Help needed setting the right cooling for a AMD FX-8370

[straim]

Hi,

this is my first thread in the forums and it is a call for assistance in what I believe is an error in the positive presssure of airflow, or fan configuration that i'm making on my current rig. So this is what I have:

- FX 8370 OC @4.56Ghz (233X19.5) - 1.32 Vcore with Ultra high LLC.
- Antec Kuhler 620 with two 120mm Rosewill Hyperborea PWM fans in push (from bottom) /pull configuration
- Arctic Silver 5 correctly applied two times just to check if I was making anything wrong (yes Installed the cpu, applied the paste, and sat the Antec, after tests, remove the Antec block, check the thermal paste application, clean it, it was Ok but it needs to re-apply for maximum security, and applied again).
- three 120mm fans pushing air into the C70 Case (two in the front and one in the back of the case).
- one 120mm fan pulling hot air from the case (top fan next to the rosewill pair and radiator).

So what is the issue? I can't set more than 1.35 Volts on the Vcore without hit 65 Celsuis in prime64 tests! I have seen a lot of threads and ppl with coolers like 212 Evo or even TX3 ones seems to get better with their thermals so I'm stuck in 1.34 Vcore which means I can't OC my FX-8370 to a decent 4.8 Ghz.

So the pics I attach are the following:
- one screenshot with the system at idle.
- one screenshot with the system at full load running prime torture test (blend test).
- four images from mi rig today as I write this thread.

Keep in mind that you will see Vcore values like 0.8 and clock values @ 1600 Mhz. I turned the Cool and Quiet Features about a week ago after, why I did that? After a week trying and turning the fans and get dissapointed with this 1.34 Vcore barrier I decided to, If I have zero stability issues, why not save some kw? thought I can't oc higher anyway...

So please help me to find out why this barrier!

 

[cheesy999]

A mistake I'd suggest you're making is thinking that a 120mm rad is better than a lot of 120mm tower coolers out there

 

[IINexusII]

A mistake I'd suggest you're making is thinking that a 120mm rad is better than a lot of 120mm tower coolers out there

+1, youre going to need a better cooler

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

I also agree. I have a a h100i and run at 4.4 and never see above 45c and I run my rig under full 24/7/365. It rarely ever gets a break and runs idle.

 

[cheesy999]

While they are the popular suggestion in a lot of communities right now and while watercooling is very good for small form factor/ build tidiness/ showing off, they're dramatically behind air coolers on the cooling/$ and in similar setups, cooling/db

 

[straim]

So, do youy guys suggests that I need an AIO replacement for my cpu?

 

[cheesy999]

So, do youy guys suggests that I need an AIO replacement for my cpu?

If space isn't a constraint it's difficult to better this without making significantly more noise http://noctua.at/en/nh-d15.html

 

[Caring1]

I'd suggest a fan directed at the board, particularly the VRM section.
Keep that cool and it should be good to go.

 

[straim]

I'd suggest a fan directed at the board, particularly the VRM section.
Keep that cool and it should be good to go.

I set the the upper left fan (see the second image) to push air insde the case and the top left fan to pull hot air from the VRM and CPU remainings, I was able to lower the VRM thermals about 5 Celsius with the adjustment, but It didn't help in the CPU temps.

 

[cdawall]

Why are you worried about breaking 65c in prime? It's an unrealistic test as long as it's not hitting 80c keep clocking until it's unstable. Drop the clock down at that point or raise the vcore more.

 

[straim]

Why are you worried about breaking 65c in prime? It's an unrealistic test as long as it's not hitting 80c keep clocking until it's unstable. Drop the clock down at that point or raise the vcore more.

I'm worried because although it is an unrealistic scenario prime shows the worst case scenario allowed by the current build. However if you say 80c you immediately rise my question, am I setting the max temp limits too low? Can I go as far as 75_80c without damage my fx?

 

[cdawall]

I'm worried because although it is an unrealistic scenario prime shows the worst case scenario allowed by the current build. However if you say 80c you immediately rise my question, am I setting the max temp limits too low? Can I go as far as 75_80c without damage my fx?

There is no scenario when the CPU will heat up like that. If it's stable its fine, stop worrying about temps.

 

[alucasa]

I'm worried because although it is an unrealistic scenario prime shows the worst case scenario allowed by the current build. However if you say 80c you immediately rise my question, am I setting the max temp limits too low? Can I go as far as 75_80c without damage my fx?

Listen to cdawall. 80c ain't gonna even damage a cpu. Even 100c doesn't damage it. You are worrying over a non-issue.

 

[straim]

I'm going to take your advise and try to not worry about the temps, currently I'm not hitting 70c so it seems I have room to OC a little more, I just wanna reach 4.8ghz anyway. I want toy ask you, how can I test the stability if I'm not gonna use prime or aod?

 

[peche]

some thing i've noticed on the previous pictures from OP:
All fans are pushing fresh air inside... just the one on the AIO is working o push pull.... so higly recomended to setup properly fans, what does this means?
Case: Corsair C70 Green

thats the recomended airflow setup, instead the one you have,
i do own an 120mm AIO that keeps chilled and i7 3770, and also another rig with the same watercooler and an 4790K Oc'd to 5.0GHZ...


also your temps are pretty decent for your processor ...

 

[straim]

I have avoided the bottom left intake fan since I build this rig because it looks horrible, however I can try and set it and switch my top left intake fan to an exhaust, in that case the airflow will be set exactly as the image, after that I will run some prime tests to see if it changes the thermals. I still have one question left, If prime and aod are not the right tools to test the stability, how can I test it?

 

[eidairaman1]

I use Unigen for Stability testing now.

 

[straim]

I use Unigen for Stability testing now.

Do you mean Unigine? But they don't stress the CPU at any point in their tests... And i'm not sure if 3dmark is enough to guarantee the CPU stability

 

[Bones]

Listen to cdawall. 80c ain't gonna even damage a cpu. Even 100c doesn't damage it. You are worrying over a non-issue.

Uh-Uh, This isn't smart advice to say temps aren't an issue to be concerned about.
CPUs have defined thermal ratings for a reason.
Read the specs for your chip at CPU World under "FX-Series", this info is found around the middle of the CPU model's page taken from AMD's specs on the chip.
http://www.cpu-world.com/

Doesn't matter if it won't outright kill the chip it's not good for it and promotes degredation. FX chips will operate at higher temps but to take things to the limit isn't suggested at all, if you can do something to reduce temps from where they are now I'd do it.
Stability starts going out the window with many FX chips at or above 62C while others may tolerate more heat. Even temps around 55C can contribute to problems with stability at times depending on the chip in question.

Yes, 100C WILL damage it if steps aren't taken to reduce temps when you see this - The damage may not be apparent at first but it won't take very long for it's effects to begin showing - Even temps at 80C aren't good for it for too long.
Just because it can go that high period does not mean you should let it, while it may survive for a bit with these temps it certainly isn't good for the chip itself.

To say temps are a non-issue is bad advice and also contributes to misinformation on the subject.
Read the specs for the chip and try to get things within spec or as close as you can get it.

EDIT: A good aircooler if you have to run air would be the Scythe Grand Cross, it's a larger cooler with plenty of cooling capacity. Finding one isn't too hard, in fact many of the Scythe coolers do just fine with others such as the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO being a cheap yet good unit to run. Note that both coolers named are fairly large so space within an enclosure should also be considered before makiing a choice here.
Personally I'd go with the Scythe between the two if possible but in reality you'll do best running water for cooling it. A rad that's at least a three fan unit/triple rad would be what I'd suggest for the 8370, kits that use this rad would be what to look for, ones with 4 fans/quad units would do better - Only problem would be in just getting one.

 

[straim]

Uh-Uh, This isn't smart advice to say temps aren't an issue to be concerned about.
CPUs have defined thermal ratings for a reason.
Read the specs for your chip at CPU World under "FX-Series", this info is found around the middle of the CPU model's page taken from AMD's specs on the chip.
http://www.cpu-world.com/

I've cheked the specs and it says 61.1 Celsuis, Is it accurate? moreover I have seen several forums who claim that 65C is the information officially given by AMD. I understand what you are trying to say regarding the temps however I'm not sure what is the correct max temp for this CPU thought. I will change the Airflow as @peche suggested an test without increase the Vcore, if the temps drops I will try to get my 4.8 Ghz.

 

[cdawall]

Uh-Uh, This isn't smart advice to say temps aren't an issue to be concerned about.
CPUs have defined thermal ratings for a reason.
Read the specs for your chip at CPU World under "FX-Series", this info is found around the middle of the CPU model's page taken from AMD's specs on the chip.
http://www.cpu-world.com/

Doesn't matter if it won't outright kill the chip it's not good for it and promotes degredation. FX chips will operate at higher temps but to take things to the limit isn't suggested at all, if you can do something to reduce temps from where they are now I'd do it.
Stability starts going out the window with many FX chips at or above 62C while others may tolerate more heat. Even temps around 55C can contribute to problems with stability at times depending on the chip in question.

Yes, 100C WILL damage it if steps aren't taken to reduce temps when you see this - The damage may not be apparent at first but it won't take very long for it's effects to begin showing - Even temps at 80C aren't good for it for too long.
Just because it can go that high period does not mean you should let it, while it may survive for a bit with these temps it certainly isn't good for the chip itself.

To say temps are a non-issue is bad advice and also contributes to misinformation on the subject.
Read the specs for the chip and try to get things within spec or as close as you can get it.

EDIT: A good aircooler if you have to run air would be the Scythe Grand Cross, it's a larger cooler with plenty of cooling capacity. Finding one isn't too hard, in fact many of the Scythe coolers do just fine with others such as the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO being a cheap yet good unit to run. Note that both coolers named are fairly large so space within an enclosure should also be considered before makiing a choice here.
Personally I'd go with the Scythe between the two if possible but in reality you'll do best running water for cooling it. A rad that's at least a three fan unit/triple rad would be what I'd suggest for the 8370, kits that use this rad would be what to look for, ones with 4 fans/quad units would do better - Only problem would be in just getting one.

Who says those temps will cause issues? You? Certainly you are not an expert or you would know that AMD's temp sensors are garbage and report incorrectly anyway. If he uses any program other than overdrive to determine temps it is incorrect and if he does use overdrive all it lists is Tjunction to Tmax. Which is not 62C.

 

[peche]

dude, correct your fan setup, also if you want take a look on the rad, clean it if necessary, and also make some tests... i use HWinfo and sometimes use a light stress test such 3dmark ... also most of my tests are gaming, i do test most of my OC's gaming its the most stable option to check everything you need, as so many others said... 80c is nothing ... start worrying when the processor hits 100C...

 

[chuck216]

Adding to what others have said... a AiO with a 240 x120 Radiator will do you a lot better.

Also about CPU v-core and temps... You would have been better off Overclocking through the multiplier instead of the Buss, things run a lot smoother that way.

 

[peche]

a AiO with a 240 x120 Radiator will do you a lot better.

he already have an 120mm aio ... which is pretty useful and could handle the temps... so don't advice to replace...

 

[straim]

What about of oc with only the multiplier instead of clock+ multiplier, should I start by setting the default 200 mhz clock?