low temps, but still unstable with 7000cu

wu299 · Post by **wu299** » Fri May 09, 2003 7:28 am

Hi,

I just built a new SPCR-inspired PC for myself, but I'm having stability problems. The system specs are as follows:

Antec Sonata w/120mm Panaflo exhaust (7V)
3.0Ghz P4 w/ zalman 7000cu
Asus P4c800 mobo
512 megs Corsair
Matrox G400 (it's old, but I'm having trouble parting with it)

Anyhow, here is my problem, after running CPUBurn for about 15 minutes the motherboard was reporting temps higher than 45C for the CPU and 30C for the motherboard temp. Neither seems high enough to make my CPU unstable in anyway. (at Idle the temps are 30C, 25C).

The weird part is that I have read that some people with the 7000cu have had problems with CPU contact after the case is turned vertical. So I placed it down horizontal and have no been running cpuburn for about 15 minutes and the temps are roughly the same, but it has been stable.

I would have thought if the cpu was getting too hot with the heatsink not making sufficient contact that the temps would have been higher if the case was vertical?

Anyhow, hopefully I made sense and if anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Mr_Smartepants · Post by **Mr_Smartepants** » Fri May 09, 2003 7:42 am

What material did you use between the heatsink and the CPU? Are you only using the one Panaflo in the rear? Are you sure the heatsink hold-down clamps are secure? If you're using the Zalman fanmate on the HSF, try turning it up a couple of notches and retest. Also try tidying up your cabling for better airflow.
If you can, post a picture. It's worth a thousand words.

ruprag · Post by **ruprag** » Fri May 09, 2003 7:47 am

also, if you are getting "bad" connection between die and HS then you can get "spot" heating in the die that is much higher than is reported !!

wu299 · Post by **wu299** » Fri May 09, 2003 8:15 am

I put AS3 between the cpu and HSF. I'm pretty sure the clamps are secure. I can't really move it and the screws are in snug. Forgot to mention that I do have a second Panaflo running in the front as well.

I will try and take a picture later tonight and post it. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

chiahaochang · Post by **chiahaochang** » Fri May 09, 2003 9:38 am

Antec Sonata w/120mm Panaflo exhaust (7V)
3.0Ghz P4 w/ zalman 7000cu
Asus P4c800 mobo
512 megs Corsair
Matrox G400 (it's old, but I'm having trouble parting with it)

That looks similar to what I just ordered. Same CPU, mobo, HSF and RAM (I went for 1GB tho)..

If it's stable when your PC is horizontal, it could be something related to the clamping mechanism of the heatsink/fan assembly. The 7000Cu's are heavy suckers and could be pulling loose from the CPU.

I guess the 7000Cu's fan could also be effected by being sideways, maybe it's mounting mechanism allows it to come loose or it doesn't run stably at whatever voltages you've got it at? You probably already checked if the fan's running though.

wu299 · Post by **wu299** » Fri May 09, 2003 9:47 am

I actually think I may have put too much AS3 on there. I think that may be the problem, although I only had time to clean off the cpu/heatsink before I left for work.

What puzzles me is that the CPU temperatures are pretty consistent no matter how I have my case positioned, except that one way is stable and the other isn't. Has anyone else experienced that before? 45C for a P4 seems really low actually, since it seems like a P4 should be good all the way up to around 65-70C.

Mr_Smartepants · Post by **Mr_Smartepants** » Fri May 09, 2003 9:51 am

Try reseating your RAM modules and all your PCI/AGP cards.
You should only use a very thin layer of AS3, almost thin enought to see metal through. And don't spread it with your finger, the oil from your skin can affect the AS3 contact spread.

DeadBySundown · Post by **DeadBySundown** » Fri May 09, 2003 10:06 am

wu299 wrote:What puzzles me is that the CPU temperatures are pretty consistent no matter how I have my case positioned, except that one way is stable and the other isn't. Has anyone else experienced that before? 45C for a P4 seems really low actually, since it seems like a P4 should be good all the way up to around 65-70C.

I have a 7000Cu cooling a Northwood 2.66GHz (/drool over your 3.06...). Thermal compound is AS Ceramique. My CPU temps are low of 38C, high of 48C, average 41C, with the fanmate turned down as low is it will go (about 1400 rpm).

P4 chips do run much cooler than a comparable Athlon.

ez2remember · Post by **ez2remember** » Fri May 09, 2003 10:27 am

I personally don't think it is the possible loose contact between the HS and CPU. It's unlikely with the tempertures you have mentioned.

It could well be down to other factors such as the PSU, RAM, etc. Even conflicts can cuase randon resets. So please can you describe to me when your computer is unstable? More specific the better..

Does it reset itself when you are not doing nothing with the computer?

