Before I get to the problem, here is the summary of my machine:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (@ 2.40GHz --default)
Intel D975XBX motherboard (D975XBX Pagehttp://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d975xbx/index.htm) Revision 305 (Core 2 Duo compatible)
Thermaltake Silent 775 CL-P0092 HSF (Manufacturer's pagehttp://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/cooler/retail/cl-p0092/cl-p0092.asp)
Antec P180B Mid Tower ATX Case (3x 120mm case fans)
Enermax Liberty EL500AWT (500W) PSU (ATX12V Ver 2.2 compliant, Active PFC, Dual Core compatible)
2x 1GB OCZ DDR2 PC2-5400 Gold GX XTC (667MHz DDR2, set at CL-5-5-5-15 (OCZ claims it's capable of 4-4-4-12), heatspreaders)
eVGA GeForce 7900GT KO (PCI-E, 256MB DDR3)
1x 160GB SATA HDD (works fine, no problem at all here)
1x Linkskey 3.5" bay memory card reader
Windows XP Pro SP2
Now, the motherboard's BIOS has been updated to the most recent one (BIOS Update 1334 [BX97510J.86A] Date: 7/14/2006)
The Thermaltake HSF was mounted properly, with the backplate on the back of the motherboard, ricegrain size blob of Arctic Silver 5, and the Thermaltake screwed on tight so it doesn't move at all, but not too tight (which, I understand, can also cause problems).
The three 120mm fans in the case are running fine, moving lots of air. The case itself is well ventilated enough, it has lots of vents front and back for air to come in. The Enermax PSU was mounted properly and all the proper motherboard power connectors are securely connected.
So, now to the problem:
The BIOS claims the CPU temperature is 80 degrees Centigrade, which, is of course ridiculous, it should have fried at 75, no? Intel Desktop Utilities lists the Processor Zone Temperature at 59-62 degrees Centigrade right now (idle). Better, but still too hot. The BIOS Case meters report 40 degrees and 35 degrees. The Intel Desktop Utilities lists them at 38 and 35. Toasty, huh? But...
The voltages according to Intel Desktop Utilities are as follows:
+12V: 12.063 V
+5 V: 5.104 V
+3 V: 3.283 V
CPU Core: 1.188 V
CPU I/O: 1.484 V
Now, as someone else on these boards has already found out, this program thinks the CPU Core voltage should be +2.05V, which is clearly wrong, because Intel states (Link to Intel) that the core voltage should be 0.850V-1.3525V, and thus, the core voltage is perfectly fine here. It is worrying though, to see that it specifies the maximum reliable operational temperature as 60.1°C.
I also tried the Intel Desktop Control Center appilcation, which you can use to "tune" your computer in various respects (memory timing, voltage, cpu voltage, fan speeds, etc. etc.) Still set at the defaults, I ran a stress test that the application includes and in no time at all, the CPU temperature rocketed to 75 degrees Centigrade according to Intel Desktop Utilities. Nothing died or fried however, and the air in the case, right around the Thermaltake HSF was perfectly cool (You can tell if it were even 50 degrees, try it with tea in a mug sometime. There is no way, I think,that the CPU could be that hot.)
Anyway, taking the final step, I touched the heatpipes, and they were not even lukewarm, which is strange, because if the CPU core temperature were 75 degrees, even 60, the heatpipes would be not much cooler than that (since the HSF base and the heatpipes are copper).
So, either the HSF doesn't draw away heat very well at all, as it doesn't get hot or anything beyond slightly warm (the 7900GT's back gets a lot warmer than the heatpipes or anything else that close to the CPU) or the temperature sensors are lying to me.
The case temperature sensors (Motherboard Zone 1 & 2), which according to both the BIOS H/W monitor and the Intel Desktop Utilities measure 34 degrees Centigrade and above for each zone, lie for sure, because the air in the room is 24 degrees, and the temperatures I measured in the case with a thermometer close to the CPU didn't go above 25 degrees. And these were the same areas where the motherboard zone 1 adn 2 sensors are! Sure, my technique may be poor and the thermometer might be no good (it did measure ice water at 0 degrees though), but I suspect something may be wrong with the motherboard's temperature sensors.
What's your take? Badly mounted HSF and/or insufficient cooling, or a few bad temperature sensors on the D975XBX?
I appreciate any feedback and comments.
