Proper Temperatures, Etc.

[Nick M]

Could anyone tell me what the normal operating temperatures are for, say, CPUs not overclocked, AMD, over 1.0 GHZ. And what is the normal temperature for an operating motherboard? Is any temperature too cold? And I know there is a too hot, just, could anyone tell me what that is. I might be confusing, so, summing up, what are the normal, and dangerous temp levels for cpus and motherboards?


Thanks a lot,
Nick

 

[Malius]

This was a question that haunted me for about a month (the timeframe after I built my new machine).

If you look at the specs below, you will see that I'm running an AthlonXP 1800+.

Using the stock hsf, I was getting 67C idle and 73C at load!

After doing some research, I found that these temps, although well within tollerance for the processor (max 90C), were above average for the CPU.

So my next quest was to find a replacement hsf. Back to the research I was looking for something fairly cheap that would cool my system. This is possible because I will never OC my machine.

I went with a Thermaltake Volcano 6Cu. What you need to take into account is that you MUST remove the stock thermal coating on the bottom of the hsf and use an after market thermal compound. I went with artic silver.

Now, my temps are 55C idle and 59C at load!

Short story long, from what i've seen (on many diff. forums) this is a standard temp for the 1800+ (given ambient temps and current ventalation).

I hope this helps in your quest for knowledge.

 

[Nick M]

hsf? I so have no idea about cooling anything. Whats thermal paste? Maybe thats what hsf is. Also, if you were to remove the stock uh...thermal coating...how? Could anyone possibly give me a small explation on the whole cooling thing? I mean, I know what heatsink is, and that ( well...maybe ) the more fans the better. Thats about it.

 

[Malius]

Ok, here's a quick and dirty explaination of what I posted earlier:

First of all hsf = heatsink and fan, the actual piece of hardware that cools your processor.

Second of all, thermal compound is a material that mates your processor to the actual heatsink. This material allows for a greater heat transfer from your processor to your heatsink.

On the matter of removing the old thermal pad or coating, you need something like aceton, rubbing alcohol, or wd-40. What you do here is look at the botton of the new heatsink and make sure that it has a thermal pad or some type of material in the center. This is easily distinguished by anything that is not copper (FYI, Cooper coolers are the best). Use the cleaning solution to remove all traces of the thermal pad or material.

After removing the stock heatsink, you need to carefully clean off all the old material from the processor. Take your time and make sure that the top of the processor is devoid of all materials.

Once this is done, you can check out the instructions on www.articsilver.com which explain how to apply thermal compounds to your new heatsink and processor.

I hope this has cleared up any questions you may have, if not, post again and i'll try to answer.

 

[mbunny]

catch... stop scaring people... 55 is a perfectly okay temp to run your comp.

AMD Certified Cooler most probably means the aluminium hunk that was provided with the retail package... that just don't cut the mustard....

It does the job... its quiet... but it ain't going to give you sub 50 temps...

mid 50's are still good temps... start considering a new hsf when u see it reach low 60's...

ambient temp for your case should be prefereably as close to room temp as you can get it (or lower =)
room temp = 19 degrees (i think....)

the motherboard temp catch is talking about is the temperature of the little chip that you see on your motherboard that may either have a small heatsink or a small fan sitting on top of it. That thing runs warm and its okay... sub 35's generally a nice idea but it can do high 30's...

 

[Nick M]

Malius, thanks for the explanation,. mbunny and catch, I think you are suggesting that i ditch my current hsf, and get a better one; correct?

 

[Nick M]

um...here is a link to the heatsink i have

http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highendsystem/cpufan_spec.htm

 

[Malius]

No problem Nick, on the question of whether or not to get a new hsf, it all depends on your current temp (which i don't think i saw).

If you don't plan on overclocking and are not worried about noise (6 case fans, there's a lot of noise) look into the hsf i mentioned above. It runs about $15 - $20 and provides everything you could possible require (except Artic Silver).

FYI - the Artic Silver website has detailed pictures and installation guide that will clear up any questions you may have.

 

[Nick M]

Thanks a lot everyone, I think thats all the information I need, you people helped a lot. I'm going to go with the Volcano Series, the 6cu, the 7, or the 9. All sound pretty good to me. Now is just a matter of picking one out. Thanks again.

 

[mbunny]

To help you decide... go read a few reviews on the net... Remember that Copper is better than Aluminium...

If the entire hs is copper then you'll have a decent heat transfer.

Larger fans COULD mean a quieter experience but you also need to look at the cfm rating of them.

If your temperatures are under 55 degrees then don't worry... if its over 55 its up to you if you are worried about it enough that you wanna go change the heatsink.

WARNING: BE ULTRA CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THE RETAIL HEATSINK!!!

Those things are clamped on so freakin' badly... I crushed 1 core while removing one of these cause it was such a ***** to get off... I ended up breaking the clamp.

If you can, go purchase a copper shim to help ensure you don't end up having a crushed core next time round.