Core i7-920 - zalman 9900 = 46C idle...is that normal?

[mitchelt]

I have an Antec P183 Case with an i7-920, Zalman 9900 and a Sapphire HD4890 no overclocking the idle temp according to PC Probe II is:

CPU = 45C - 46C
MB = 47C

The case fans are set at low and there is plenty of space around the case.

I am not a super experienced PC builder and wanted to see if this was normal.

The only thing I did not follow the instructions on was pointing the Zalman to the rear of the case and instead pointed it up...I thought it would make most sense seeing that the case has a fan right above it blowing out and heat rises.

I also installed an extra 120mm fan blowing air in across the hard drives.

I look forward to hearing your comments so I can hopefully sleep well at night.

Thanks,

Mitch

 

[Tullphan]

That sounds a little high, but I don't know what your ambient temps are.
I'm running an overclocked i7 920 in a LL V1000B (which is notorious for not-so-great airflow) & a Noctua NH-U12P & i'm getting about the same temps as you. My room ambient is ~30-32c.

 

[mitchelt]

Originally posted by: Tullphan
That sounds a little high, but I don't know what your ambient temps are.

The ambient temperature is 24.33C

 

[Tullphan]

Then that definitely seems a tad high to me.

 

[mitchelt]

Originally posted by: Tullphan
Then that definitely seems a tad high to me.

Any recommendations?

I removed the heatsink and noticed it had way too much thermal paste (I owe that to the guy that helped me build the PC...I thought it was a crazy amount) so I carefully cleaned it up with alcohol and put a thin layer on the heatsink and reinstalled everthing and the temps are pretty much the same.

 

[zagood]

Try leaving the side of your case open. If your temps drop dramatically, you should clean up your wiring, and probably...

1. Increase case fan speed or
2. Get more case fans

If that doesn't help, are you plugging your heatsink fan directly into the motherboard? If so, check your BIOS settings for fan control. You may need to adjust the min. temp.

 

[Rubycon]

Idle temps are useless...

Load it up hard with LinX. If it stays below 80C there are no worries...

Zalman is a boutique product where looks are a higher priority than performance IMO. It will cool better than stock and look a whole lot better but don't expect near TRUE or Megahalem performance particularly if overclocking.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Idle temps are useless...

This thing has been discussed over and over and over again on these forums and not only here and yet every once in a while ( daily ) a thread about idle intel temps is born. Why do people not use the search option before posting the same thing, it's beyond me.

 

[bloodugly]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Idle temps are useless...

Load it up hard with LinX. If it stays below 80C there are no worries...

Zalman is a boutique product where looks are a higher priority than performance IMO. It will cool better than stock and look a whole lot better but don't expect near TRUE or Megahalem performance particularly if overclocking.

Or the performance of a ThermoLab Baram with a good fan, don't forget about them 😉

 

[mitchelt]

I cleaned of the CPU and Heatsink and reapplied the thermal paste because the guy who helped build the PC applied way too much. And yes...the heatsink is plugged into the MB.

Using RealTemp at 99.2% Load I got:

65C - 63C - 63C - 62C

At idle according to RealTemp I am at:

39C - 35C - 38C - 36C

I think this looks much better, do you agree?

Thanks!

Mitch

 

[mitchelt]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Idle temps are useless...

This thing has been discussed over and over and over again on these forums and not only here and yet every once in a while ( daily ) a thread about idle intel temps is born. Why do people not use the search option before posting the same thing, it's beyond me.

error8...you are correct, but sometimes searching brings back so many posts that it's very hard to just jump in and read all of them and get the specific help someone is looking for.

Perhaps you could write up a tutorial/reference guide on the subject and see if they will make it a sticky topic? I think something like this from a seasoned person would greatly benefit those of us learning.

 

[Red Irish]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Idle temps are useless...

This thing has been discussed over and over and over again on these forums and not only here and yet every once in a while ( daily ) a thread about idle intel temps is born. Why do people not use the search option before posting the same thing, it's beyond me.

Why you would bother to take the time to criticise when it would have taken you as long to provide some useful input is beyond me.

 

[mitchelt]

Originally posted by: Red Irish

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Idle temps are useless...

This thing has been discussed over and over and over again on these forums and not only here and yet every once in a while ( daily ) a thread about idle intel temps is born. Why do people not use the search option before posting the same thing, it's beyond me.

Why you would bother to take the time to criticise when it would have taken you as long to provide some useful input is beyond me.

Because there POST COUNT goes up by one?

 

[Red Irish]

Originally posted by: mitchelt

Originally posted by: Red Irish

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Idle temps are useless...

This thing has been discussed over and over and over again on these forums and not only here and yet every once in a while ( daily ) a thread about idle intel temps is born. Why do people not use the search option before posting the same thing, it's beyond me.

Why you would bother to take the time to criticise when it would have taken you as long to provide some useful input is beyond me.

Because there POST COUNT goes up by one?

What was said is correct, but there are ways of saying things.