Cheers,
D
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (@ 2.40GHz --default)
Intel D975XBX motherboard (D975XBX Pagehttp://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d975xbx/index.htm) Revision 305 (Core 2 Duo compatible)
Thermaltake Silent 775 CL-P0092 HSF (Manufacturer's pagehttp://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/cooler/retail/cl-p0092/cl-p0092.asp)
Antec P180B Mid Tower ATX Case (3x 120mm case fans)
Enermax Liberty EL500AWT (500W) PSU (ATX12V Ver 2.2 compliant, Active PFC, Dual Core compatible)
2x 1GB OCZ DDR2 PC2-5400 Gold GX XTC (667MHz DDR2, set at CL-5-5-5-15 (OCZ claims it's capable of 4-4-4-12), heatspreaders)
eVGA GeForce 7900GT KO (PCI-E, 256MB DDR3)
1x 160GB SATA HDD (works fine, no problem at all here)
1x Linkskey 3.5" bay memory card reader
Windows XP Pro SP2
Now, the motherboard's BIOS has been updated to the most recent one (BIOS Update 1334 [BX97510J.86A] Date: 7/14/2006)
The Thermaltake HSF was mounted properly, with the backplate on the back of the motherboard, ricegrain size blob of Arctic Silver 5, and the Thermaltake screwed on tight so it doesn't move at all, but not too tight (which, I understand, can also cause problems).
The three 120mm fans in the case are running fine, moving lots of air. The case itself is well ventilated enough, it has lots of vents front and back for air to come in. The Enermax PSU was mounted properly and all the proper motherboard power connectors are securely connected.
So, now to the problem:
The BIOS claims the CPU temperature is 80 degrees Centigrade, which, is of course ridiculous, it should have fried at 75, no? Intel Desktop Utilities lists the Processor Zone Temperature at 59-62 degrees Centigrade right now (idle). Better, but still too hot. The BIOS Case meters report 40 degrees and 35 degrees. The Intel Desktop Utilities lists them at 38 and 35. Toasty, huh? But...
The voltages according to Intel Desktop Utilities are as follows:
+12V: 12.063 V
+5 V: 5.104 V
+3 V: 3.283 V
CPU Core: 1.188 V
CPU I/O: 1.484 V
Now, as someone else on these boards has already found out, this program thinks the CPU Core voltage should be +2.05V, which is clearly wrong, because Intel states (Link to Intel) that the core voltage should be 0.850V-1.3525V, and thus, the core voltage is perfectly fine here. It is worrying though, to see that it specifies the maximum reliable operational temperature as 60.1°C.
I also tried the Intel Desktop Control Center appilcation, which you can use to "tune" your computer in various respects (memory timing, voltage, cpu voltage, fan speeds, etc. etc.) Still set at the defaults, I ran a stress test that the application includes and in no time at all, the CPU temperature rocketed to 75 degrees Centigrade according to Intel Desktop Utilities. Nothing died or fried however, and the air in the case, right around the Thermaltake HSF was perfectly cool (You can tell if it were even 50 degrees, try it with tea in a mug sometime. There is no way, I think,that the CPU could be that hot.)
Anyway, taking the final step, I touched the heatpipes, and they were not even lukewarm, which is strange, because if the CPU core temperature were 75 degrees, even 60, the heatpipes would be not much cooler than that (since the HSF base and the heatpipes are copper).
So, either the HSF doesn't draw away heat very well at all, as it doesn't get hot or anything beyond slightly warm (the 7900GT's back gets a lot warmer than the heatpipes or anything else that close to the CPU) or the temperature sensors are lying to me.
The case temperature sensors (Motherboard Zone 1 & 2), which according to both the BIOS H/W monitor and the Intel Desktop Utilities measure 34 degrees Centigrade and above for each zone, lie for sure, because the air in the room is 24 degrees, and the temperatures I measured in the case with a thermometer close to the CPU didn't go above 25 degrees. And these were the same areas where the motherboard zone 1 adn 2 sensors are! Sure, my technique may be poor and the thermometer might be no good (it did measure ice water at 0 degrees though), but I suspect something may be wrong with the motherboard's temperature sensors.
What's your take? Badly mounted HSF and/or insufficient cooling, or a few bad temperature sensors on the D975XBX?
I appreciate any feedback and comments.
Cheers,
D
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