The reason I ask because my computer had random resets (nothing to do with ram, cpu, psu, hd etc.). It baffled me because temps were okay and I almost swapped every single component to get to the heart of the problem. The problem is now fixed, 100% stable; thank god. It was annoying me like mad!!!

wu299 · Post by **wu299** » Fri May 09, 2003 12:00 pm

Yes, it actually does just randomly reset when it's not doing anything at all. Also, it seems as if IE will randomly just crash and quit or sometimes even when I first try and open IE, it will crash immediately after opening.

How did you end up solving your problem?

The only card I have in the system is my Matrox G400. the LAN and audio are onboard on the motherboard. I did have a problem initially with my G400 in that it was an older version (even for a G400) and wasn't autodetecting 1.5V from the mobo. I guess it was defaulting to 3.3V. I ended up going on matroxusers.com forums and finding out that I had to short the R68 resistor and as soon as I did that, the computer started fine. Maybe the G400 is still causing problems?

EDIT: I guess while I'm at it, I'll list the other components in it.

Pioneer DVD drive
Plextor 12x CDRW drive
WD special edition 80 GB HDD
IBM 40GB HDD (i forget what model)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 09, 2003 12:40 pm

My machine did this (random resets, sometimes random shutdowns) until I replaced the power supply with an antec Truepower 430W. Perhaps you have a defective power supply. I recommend trying out a spare power supply or a friend's to see if you regain stability.

Empty17 · Post by **Empty17** » Sat May 10, 2003 6:19 am

I have a P4 2.53 Ghz, Abit Max 2 ver. 2 Motherboard, the Zalman CNPS 7000 CU, and Arctic Silver 3. Unlike you, I can move my heatsink to the left or right while it's vertical. Only about a millimeter or two, and I have to do it, it does not move on it's own. I am not Overclocking.

I check my temps in in the system BIOS Health Status. With the Heatsink fanmate on Silent Mode, my temps are repeatedly reporting around 45'-48' C for the CPU. Averages around 35' C for system temperature.

I was thinking the Max 2 ver. 2 might be reporting temps a little higher too, it's known for that. The heatsink is cool to the touch. I don't think the temps are too high. Maybe I am wrong though. Not sure.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Sat May 10, 2003 7:26 am

i thought my system was running very cool untill a bios upgrade showed that the cpu tem the mobo was reporting was from the pcb and not the on die temp. its possible that the cpu measure you have is for that, and that the 'true' die temp ins much much higher - mine was running at around 65oC and i thought it was only at about 39!!
it would explain why the instability occurs. id suggest that you have a slight heat transfer issue between the p4 and the cooler, perhaps.

wu299 · Post by **wu299** » Sat May 10, 2003 8:55 am

thanks to all for their suggestions so far. I'm still not sure what it is. I switched the PSU and was still having problems. Then I went and bought a new video card, but that didn't solve the issue either.

fmah · Post by **fmah** » Sat May 10, 2003 9:14 am

Try different RAM. That fixed my spontaneous rebooting problem. Now if Windows would just work smoothly.

Mr_Smartepants · Post by **Mr_Smartepants** » Sat May 10, 2003 11:04 am

Heh, keep changing parts and you'll have enough to build another system.

Empty17 · Post by **Empty17** » Sat May 10, 2003 11:35 am

One good thing is I have had no stability problems and no random restarts. I am currently running with a 9500 Pro, Seasonic 400 ATX PFC,
DVD, CD, Floppy. Cooling is one 80mm intake fan, one 80mm exhaust fan, stock VGA fan, stock PSU fan, and the CNPS 7000 CU w fan mate on Silent Mode.

Hopefully the BIOS is reporting right, or actually reporting too high. I have no idea.

The only thing I worry about is the video card. My 9500 Pro is very hot to the touch.

I think you should check your Hard Drive, especially if it's a Western Digital 80G w 8/MB Cache. I had to return one of those, and a lot of people seem to have problems with them. I am not sure why my temps are high, except maybe the BIOS is reporting them wrong. If the Intel Stock Heatsink was supposed to do the job, the CNPS 7000 is certainly going to!

As for ideal P4 Temps, well...???

wu299 · Post by **wu299** » Sat May 10, 2003 10:25 pm

so..........a day later and a million reinstalls etc etc....i finally tried lowering the RAM down to 320mhz and I don't seem to have any more stability problems.

The RAM is two sticks of 512 MB corsair PC3200 LLPT. Has anyone else had any problems with this RAM? I bought it figuring I couldn't go wrong with Corsair, but I guess not.

EDIT:
apparently, all canterwoods have problems with corsairs PC3200 LL series RAM. I fixed the problem by manually setting the RAM to 2336 and upping the ram voltage to 2.65. So.....everything is happy now. I have to say I'm extremely pleased with the temps and setup and siiilllleeennce I have now

Thanks everyone for your help!