AMD FX6300 idle temperature is too high?

[Planet2010]

I need some help with my AMD FX 6300 CPU. By default the clock speed is 3.5ghz at six cores.

I have an MSI 970A-G46 motherboard. I think that I have installed the stock CPU fan / heatsink correctly because it is locked firmly into the socket. My CPU manual said that my heatsink / fan already has thermal paste preapplied. Problem is, I booted and I got into my UEFI BIOS which MSI calls click bios. The BIOS said that my motherboard's temperature is 28° C and my CPU's temperature is 31° C.

But the temperature of the CPU kept rising and is hovering in the 46-48° C zone. I am concerned about that. So I underclocked the CPU to 2 GHz and the idle temperature now is 39° C. I installed Windows but I am scared that when I try to play low power games or use my computer my CPU may heat up too much. The room in which my computer is in is at room temperature and I don't think my UEFI BIOS tells me the temperature of the inside of my case. I don't have a probe but I do know that I have three 120mm case fans. My CPU fan is plugged in and spins. Can someone give me advice?

 

[ElFenix]

What are you using to watch the temps

 

[Planet2010]

What are you using to watch the temps

My motherboard's UEFI BIOS called Click BIOS made by MSI.

 

[Idontcare]

Just for a sanity check, try coretemp and confirm the idle temps in Windows.

It does seem high but everyone tells me you can't use the idle temperature readings from these 32nm AMD CPUs, they say the diode is only accurate at high temperatures.

My FX-8350 idles at "8C" (a good 10C below ambient)...of course its not really at 8C but that just shows how much error can be present in the reading at idle.

 

[KingFatty]

Also try touching the heatsink, does it wobble or feel loose? Does it stay cool (because it isn't sucking the heat from the CPU)?

 

[PG]

You may not have the heatsink on correctly.
I bought an FX-4100 not long after they came out and I had some trouble with the heatsink at first. I could not get the clip to even go on. I could get the back side on, but the front would not reach down far enough. This was something I had never had a problem with before and it really threw me for a few minutes. After I took the heatsink off completely and fooled around with the lever I noticed that instead of the typical AMD heatsink lever that goes from left to right to lock in place, this new heatsink lever had to start on the right and then go to the left to lock it in place. Why did they change? Who knows. I think it was incredibly stupid.

Anyway, I do not have a FX-6300, and I know it has a different heatsink than the 4100, but it may be similar in that the clip goes right to left to lock it in place. If you are used to the old AMD heatsinks and leave the lever to the right, well, that would not be locked completely and I could see it running hot.
Just check again and make sure the lever is locked.

Note the manual and instructions typically show old heatsinks and may not match what you really have. My manual for the 4100 showed old heatsinks where the lever went left to right. It was flat out wrong and misleading.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

While in the BIOS your CPU is running full speed, and you can't rely on that for idle temps. Install Windows and then install a temperature monitoring program (eg, HWMonitor) and check your temps.

 

[Markfw]

speedfan shows my stock 6100 at 29c idle, and 57 full load (OCCT). Stock HS, NO OC