Quad core heat issues, please help if you can

Hi, I recently built a computer. Specs are below. Anyways, there are a lot of topics about how the q6600 B3 Stepping 7 processor is giving off unusually high temps.

I re-seated the stock heatsink, as I dont think it was pushed in all the way. Not even sure if it is now, but if I push any harder, I feel like I will snap the mobo... is this right? Should it be that hard to snap in? Also, I have been trying to find avg. idle/load temps of the cpu and each core, and have not been able to pinpoint what it should be. But I know mine are too high for idle/load... Any pointers would be great.

Also, I scraped off the thermal paste thing that came with the stock heatsink and I applied a nice even layer on the CPU then pushed the HS down firmly, so I am not sure if the paste is a problem or not...

Another thing, a poster here said he wasnt sure if the fan should be blowing away from, or onto the cpu heatsink... I plugged the fan in the only way the plug would accept, and it blows away from the HS... is this correct?

Here are my temps while typing this, no other processes running. CPU Utilization, 2%.

(BIOS was around 40C and didnt go further after letting it sit for a few mins)

Speedfan (I know these are probably off, heard a lot about the temps being wrong)

All 4 fans going 1000-1800 RPM

Temp1 - 40C
Temp2 - 36C
Core0 - 41C
Core1 - 41C
Core2 - 41C
Core3 - 41C

And in CoreTemp .96 at 2.4Ghz and 1.3v

Tj. Max - 100C
Core0 - 60C C0 State
Core1 - 54C C0 State
Core2 - 54C C0 State
Core3 - 57C C0 State


Also, whats Tj Max and C0 State mean? \

 

I believe those temps are about right for a B3 processor. 60C load is about right, and 40C seems about right as well.

I bieleve the fan should be blowing into the CPU HS... Or at least thats what my stock HSF did on my other pc.

Sometimes it seems the air is coming out of a high speed fan when you put your hand over it, but it is actully sucking in air. That's the case with my PSU's fan. Try holding a small piece of paper (hold it so it doesnt slip out of your hand) in front of the CPU HSF. If the paper stays streight, then the fan is sucking air in. If it flaps back towards you, then the air is blowing out.

You may want to purchase a third party HSF.

 

I think I might, and I will try the piece of paper trick. Those temps are not load, they are idle, no CPU use at all...

 

Ok, well the CPU shouldn't go over 60C on load. I believe speedfan is quite reliable in determining temperature, I think coretemp was the one that was rumored to have calculation problems.

 

I thought it was the other way around? people are saying that speedfan shows 15 degrees C lower than actual temp... but you could be right... BIOS was around 40s then desktop comes up and im nearing 60? that cant be right, unless I messed up the thermal paste and heatsink, which I re-seated about 5 times now, pressing harder than the last, and re-applying a new layer of paste everytime...

anyone else with a B3 quad core having heating issues? I am thinking of trying Arctic Silver 5 just to see if I can get some results. 60C on idle is frustrating, Im afraid to do anything CPU intensive... and that is what I built this computer for! 3d rendering... I ran Cinebench R10 and it was running all 4 CPUs at 100% for about 5 mins, but I didnt check the temps then... but didnt have any issues...

 

Well well... MOBO came with a program on CD to show BIOS hardware diagnostics in Windows... called EasyTune Center

It was matched almost exact to the Speedfan calculations, so I guess that CoreTemp was off!

Idle is around 40C now, and did a test render in Cinebench which used all 4 CPUs at 100% and the temps went up to around 55C then back down once the render was done. This is much better than what I THOUGHT it was doing... Guess its hard to trust some programs, but I trust the one my Mobo came with...

 

Coretemp gives far higher temperatures than most programs because it actually reads the internal temperature, rather than the approximate external temperature. On that basis, the temps you've got are fine. Anything below 70 in coretemp and below 50 in speedfan is fine.

 

Well, I know that coretemp reads the core temps, but it shows other temps, and none matched the chip temp from the other programs... I am guessing that my updated BIOS is not wrong when reading the chip temps... I just want to be sure that its not overheating ;-)

Just a question... dont CoreTemp, the new Speedfan, and my bios program all read from the same sensors? So why would it give different temps (not for the cores, Im talking System temp and such)

and after about 2 mins of using all 4 cores 100%, my temp rises to almost 60C, does that sound about right?

And which way should the PCU HS fan blow... onto the HS, or away? I plugged it in the only way it would fit, so I am guessing that it is the correct way... but some people say it should be blowing into the HS... shouldnt it be blowing away to suck the hot air out of the case?

