P4/2.4GHz running at 51 degrees C idle... is this normal?!

[HyunYu]

I was always under the impression that P4 CPUs ran cooler than Athlon XPs--but that Athlon chips were designed for higher temperature anyway. Well, I've got a P4 2.4GHz PC at work that we bought from a local store. It is not overclocked. The HSF is from the retail processor box. The motherboard is Asus P4B533, and the case is an In-Win S508 with a 300W PowerMan PS. The case has a rear 80mm fan sucking air out, and no front fan.

At idle, the CPU temperature is running at 51 degrees C, and mobo at 36 degrees. The ambient temperature is about 26 degrees C. Does that sound abnormally high?

 

[P4spooky]

Yes it is quite high. Try re-seating the heatsink after properly preparing the surface (HS and Chip) with a good thermal compund like Artic Silver III.

 

[SigmaOrionis]

Hi, Hyun Yu

My P42.4b idles at around 45C. My MB temp is usually 30C. If possible I would install a front fan to draw oustide air into the case this should make a noticealbe difference. The way I look at it is the MB temp is an overall guage of what the ambient temp inside your case is, and 36C is kinda high.

I wouldnt bother reseating your Cpu heatsink until after you get a front fan and get the temp inside your case down. That to me is whats high.

You should probably run something like Prime95 for about an hour or so and see what your load temps are like.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

That sounds high, the motherboard may be adjusting fan speed based on temperatures for a quiet use, you may want to check the features and try disabling/enabling this.

 

[SigmaOrionis]

I forgot to mention also that many motherboards report the Cpu temp wrong anyways. Some too high some too low. If your computer is getting to hot it will let you know with lockups.

 

[HyunYu]

Thanks, guys--I'll try a front fan first and see if that makes a difference.