Help, my P4 reaches 67C

[yurkjes]

I have a P4 3.06 with (I think) the stock HSF ordered from m-wave. I found out one day that after compiling some large programs for around 15 minutes that my computer just died. Upon reboot I checked the BIOS and to my amazement my CPU temp was 67C This of course had been happening for the past 2 months but I did not think temperature was a factor because the stock HSF's should keep the P4 cool ...

From what I've gathered this is a completely insane temp. I'm thinking that the HSF is either not stock or is in not too good of contact with the CPU. Regardless, I'd like your opinion on my situtation and on whether I should buy a Thermaltake Spark 7+, Zalman CNPS7000A-AlCu, or something from Pal? Sadly i'm somewhat budget constrained and probably wouldn't want to spend anything over $40.
Something that would keep me under 60C during heavy load would suffice ...

Thanks

 

[boyRacer]

Anything by Thermalright.

But your heatsink is only as good as the airflow in your case and how it is applied... maybe you should see what you could do with that before plunking down money for a new heatsink.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: boyRacer
Anything by Thermalright.

But your heatsink is only as good as the airflow in your case and how it is applied... maybe you should see what you could do with that before plunking down money for a new heatsink.

^ yeah!

 

[yurkjes]

So thermaltake it is but which product? This is my first time buying one of these things. I have the choice of Spark 7 or the Dragon Orb. There's really no good info on the Processor rating for the orb on thermaltake's site and I haven't seen any recent reviews of the spark 7 anywhere although there are some way back when the P4 2.6 came out. I'm hesitant to get it if it won't be able to handle 3+Ghz even though it says it's good for 3.2+ ...

I can nab a Spark 7 for $25 from newegg. Good deal and will it work?

As for my case air flow, it's a small case which I wanted and therefore only has 1 exhaust fan. Has room for an intack fan but it's obstructed by the front panel so I don't think that will help too much. The HSF is the only thing I can do really.

 

[mechBgon]

No no no! Thermalright, not Thermaltake :Q SLK-800U with an adjustable-RPM YS Tech 80mm adjustable fan is one good, versatile combo.

Also, what exact case do you have? It's not going to be good if your system is shutting down due to lack of ventilation, no matter how cute it is.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
No no no! Thermalright, not Thermaltake :Q SLK-800U with an adjustable-RPM YS Tech 80mm adjustable fan is one good, versatile combo.

Also, what exact case do you have? It's not going to be good if your system is shutting down due to lack of ventilation, no matter how cute it is.

lol... yes big difference between the two. You can find the SLK-800U like mechBgon suggested for around $30+, one of the top coolers out there. But don't expect miracles if your hs is only circulating hot air that's stuck inside. Good luck.

 

[yurkjes]

doh! ok thermalright but their products are a bit expensive . I have a Ahanix Audi XP case. The shutdown only happened once, but random processes routinely die under high load.

Whoa the slk-800U is huge and heavy (~600g). Any idea whether it's gona sit nicely with a Gigabyte SinXP1394 mobo and play nicely with the P4 clips that are only rated up to 450g? I'd still be interested in something that seems a bit less 'overkill'

 

[bjc112]

Agreed, ThermalRIGHT SLK-800/900 is your best bet..

However, the Vantec AeroFLow in my opinion is a very viable option... It runs my 1700+@2.4ghz around 47-49C loaded.



3 case fans also..

Runs for about $22... Nice if you can't squeeze the SLK-800/900

 

[0roo0roo]

better cooler in a lousy case is only going to help a little. you can only do so much when being fed hot air.

buy a nice antec/chieftec case. steel ones go for about 50, aluminum for 20 more. oodles of airflow.

 

[RalfHutter]

Another factor is the motherboard you're using. Abit 865/875's have funky temp sensors that report 10-15°C higher than other boards.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: RalfHutter
Another factor is the motherboard you're using. Abit 865/875's have funky temp sensors that report 10-15°C higher than other boards.

I can't speak for all Abit boards but if this were true my cpu would be running a nice cool 24-29c or 75-84f which I doubt.

 

[WarCon]

I really like my Zalman CNPS7000 Alcu..........

 

[SpeedFreak03]

I don't trust mobo temp sensors as far as I can throw them. I have a ThermalTake (yes i know lol) Hardcano II which gives temp readouts. The sensor is placed on the underside of the CPU. I did a little test, with a real celcius thermometer, and the hardcano was only 1 degree higher then the thermometer. Thats close enough for me!

 

[User1001]

frankly get some new thermal grease and reseat the HSF. It probably wasn't mounted properly.