I just installed a Zalman flower cooler & Nexus PSU...my Bios is reporting cpu temp of between 37-40C;doesn't this seem a bit high? Is that OK...this is in idle...thanks.


Steven

p.s. the nexus is quiet...no kidding!!!

p.s..

cpu is P4 2.4B

You're lucky.
I've just installed a Zalman 6000 for an AMD 2100. My Asus bios is reporting 62c idle, 68c loaded. Very high, but no problems.
How fast do you have the fan? My fan speed @ 2100 rpm is far quieter than my previous Thermaltake Volcano9 @1850rpm.
However, the Volcano's idle temp was much cooler @ 55c.

changing the cpu fan from the fastest setting to slowest only seems to adjust temps by 3 degrees or so. On fastest speed BIOS reports 37, at slowest it moves from 39-40. The stock HS and fan were running at about 37...so no changes...but it is quieter!

Steven

You guys have different CPU types and different "flower" HS. There's no way you can compare the two, and the 6500 (P4) Zalman HS is literally 30-40% bigger than the 6000 (AMD). The P4 typically under-reports real max core temps by as much as 15C. See the article on SPCR's HS testing methodology, page 2.

I see. In that case, Steven's P4 is running ~55c. Sounds fine, no?

Probably less. It's in idle; P4s shut big parts of themselves down in idle. It's common to see a much bigger gap between idle / max load temps in P4s than in AMDs. It would be much more useful to know Steven's max temps -- and his mobo. Some don't report die temps correctly. Mike, what's you mobo anyway? These sorts of discussions without basic info like this are really meaningless.

Mike, my motherboard is an Asus A7V8X. The temps I'm getting are from the Asus PCProbe program. I realize it's not the most accurate method of recording temperature, but at least it gives me an idea of what's going on.

Thermaltake Volcano9 @2300rpm
CPU/MB: Idle- 54c/36c
CPU/MB: Load- 61c/36c

Zalman6000cu @2100rpm
CPU/MB: Idle- 60c/35c
CPU/MB: Load- 68c/36c

Hilarious eh? At least it's quieter and doesn't crash.

Love this forum. I'm learning a bit more every day. For example, I just learnt the 2100xp is the hottest AMD chip ever produced with little gain over the 2000xp. I'm now kicking myself
My single fan Enermax PSU is now the loudest bit. Will pick up a Zalman 300 this weekend.

Sorry Steven, over to you...

sorry for not posting enought info...(darn newbies: =)

My MOBO is Gigabyte PE-667.


I don't want to install one of those mobo monitors because this is a music production computer, and I can't take any chances with "unstable" software. Any way to test under load with outout adding any software that could screw with my "minimlist/paraniod to mess anything up" system? LOL

But if you're saying that my temps are most likey LESS than what my BIOS is reporting, I think that should be OK, right?

btw, when I booted up this morning, the BIOS is reporting temps 29-30!

Steven

any guidance is appreciated....just be picky on info needed :=)

Don't forget that by changing to that Zalman heatsink you're going to be running at higher temps anyway. This, in itself, could lead you to have an unstable system. You really should be monitoring your "in Windows" temps with some sort of software. I always use Motherboard Monitor which has always worked just fine. Maybe your Gigabyte board comes with some sort of Gigabyte version of a monitoring program that you'd feel more comfortable using?

Your BIOS idle temps are actually higher than your "in Windows" idle temps because the OS (if you're running Win NT, 2000 or XP) actually throttles the CPU when it's not in use (probably over 98% of the time - check your "System Idle Process" in your task manager - that's the idle time on your CPU) so it actually idles cooler in the OS than it does in the BIOS. Your Windows idle temps are probably 2-3C cooler than your BIOS idle temps.

All that said, your idle temps don't really matter (and high 30°C is fine anyway), it's your load temps that you need to keep track of. You need to install a software temp monitor and then you should run something like Prime95 in it's Torture Test mode. This will load your CPU to near 100% and after a while your temps will stabilize at a level somewhat higher than they were at idle. If this is around 50-55°C max, you'll be fine. If it goes much over that I'd look at your CPU cooling if I was you.

[url]But if you're saying that my temps are most likely LESS than what my BIOS is reporting, I think that should be OK, right?[/url]
That's the opposite of what I said: The P4 typically under-reports real max core temps by as much as 15C. Meaning it says it is cooler than it really is, especially under load. Read that piece I referenced!

And I reiterate my earlier point (which Ralf also made) -- its the temp under load that matters. The temp monitor can be turned off whenever you want anyway, so the stability is not an issue.

thanks mike... i read the article...i will give mobo monitor a try.

what ralf said has got me all confused niw; i thought the zalman was supposed to provide superior cooling to the stock heatsink?

fyi most new gigabyte mobos come with a piece of software called easyTune 3/4 that can monitor CPU temp.

