Core 2 Duo High Temps

bluefoam

Junior Member
Jan 10, 2007
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Ive noticed a HUGE difference in temperature and not sure if the readings are off or if its really the HSF and case design...

This is the difference between 2 roughly comparable systems. Dell vs. self built.

Comparing my two rigs:

Dell Precision 390 box
E6600 stock 2.4 no oc (obvious being its from Dell and used at work)
Mobo - not sure: dell precision 390
Dell HSF
Not sure about the PSU
2GB (2X1 667mhz) ddr2
160gb sata (I think) seagate
LG DVDRW sata (I think)
ATI pcie v3400 fire gl 128mb (yeah its a cad box)

Idle @ 19-20C and load @ 35-37C (per TAT and Core Temp) - verified on 2 identical machines


Antec case (cant remember the model but roughly the same if not more openings than the dell)
E6600 stock 2.4 no oc
Asus p5ne-sli
ThermalTake LGA 775 silent
ThermalTake 600W PSU
2GB (2X1 800mhz) Corsair xms2 4.4.4.12
300gb sata seagate
Plextor sata DVDRW
EVGA pcie eGe-Force 7950 GT KO 512mb

Idle @ 39-40C and load @ 54-57C (per TAT and Core Temp)



I only currently run one chassis fan on the antec and I believe there are two on the dell but this reading from the dell is WAY lower than that of what I am finding even for liquid cooled systems... I havent really popped the case open on the dell and I assume the drives are sata but would not even make a real difference if ata, but theres a 20 degree difference here!!! I hear that the case and heat sink on the Dell is MASSIVE but 20c difference??!?!! Anybody else notice the difference from a Dell to a Self Built????
 

Elfear

Diamond Member
May 30, 2004
7,165
824
126
Probably just the sensors on the motherboards being different. There can be a huge disparity between motherboard sensors that could easily account for a 20C difference. Did you check the IHS of your homebuilt to see if it was flat or not? Also, what kind of thermal grease did you use and how much?
 

nanaki333

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2002
3,772
13
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from what i'm told, TAT gets the reading from the chip itself, not the motherboard sensor. my motherboard cpu reading is 35-37c at idle, TAT shows 41c

maybe you don't have your HSF seated properly. you may want to add another fan to that antec PC. is that only fan you have sucking air in or out? front or back? you should have at least one in front bringing in cooler air and 1 in the back blowing out.
 

bluefoam

Junior Member
Jan 10, 2007
22
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0
I use AS5 on the home box and I dont know what Dell uses but I would imagine its a sticky pad type. I try to use not too much and not too little as to not get it squeezed out and onto the pins by from mounting the heat sink. I cleaned the grease off with AS cleaner & primer, reapplied the AS5, reseated the hsf and its on their pretty good. The "ThermalTake 775 Silent" mounts to a plate below the mobo and its on their tight but not torqued. Unlike the intel that uses twist clips. Ive heard the intel clips pop out from time to time.

It seems my home temps match pretty much everyone else that has personally had their hands in the machine and installed fan/pipe coolers. I just checked core temp again on the Dell and Im running 20C right now with AutoCAD rendering, 3 Browsers open, Photoshop and about 4 other various apps... TAT gets to about 37C under 100% load on both cpus.

Right now I only have one fan on the home case. The box has an adjustable duct on the side door that almost lines right up with the cpu fan which should bring oustide air directly to the hsf while the chassis fan is on the back of the case. Perhaps I should install a fan between the exterior of the case and the duct to pull out where the cpu hsf is pulling air in... maybe this would create better airflow at the source...
 

bluefoam

Junior Member
Jan 10, 2007
22
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0
This is of course not being liquid cooled and trusting what I see from a Dell reading on Core Temp.



Hey Elf... whats your temps idle and load????? I see you run H2O cooling...
 

bluefoam

Junior Member
Jan 10, 2007
22
0
0
Either way... both should be DTS... and 20C is a HUGE difference, could a more demanding gpu be causing a drain on the cpu creating higher temps?

Home - GeForce 7950 GT KO 512mb Gddr3
Dell - ATI Fire GL 128mb ddr2

Also, the ambient temp at home is probably 5-10C cooler than where the dell is at work.

I wonder if the readings are off with the Dell but as I understand it, the chip is reading temps thru DTS not at the mobo like the old diode sensors....
 

nanaki333

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2002
3,772
13
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you should have that fan blowing air out so it sucks all the heat given off of that HSF instead of blowing it back on to the board ;)