpu, a Xeon X3230 2.66. That makes no sense, so something must be out-of-whack. My strong hunch is that one of the other sensors is actually recording / reporting the cpu temp. There is definitely a cpu temp reported for the other rigs' snapshots.]

[aedipuss]

that looks like it isn't working. one temp is showing as negative 53. i use cpuid hardware monitor.

[Seeker47]

that looks like it isn't working. one temp is showing as negative 53. i use cpuid hardware monitor.


[Attachment 14126 - Click to enlarge]

Yeah, I'd noticed that too, and couldn't really account for it either. I'll give the one you mentioned a try, and see what it reports.

[nic2k4]

Speedfan has a habit of showing weird things like that when it doesn't recognise a MB. You're supposed to configure it to your system i.e. disable the reading that don't correspond to actual sensors (just compare with the BIOS health status). This is due to the way it detects the sensor, just scroll the list in the white box. Many boards don't implement all the available sensors, so you end up with ridiculous things like -53 C or a -5V line at -2.99V (ATX PS don't have -5V lines). Also, the icons show a trend more than an actual warning; the thresholds can be adjusted.

If memory serves, you can send almico your configuration so they can add it to their database.

[Seeker47]

Speedfan has a habit of showing weird things like that when it doesn't recognise a MB. You're supposed to configure it to your system i.e. disable the reading that don't correspond to actual sensors (just compare with the BIOS health status). This is due to the way it detects the sensor, just scroll the list in the white box. Many boards don't implement all the available sensors, so you end up with ridiculous things like -53 C or a -5V line at -2.99V (ATX PS don't have -5V lines). Also, the icons show a trend more than an actual warning; the thresholds can be adjusted.

If memory serves, you can send almico your configuration so they can add it to their database.

Thanks -- I didn't realize that. These are all variations on Shuttle's proprietary mini-ATX (mini-ITX ??) small-form-factor systems. Even within this "P2" model family of theirs, I see quite a few differences in what the particular sensors are showing. Your comment explains a lot. I'll try to tailor the setups accordingly.

Attached below is the 64-bit Portable CPUID snapshot for this same box. (Temp shown for the other HDD is 36C.) This seems to be more in line with what I'm observing. I still think the rather empirical "hand at the exhaust ports" test ought to be worth a lot.

HWMonitor does not seem to offer the SMART diagnostics feature you get with the (free) SpeedFan; most likely they are saving that for their payware 'Pro' version ? I don't see any reason not to use both of these on a system.

[mammo1789]

Speed fan ( which I use from day one ) reads couple of sensors so and some as nic2k4 mentioned are not implemented on the MB and weird temps show, like negative values and such .

My advice to you is to use cfg file from someone else with the same configuration like yours which can be downloaded from the author site ( i think you have to register first and it is free ). Second thing is to turn off some temps and sensors ( usually ATK 100 or similar ones ) and use only available on the main board.
Third download real temp for cpu core temps