Incidently, I find you can get VERY good performance from a flower cooler by mouting the fan sideways so it blows air parralel to the fins (is this clear, it's kinda hard to explain without a pic)

In fact I find that with two undervolted (5v) 60x10mm fans mounted either side of it you can get ridiculously low temps, below case temp even with ducting

It should -- certainly with low noise / airflow. Which model is it? You never said.

sorry mike :=) I didn't give too much info did i? Thats what happens when you're trying to build your first pc while taking care of a 6 month old, while having the flu :=)

It's the Zalman CNPS6500B-AlCu . I just installed that EasyTune software jhh mentioned (i'm not overclocking, so i didn't even think to look at it) it reports a CPU temp of 33C/91F. I'm gonna download that load test software you guys are talking about and see what happens.

Thanks for all the info....great forum...

Steven

well, it lookls like i wont be able to use Prime 96..it says it requires a modem and internet access...my studio compter doesnt have a modem...any software that can just run a load test?

Steven

ok....im retarded! i installed Prime95 on my home machine, you can just run the stress test with no internet connection...there I go jumping the gun again!!!

I will report back CPU temps under load shortly...

Sorry to all for my stupidity :=)



Steven

ok...I've been running Prime95's stress test for approx. 30 minutes, and EasyTune software (came w/ Gigabyte mobo) has been pretty stable @ 47C...I'm gonna assume that if I run it for a few hours and things stay like this, I'm OK...correct? Thanks again all...

ahh...peace and quiet...baby is sleeping, wife is out, now if I can just get some sleep :=)

Steven

It should be stable if it goes a few hours w/o crashing. I'd suggest you use burnP6 or burnK7 (whichever suits) though. Works better for me.

Uhhh...if your load temps are 68C, that's the temperature of the air under the CPU. Your junction temps are probably a bit higher. I'd be somewhat worried about that temp, especially if you leave your computer on all the time...

My temps (SK-7, Silenced 80mm fan running at 45%, 1700+ Palomino)
CPU/MB Idle: 109/91F (44/33c)
CPU/MB Load: 122/93F (50/34c)

well, after an hour or so of Prime95, i am sbout 48C.(50 was highest ive seen it, only for a second) this is with the zalman fan slowed down all the way, when it is at full speed i see temps abound 42-43. look ok?

S

I am sure that Asus reads the XP diode.

And Steve, your temps sound fine. You're ok into the high 60s, then most P4s want to crash. (That implies to me the P4 core at that point is close to 75-80C. )

Those temps are fine considering you're running with the fan at low speed. You should have nothing to worry about right now. Keep track of things during the Summer though (unless you have AC).

thanks so much to all for the advice and patience. I am not really into modding my computer, etc...I just really NEED a silent PC for my home studio. So finding this site has been a blessing!

Steven

You're quite welcome!



That's what I thought when I first came here. Something like SPCR has been needed for a long time. There's a lot of top-quality advice here that's just not available anywhere else. The reviews, the articles and the forums make a complete package that is just unbeatable.

Just a qucik postscript,

For some reason, my 6000cu is giving me much cooler temps

Instead of 60/68, I'm consistently getting 54/60. This is with the fan spinning at only 1800rpm

I'm happy, but I wonder why my Zalman has gotten more effective literally overnight? It's almost like it needed to be broken in.

Tips for Asus A7V333 mobo owners : make sure you have BIOS rev 12 or later to get accurate temp sensing - I got about a 15C drop when I flashed to the newer BIOS!

Download it and ASUSProbe (good mobo monitor - much easier to use than Motherboard Monitor), ASUSUpdate (automatic Windows BIOS updater) and their DOS flash utility from their website. ASUSUpdate will do it automatically, but only installs the latest BIOS which may have features you don't need. And DO back up your current BIOS...

My temps now with Flower Cooler, XP1800+ and no case fan:

idle
CPU 55C, MB 35C

full load (running UD Agent)
CPU 63C, MB 38C

Any comments on these temps?

CPU temp drop 5C with the (noisy) case fan connected (but I leave it off...)

Another tip for cooler/quieter running: I found that with the later BIOS I can easily underclock the CPU to run at 1150MHz instead of the usual 1553MHz of the XP1800+, which drops the CPU temp by 5C with no noticeable effect on performance. Even my benchmark in 3DMark2001SE only dropped a handful of points! Guess that's more dependant on GPU, rather than CPU, performance.

my athlon xp 1.6 is running at 27C idle, this is partly due to running VCool (software that enables AMD chips built in power saver features - needed for all MS OS cos some motherboards block the signal). search for VCool from google. My chip still gets up to 50C under load, also i used coolermaster premium thermal paste rather than zalman's. My cpu used to run at 40C with Volcano 5.

further to previous post my cpu zalman fan is running at min speed