 

As for the temps, different programs might have different or wrong interpretations of the data sent, although usually when this is the case they're obviously wrong (-255 or something stupid)
With regard to the CPU fan, it depends what sort of heatsink it is. The usual method with normal heatsinks (where the fan is the same way up as the motherboard) the fan sucks air down through the fins of the heatsink towards the motherboard. If it's a heatsink that exhausts air sideways ('along' the motherboard) then you want it blowing towards the exit fan in the case, so usually the rear.

 

Also, what are the avg idle/load temps of the cores on a B3...

Im idling around 53-58C in CoreTemp (1% cpu usage) and on the toolbar it shows the first core in Red, as though it is too hot? The others are right behind it in Blue/Teal (mid 50s)

so what are the averages, and what are the max temps I should be worried about?

 

That is a bit on the warm side, Coretemp sees my cores as 36 at idle and 47 at load (before the heatsink warms up, anyway)

 

Well, for the temps, they are not obviously wrong, they are 15-20C apart... so one is wrong, but I am not sure which ;-(

The BIOS program and Speedfan are very similar in temps when running loads, and the fan RPMs are only off by a few RPMs so I am guessing that these 2 programs are reading the data correctly when running at the same time

My HS is a stock one, Im going to replace it soon, but it has a fan on top of the HS away from the board, so I am going to see which way it is pushing air... I used a good silicon paste (but it was kinda old) so I am guessing that the paste is ok... I might re-seat it with some Arctic Silver that came with a fan attachment for a video card... and then I will see if I get some better results...

 

The best test you can do is to run a stress-intensive test like Orthos and leave it running for 10 mins or so. Then look at the values CoreTemp gives. As long as they're more than a few degrees below the TJunction figure, you're fine.

 

So have coretemp up on screen while orthos is in background? Guess I will try it when I get home... is that a free program?

 

Yeah. Orthos and CoreTemp are both free.

 

right now, idling, speedfan says

Core 1 36C
Core 2 36C
Core 3 36C
Core 4 36C

and CoreTemp says

Core 1 55C
Core 2 48C
Core 3 48C
Core 5 51C

and EasyTune Center (reading from BIOS in Windows) says

my cpu temp is 37C (which matches speedfan)
system temp 41C (which matches Speedfan)



So they both show core temps, but one is higher... Im still clueless as to what is right or isnt

 

I ran speedfan and coretemp, and my speedfan temps are around 12C lower than coretemp. Personally I'd trust coretemp.

 

Well when I went into my BIOS, and set the CPU to 4Ghz, it idled around 100F 38C exactly. I went into windows and just let the system sit for about 15 minutes while I ate lunch, came back up and the temp read 95F 35C in speedfan.

I also read around a few other forums, and other people have this problem too with coretemp.

How about trying motherboard monitor 5? (MBM5) I used that for my old system, and for my new one as well, although not as often. The temps in that match Speedfan's temps as well.

 

I have heard of MBM5... but no matter how many programs I use, I dont know which is correct. I have re-seated the HS about 5 times already, and re-applied 3 different thermal pastes, now currently using Arctic Silver...

Speedfan is showing all 4 cores about 35C idle, while CoreTemp is showing

1-55
2-47
3-47
4-50

1% cpu usage


I am going to bring my mobo to work with me tomorrow and make sure the damn HS and Fan are going through the mobo correctly. I have heard of people having this problem.

My airflow is fine, 80mm intake in front, nothing blocking, wires neatly tucked into 5.25 lower bays, not blocking intake.

120mm outtake above CPU, 80mm side outtake, CPU fan blowing down into HS at 2100RPM


I just cant imagine that my BIOS, Program that reads BIOS PC Health, AND SpeedFan are all reading wrong, and CoreTemp is the only correct reading...

but I am taking that chance, as I do not want to fry my brand new cpu... Im just at a loss as to what to do next.

 

1% CPU USAGE, IDLING ABOUT 1 HR, HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING CPU INTENSIVE

So... whats the verdict... did I do something wrong in setting up?
From what I have read, Q6600's (NO O/C) are not supposed to run this hot... I will more than likely get another HS, and possibly even lap the CPU and HS... but I didnt want to have to do that just to get reasonable temps... Should I try TAT? What exactly does it do? I am yet to try Prime95, I just dont wanna fry somethin...

Or maybe CoreTemp is off? But everyone insists that Speedfan is wrong...