Question about temperatures and stability
 

Hi all,
I've been having lots of terouble trying to find accurate CPU temperatures for my Q6600 g0

Latest beta of speedfan reports all sorts of strange numbers from -50C up to about 100C
Coretemp refuses to run on Vista 64

I also have Asus PC Probe II software, which I have heard is unreliable. However, that shows idle temps as about 50C, rising up past 80C under load. It simply says "CPU temp" and not specifically if that is core temperatures or not.

Either way, my question is - my computer is totally prime stable at 3.0Ghz, but Asus PC probe shows the temps going over 90C. Is this possible?

If the temp was actually 90C, surely the machine would be crashing or failing the test? I have run Prime (multicore version) on small FFTs, maximum heat generation, for >8hrs with NO problems.

Should I just ignore the temps and go by stability instead?

Anybody?

Go by temps, which may not be reliable?

Or go by stability, and assume that if it is stable, it is ok?

TJunction on the Q6600 is 100c, so it may not crash or become unstable, but it's dangerously close to crashing, and burning up your processor. What does ASUS probe read for the idle temp? That may help to decide if probe is anywhere close to accurate. Also, you may want to try the free version of everest.

Asus Probe II puts idle as around 50C. That seems way too hot for me. The heaksink is barely warm to the touch.

Like I said, it says "CPU" - not specifying if it is Tjunction or core temperature

i can recommend you a program since all are they inaccurate a lot...take a classic thermometer or a laser one to check the reall temps..you are on stock cooling? and if a couple ofprograms tells you 90 then it maybe is 90

Did you try Everest?

These chips are pretty good at performing under high stress, so I wouldn't count on stability without knowing temps.

Are you confident the installation of your heatsink is all good? That is quite high, both the idle and load temps. What's your CPU voltage, load and idle?

IMO, PC Probe is the most reliable way of checking temps. My CPU idle is 18*C, and that's what BIOS tells me, and PC Probe, but speedfan says 40*C WTF?

My cooling is:
Thermaltake Blue Orb II on the CPU - fitting looks okay, but I guess I could always refit it

I also have 4 case fans:
120mm at the front (air in)
120mm side (air in)
120mm at the back (air out)
80mm at the top (air out)

My 8800gts also has an exhaust fan on it to push hot air out of the back

My room temperature is probably around 22C.

CPU voltage = 1.34v

Maybe a laser thermometer is a good idea. Where do I measure though? The heatsink is barely warm to the touch.

One other thing which makes me doubt the Probe temperature is that under load the temp rises VERY quickly. It goes from ~40 to ~80 in almost a second.

But when I end the load, it drops back to ~40 in only a few seconds.

Does that seem right? To me it would seem like the CPU should take more than 1-2 seconds to cool down from 80C to 40C

take the side panel off your case and touch the base of the heatsink. If it is indeed 50c (122F) it will be rather warm to the touch but not burn you. If it gets up to 80c (176F) or 100c (212F) you will get burned.

From what I have read the blue orb isn't a very good cooler for the quads. Check the temps and report back to us.

Right, I've had a go. It's quite hard to get at the bottom of the heatsink because it is very wide and the awkward orb shape means I have to curl my finger underneath it. Plus the heatsinks and heatpipes on the Striker Extreme get in the way.

I managed to reach quite far down on the heatsink, although not right to the very bottom. Basically, it is *barely* warm to the touch. It is much cooler than the headspreader n my RAM, and it is cooler than the cooling system on my 8800gts. The fins of the heatsink are not warm at all.

I've been running Prime95 100% on all 4 cores for about 10 minutes. Asus Probe II sayd CPU = 73C.

Core temp 0.95.4 seems to be the best gauge for G0 temps,other versions/progs report the temps as 15c too low.

Right, I have downloaded Everest and tried that:

Under load - after 10 mins with Prime95 100% on all 4 cores:
CPU = 64C
Core 1 = 72C
Core 2 = 73C
Core 3 = 79C
Core 4 = 81C

Does it look like maybe the heatsink isn't fitted right? Why is there such a difference between the 4 core temps?

make sure that the blue orb is mounted properly

It doesn't move or twist, so it seems firmly attached enough.

Should I order some AS5, unscrew it, clean it and remount it?

Does it use the push-pin mounts? If so, double check it. You may not have all 4 in all the way. It wouldn't hurt to try re-seating it anyway. Seems to me your temps are high.

Looks like 2 screws. I'll order some Arctic Silver and have a go