Safe CPU temp for a P4???

[mrmiagi]

Hello all,

I just built meself a system with a P4 1.80A and a Soyo p4s Dragon Ultra mobo. I was wondering what some safe running temperatures are. Right now (according to SmarGuardian) my Chassis is running idle at about 31 degrees C, and my CPU is running idle at 51 degrees C. That CPU temps is a little high isn't it? And, if it is, what might be the problem? Maybe I messed up some of the heatsink thermal tape when installing?

Thanks

[Paleo Pete]

I just finished my setup with a p4 1.8 and GeForce 3, but all of a sudden my FPS sucks on QUake 3. Even worse than with my PIII 933 and GF 3. Whats the deal? ANyone....

Please keep it in one topic rather than creating another one concerning the same machine. We can usually handle two questions at once, and sometimes they might be related...

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[rond36]

My P4 2.0A runs at around 44C idle using the thermal grease that came with the board. Are you using the stock heat sink fan on your P4.

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[rond36]

Have you installed the motherboard drivers from the Soyo CD and the video drivers for your card?

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How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp)
Microsoft Expert Zone Multi-booting made easy (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/september10.asp)
MSKB How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q306559)

[mrmiagi]

1.) yes, i'm using the stock heatsink and fan that came with the P4. I wonder if maybe I should undo it and use some thermal silicon compound instead of that tape they have on it. I take it that you removed that black thermal tape from your heatsink and used Soyo's compound....
BTW, because my processor is running a bit hot (i think at 51 C) does that mean its prolly operating slower?

2.) Yes i've installed the Soyo mobo drivers except for the sound drivers and the raid drivers (because I'm not using either). I've also installed the latest Detonator drivers for my GF3. I may have found the problem about the fps on quake 3. When I started up SOF2 mp test it said something about a program running in the background that can cause a loss of fps in the game. I found out that the program it was referring to was ITE SmartGuardian. I haven't tested out q3 yet w/o that prog running though, so we'll have to see if thats it.

[mrmiagi]

K,

I totally fixed the FPS prob on Q3, it was that temp monitor thing. But still, you think its running a bit hot? Debating wether or not to redo the heatsink setting.

[BigBlue66]

Not sure how hot a P4 1.80a should run, but my P4 1.7 runs full load at 36C.

Yours is too hot, no question about it. Re-do the heatsink installation. If you used the TIM (Thermal Interface Material) (tape or pad) that came with the heatsink, it won't be any good when you remove the heatsink. Using an old credit card or similar item, scrape off the old TIM. Then use some isopropyl alcohol to clean up any remaining residue. Be patient, the stuff doesn't come off very well. If you can find Goof Off, use that instead of the alcohol, but do use the alcohol as a final cleaning.

Then use some Arctic Silver II or III. Or, you can use the generic TIM compound (paste) that came with your heatsink. It will work, but not as well as AS. Use a thin layer, about the thickness of a sheet of paper. Don't wiggle the heatsink around once you set it down on the processor.

Post back if further questions.

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This message has not been edited by BigBlue66.

[This message has been edited by BigBlue66 (edited 05-05-2002).]

[rond36]

How do you find your FPS in Quake 3?

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How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp)
Microsoft Expert Zone Multi-booting made easy (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/september10.asp)
MSKB How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q306559)

[mrmiagi]

Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna try it with the Silver compound. Will that thermal tape come off on the heatsink for the CPU? Oh, and it's kinda hard to keep the heatsink from moving because the clips above are not even really attatched to it.

Anyway, rond, to see your fps in Q3 type "cg_drawfps 1" in the console. And if you want to up the max (from 90) I think you type in "com_maxfps xxx"

[mrmiagi]

Re-did everything and used the Silver compound. That stuff is a major pain to use http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif. Anyway, same story...CPU temp stays at about 50 degrees C. Could anyone recommend a program to really put my CPU under a workload that I could observe a large temp increase (see how hot it gets)? Also, the CPU temp is instantly 50 C when I turn the comp on. Is that normal, or should I see a gradual rise (over a couple minutes) in temp up to 50 C?

BTW: I set automatic shutdown for 65 C in the BIOS. Is this safe enough??

Many Thanks!

[BigBlue66]

Yes, your BIOS shutdown setting is safe enough.

Have you checked your temp reading in BIOS against the SmartGuardian monitoring software? Are they the same or within a couple of degrees?

No, you should not see 50C right away. The processor's heat should rise gradually.

At this point, I would suggest that if the BIOS temp reading is the same or close to SmartGuardian's temp reading, then it's time for a new heatsink/fan combination or you could even try a faster fan first.

If you want to go with a different heatsink/fan combination, you could try the new Thermalright AX-478 made for the Pentium processor. It's an 80mm heatsink so you could use one of the high-output fans that are a lot less noisy than a 60mm fan. You didn't say what your stock heatsink/fan is, but I assume it's 60mm. Make sure the 80mm AX-478 will fit on your motherboard before you buy it.

For 80mm fans, I suggest the 47cfm Panaflo or the 53cfm Mechatronics fan. The Mechatronics fan comes with a 3 to 4-pin adapter with a separate 3-pin lead for rpm monitoring. You can find it at www.plycon.com (http://www.plycon.com)

Good luck.

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[hiredgoonz]

How hot is the room the computer is in? That can have a big effect, also, the temp. sensors don't always read correctly...if it's working fine, then don't worry about it too much, the P4 will slow down to prevent damage to itself.

A good program to stress the cpu is prime95...the sandra burn-in-wizard works well too...

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[mrmiagi]

Yeah I notice that the temps don't correspond between the BIOS and the win application. SmartGuardian says its 50-51 while the BIOS says its 44-45 degrees C. But still, I get those temps instantly on startup. I don't think its the room though, the temp is about 21 C. The case temp ain't too bad at 27 C.

I'm not gonna sweat it anymore because I think that just the way it is. As Dolph Lundgren says in Rocky IV, if he dies....he dies http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif.