why are my Athlon XP temps so high?

[soulm4tter]

I have 2 Athlon XP 1.4GHz CPUs. I was very pleased with my first one. It runs fairly cool at 50C under load. This is while overclocked to 1558Mhz @1.85v. My new Athlon XP is currently running at 64C under full load. Its not overclocked and its running at default voltage. I'm getting these temps from MBM5 while running RC5. The BIOS suggests the same high temps and the heatsink is pretty hot to touch. I used the same amount of ASII on both cpus, but they are using different coolers. I just wanted sum input on what you guys thought. Heres the specs

Cool system
Abit KR7A-133
Athlon XP 1.4@1.55
Alpha 8045 w/ 80mm low voltage sunon
120mm low voltage intake and exhaust

Hot system
MSI K7T Turbo2
Athlon XP 1.4
SK-6 w/ 80mm low voltage sunon
case is off
room temp is 72F

does the SK-6 jus suck with the Athlon XP or do you think i did sumthing wrong? The SK-6 is perfectly clean. I don't have any 60mm fans around to try or any higher output 80mm fans.

 

[MistaTastyCakes]

Well, using 80mm fans on 60mm heatsinks usually do decrease cooling capabilities. And the fact that you're using a low output 80mm might add to that. Check to make sure the heatsink is making good contact and just keep in mind that every mobo reads temps differently. Having good airflow is usually more efficent at cooling than having an open case, from my experiences as well.

 

[Maggotry]

I use an 80mm lo-flow panaflo on my SK-6 and it cools better than the 60mm Sunon I had on there. 4 to 5 degrees better.

 

[jonmcc33]

Well, since they are different motherboards the temps might vary a little between the two.

Did you use Arctic Silver (II or III, take your pick) at all?

 

[soulm4tter]

ya i used ASII. I think imma just get another Alpha, they seem to werk very well with low CFM fans.

 

[EY2K]

try remounting your HS and re-applying AS2 (try not using as much this time). also be aware that copper accepts heat faster than aluminum but dissipates it more slowly and that your low-rpm fan may not be dissipating the heat quickly enuf i.e. try a stronger fan. also, copper heatsinks tend to get warmer than their aluminum counterparts due to the reason stated previously.

 

[Byte]

man, any higer and the comp will start rebooting itself!

 

[Mem]

<< does the SK-6 jus suck with the Athlon XP >>

nope it`s a very good heatsink.

I`ve to agree with the guys here it`s probably either the heatsink not seated right or maybe the fan,anyway you should be getting much lower temps then what you are getting at the moment,btw how`s stability at that 64c temp?

 

[dunkster]

When I first installed my 8045, I had all 4 bolts in before I noticed that I had moved the heatsink too far forward. There is a milled step in the face of these heatsinks that is designed to clear the raised plastic ridge at the front of the cpu socket. Moving the heatsink just a bit too far forward will result in a cocked heatsink, making contact at only one side of the cpu cap.

My guess is that your SK6 is similarly improperly mounted.

Properly mounted, I've never seen cpu-loaded temp over 41C at 148MHz FSB.

Hope this helps!

 

[MCS]

You are comparing the temp readings of two different motherboard sensors, we all know by now you can't do this reliably. Try swapping the chips around and measure the temps...

 

[flexy]

if this temp is right (??????) it would be WAY to much of course.

Consider everything over 50C as "suspicious". I have my XP1800 overclocked (!) with an 8045 and 2900rpm sunon, and under load i get 48C, idle around 40C.

Did you go to www.arcticsilver.com and looked at their instructions how to apply ASII ? Maybe you used too much AS or you screwed something else up while installing the heatsink/fan.

Btw. how is your airflow in the case ? if you dont have already you might consider having a fan on the back of the case blowing out and maybe another fan in the front, and keep the case CLOSED....i get better airflow and temps (diff about 3 degrees lower) with a CLOSED case !

 

[SomeGuy03]

You cant always trust the motherboard temp sensors. My Asus A7A266 says my 1.4 T-bird is running 50C idle...and Im water cooling.

Try with the case on...it actually improves performance sometimes, depending on whether you have good case flow or not.

SK-6 is a good cooler...something else is wrong.

 

[soulm4tter]

by the feel of the heatsink i believe the temp is correct. I've read the intructions on how to use artic silver. I used a very small amount and spread it very evenly. I've installed many heatsinks on athlons before with ASII. I like my systems quiet so i don't use loud fans. The airflow in the case is crappy. There are 2 hard drives right on top of the CPU. The Addtronics case uses a hard drive cage that mounts towards the back of the case hovering of the CPU. The system hasn't crashed yet.

My old Tbird 1.4@1.5 used to be stable at 70C under full load with a little 20CFM fan on it, so i'm used to seeing high temps. But my first Athlon XP runs fairly cool, so i was a little suprised is all. Thanx for you input.

 

[rockhard]

It maybe your Addtronics case thats the culprit?
I just sold my Addtronics Mid Tower as i found the airflow of this case to be suspect no matter how i fanned it up!
Ive now got an Antec 635 and my temps are much better due to the better airflow design IMO.