I'm STILL confused about temps

[Tim]

Here's the screen snapshot, be sure to note the different temps from the different programs. Which temps do I trust? I can use 3 different programs and get 3 different temp readings. ARG!

http://timdaigle.org/Documents/overclock.jpg

 

[MadScientist]

Wanna be confused some more. Try Core Temp and HWMonitor, compare temps to Real Temp and report back.

 

[Tim]

I have used both. I was told that for my e8400 neither of the two are accurate....... so, back to my question, which temps should I trust? Maybe all of them averaged? lol

 

[ShockwaveVT]

Different programs use different values for "Tjunction" aka "Tj Max". The temp reported by your CPU is a delta, or difference from its internally hardcoded Tj Max temp. Programs like Real Temp, Core Temp, Speed Fan, etc, subtract that delta value from their programmed value for Tj Max to get their core temperatures. Since the programmed value for Tj Max can vary from program to program, you'll see core temperatures varying from program to program. The real key is the delta value reported by the CPU, it should be the same no matter which program you're using. Core Temp can be set to display this value, not sure about the other programs you've used. The bigger the delta value, the cooler your chip is running. I'm not really up to speed on the 45nm chips and how to assess their temps but I've heard that a delta value of 40C or more is cool enough.

http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/howitworks.html

Another thing you may want to look into is calibrating your temp readings. Speedfan allows you to add offsets to the reported values to allow for calibration.
BTW there's more info in the CPU and Overclocking forum on these subjects.