New System Cooling Help

rickshobbies

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Jun 7, 2004
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I just put together a P4 3.2 640 (775) system with a 6800 GT in an Antec Sonata with a TreuPower 550 PS. It's an Intel 915 mobo and after installing the hardware monitor, it is reporting the following temps under load (playing games):

CPU: as high as 60
MB zones: as high as 50

How are these temps? I notice that the MB increases and decreses the speed of the CPU fan while playing games.

The Intel site states that I should set the CPU temp threshhold to 75 degrees (C) and the system as high as 60, but 50 is suggested. Obviously, I am triggering the alerts if I set it to 50.

Any feedback would be great! Oh, and the stock Antec 120mm fan is connected to the Antec PS fan-only molex. Connecting it directly to a regular molex produces a wind tunnel and doesn't seem to affect temps.

The Sonata case is in stock trim.

Rick
 

wisdomtooth

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Dec 21, 2004
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Things you can do which may improve those temps:

1) Use a radial-fin heatsink like the Zalman 7000 or 7700. It allows air to be blown in all directions (360 degrees) around the CPU, and may lower the temps in the various MB zones.

2) The Antec TruePower PSUs have dinky 80mm fans, runs kind of hot, and does not vent very well. Get a 120mm-fan PSU like the Seasonic Super Tornado 400, and you will effectively have TWO 120mm fans exhausting hot air from the CPU area.

HTH.
 

wisdomtooth

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Dec 21, 2004
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Your temps are par for the course for a Prescott, which are hot-running CPUS that are very difficult to cool quietly. Though it's not unheard-of to have Prescotts cooled down to 40's on idle.

HTH.
 

rickshobbies

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Jun 7, 2004
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Room temperate is 74F. My 6800 Ultra states it's ambient temp is 44C at idle. Does that tell you enough?
 

rickshobbies

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Jun 7, 2004
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I was thinking of replacing the Antec stock 120mm case fan with another one that I can connect up to the mobo instead of the fan-only connector on the PS. That way, the mobo can control the fan speeds. It doesn't look like the Antec PS is really ever increasing the fan speed by much.

Does that sound like a good first step?
 

wisdomtooth

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Dec 21, 2004
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You don't have to use the fan-only connector. Plug it into a regular 4-pin Molex and it will speed up. There goes your quietness though.. :p
 
Nov 11, 2004
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My colleages and I were the discussing the possibilities of a high end overclocked Pentium 4 (Pentium D when they come out) attached to a series of heatpipes which lead to a hotplate made of copper attached to the top of the case to cook. (Think KD people.)

I don't see anything wrong with those temps as it is coming from an Intel system, I'd personally suggest you leap onto the water cooling bandwagon.
 

rickshobbies

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Jun 7, 2004
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Just did a stress test with HL2 and the CPU reached 66C.

Yes, I tried connecting the fan to the standard molex and it moves a lot more air, but as you said, way too noisy...
 

NightTrain

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Apr 1, 2001
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I have a 2.8 that hits 60C during heavy gaming but Abit motherboards read notoriously high. If your fan is cycling alot during gaming, you might want to adjust the threshold in your bios. 66C sounds pretty high and you should have internal case temps closer to ambient...I'm assuming one of your readings corresponds to that. You might try taking the side off and see if you can get your sys temp closer to ambient. If so, you need better ventilation.
 

Mrvile

Lifer
Oct 16, 2004
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Well I guess the first thing you'd do is get an aftermarket HSF, anything you get would probably lower your temps, but get either a Zalman 7000/7700 or Thermalright XP-90/120 to keep for a while.

Antec sonata's are designed to be quiet, not necesarily cool. If your temps aren't dangerously hot, I wouldn't be too concerned. 50 is pretty low for a Prescott, which tend to run very hot, so don't be afraid of 60~ degree temps. Your GPU temps are fine.

You don't need a new PSU, the TruePower 550 is a pretty nice PSU and is expensive, no point in replacing it just for a bigger fan. If you absolutely must, get a more powerful case fan for exhaust, but of course, you would be sacrificing silence.

I think all you need is a 7700AlCu if you motherboard can fit it, otherwise 7000, and your temps should go down at least 5 degrees.
 

wisdomtooth

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Dec 21, 2004
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Originally posted by: Mrvile
You don't need a new PSU, the TruePower 550 is a pretty nice PSU and is expensive, no point in replacing it just for a bigger fan. If you absolutely must, get a more powerful case fan for exhaust, but of course, you would be sacrificing silence.

He DOES have a more powerful fan (plugged that stock 120mm case fan into the regular 4-pin molex). As I predicted, it was too loud for him. :D

The only recourse IS to change the PSU to a better-venting unit in that situation, if the OP does not want to mod the case. As good as that Antec is for holding steady current and voltages, it is NOT a well-vented nor a particularly cool-running unit.

Otherwise, whip out the power drill and 3" hole saw, cut a top blowhole and put in another quiet 80mm exhaust fan.

Though if the OP is also looking for quiet, he should be trying to ELIMINATE fans, not add them. What better way than switching to a PSU with just one well-ventilated fan, rather than keep a stock unit with TWO fans then adding ANOTHER for a blowhole?

Frankly, I like a solution that gives me everything in one package (quiet, well-vented) like the Seasonic 120mm-fan PSUs, which makes more sense from a cooling and quieting perspective.