Cooling issues - Scythe Samurai

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Anyone running one of these? I'm a bit concerned with the temps. I recently slapped one on a X6 1055t to replace the incredibly loud AMD stock heatsink; my temps seem a bit high, especially at load (Core Temp reported 52c while playing Serious Sam HD! ). My case is a slightly older Thermaltake Xaser III with four 80mm intake fans (two on the side, two in the front). The fan at the top is blowing out; I've tried disabling the two rear fans near the heatsink (yes, this case has a sh*tload of small fans).

The CPU is overclocked to 3.2 with Turbo enabled (3.78). I used the paste that was included with the unit.

Do downdraft heatsinks in general require a ton of good airflow coming into the case to be effective? Could my Corsair 650TX be a hinderance?

And one more question - what is the best program for monitoring temps for AMD CPU's? AMD Overdrive? Not sure if I really trust Core Temp.

Thanks

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Anyone?

 

[CurseTheSky]

52C isn't that bad. For a hexcore with a medicore heatsink (in comparison to say, a Megahalem), as long as you're not getting into the 80's and 90's, I wouldn't worry too much.

The biggest factor is probably your case. Unless those 80mms are screaming to the point of sounding like a lawn mower, they're probably not moving much air. I don't see how your power supply would be any factor at all, unless you have really bad cable clutter that's blocking air flow.

For temperature monitoring, I'd stick with Core Temp. Getting the reading from BIOS can also give you a second opinion of your idle temps (but keep in mind, Windows has background processes running at all times, so the idle temperature in Windows will naturally be a bit higher).

 

[modestninja]

Best way to find out if your case is causing the temps to be higher than they should is to run it without the side panel with a house fan blowing in and then see if the temps are significantly lower. If so, then the lack of airflow in your case an issue, although like Cursethesky said, 52C isn't bad all things considered.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

The idle temp in the BIOS is always higher (at least 10c) than what Core Temp reports. I get worried when I see 52c, since I read somewhere that the max temp for the Thubans is 62c. I wonder if the Core Temp reading is off by ~10c? :\

Yes, the fans aren't running at max; cable clutter isn't too bad. I didn't have a heat issue with my QX6700 + a Freezer 7 Pro; I wonder if a Freezer 64 Pro would be a better option?

@modestninja - I'll give that a shot..tks guys.