I have a MSI KT3 Ultra, an Athlon XP 1900+ (1.6GHz), an Alpha PAL8045, AS3, and a Silencer 80mm fan. According to the BIOS, the CPU core temp is 96C (204F) and the CPU outside temp is 53C (127F). The 53C does not seem to be much cause for concern... the 96C seems to be a large cause for concern.
I've been noticing some long-term stability issues, but can't quite correlate them to CPU temp. Under load, the temps go up 2-3C. But if I leave the system on for a long period of time, even at the lower temp, I'll sometimes have the system hard lock and flash caps lock + scroll lock on my keyboard. The BIOS CPU overheat protection is set to the lowest setting, which is like 50C if memory serves. Why that doesn't kick in immediately I don't quite understand, since the normal power-on temp seems to be more than that.
I hope I'm not asking a whole bunch of FAQs here (a quick scan of the threads on this forum tell me that this kind of issue comes up often), but which of these temperatures -- the 96C or the 53C -- should I be thinking about, is this motherboard's measurement trustworthy in the first place, are they out of whack, and is there anything I should look at to cool things down more? I think an obvious thing to examine would be to get a better fan, but I am not at all fond of having a jet engine noise beside my desk (I have the fan I have specifically because I want it to be quieter, and expected to trade some cooling efficiency for the privilege).
Thanks, all.
I've been noticing some long-term stability issues, but can't quite correlate them to CPU temp. Under load, the temps go up 2-3C. But if I leave the system on for a long period of time, even at the lower temp, I'll sometimes have the system hard lock and flash caps lock + scroll lock on my keyboard. The BIOS CPU overheat protection is set to the lowest setting, which is like 50C if memory serves. Why that doesn't kick in immediately I don't quite understand, since the normal power-on temp seems to be more than that.
I hope I'm not asking a whole bunch of FAQs here (a quick scan of the threads on this forum tell me that this kind of issue comes up often), but which of these temperatures -- the 96C or the 53C -- should I be thinking about, is this motherboard's measurement trustworthy in the first place, are they out of whack, and is there anything I should look at to cool things down more? I think an obvious thing to examine would be to get a better fan, but I am not at all fond of having a jet engine noise beside my desk (I have the fan I have specifically because I want it to be quieter, and expected to trade some cooling efficiency for the privilege).
Thanks, all.
