PC Temps

[firedog]

I have an AMD Athlon 4200+ with 1GB ram.

In idle, my temps according to Everest are:

Motherboard - 43"c
CPU Core 1 - 37"c
CPU Core 2 - 39"c
Nvidia GEforce 7300 GS - 60"c

This seem ok? How close is it to the max that the hardcare should be?

[Reines]

They sound fine I think, the processors max temp should be around 70C I think. Not sure for the Geforce 7300 GS, though I know the G80 (8000 series) core's max temp is ridiculously high (around 100C kinda area).

[TigerOC]

Those readings look odd; the processor temp should always be higher than the motherboard. The processors are generating most of the heat and therefore raising case temp which the motherboard sensor detects. Are you sure that the sensors are being correctly detected? As a general rule you should not have problems with cpu temps under 55C

[Polo]

My AMD Athlon x2 3800+ which is overclocked to 2.4GHz tends to also idle cooler than my motherboard. The max temp for my model is 63'C according to AMD but i've seen it reach 65'C on really hot days when I've had BOINC running but all seems to stay stable. Machine has been running happily for almost 2 years.

TigerOS, his cpu temps can be a lot lower than the motherboard if he's using cool n quiet. Depends on your motherboard model i guess. :)

[Quinnbeast]

At a glance, I'd say your system temps look well within acceptable ranges firedog. Idle temps are only part of the deal though, since it's generally under heavy load that any system instability can occur. Are you having heating problems or just wondering how your temps measure up?

A CPU will start to throttle back at around 70-75oC depending on the model (and any relevant BIOS settings), while GPUs have a much higher threshold.

Those readings look odd; the processor temp should always be higher than the motherboard. The processors are generating most of the heat and therefore raising case temp which the motherboard sensor detects. Are you sure that the sensors are being correctly detected? As a general rule you should not have problems with cpu temps under 55C

I would say that, depending on the efficiency of the CPU cooler, certain parts of the motherboard are very likely to have a higher reading than the CPU. My idle CPU temps sit below 30oC, but my motherboard readings are always 40oC+.

It depends on where the sensor is seated. The northbridge can run fairly hot, as can the transistors that surround the CPU (MOFSET) unless they too have dedicated cooling. The CPU will, at the very least, have a competent stock cooler and fan, whereas other components with lesser (or no) cooling will give a higher temp reading even though the CPU is generating far more heat.

My CPU temps only surpass the motherboard temps when the CPU is under moderate to heavy load.

[TigerOC]

If I saw reviews indicating higher m/boards over cpu temps I wouldn't even consider buying it. The m/board sensor readings become meaningless because they should represent the case temps. I know some manufacturers site them between the pci slots and readings can be affected by the gpu.

[Quinnbeast]

Like you say, motherboard temps should always be taken with a pinch of salt. Unless you’ve got a standardised system for testing temps across the board, they don’t mean much. However, if you look at certain review websites, a motherboard temp sometimes refers to the motherboard chipset/northbridge which can run fairly hot, and will read higher than a generic case temp. The case temp is a separate reading. Since there’s rarely a standard setup, it seems like a contradiction that you would use those temps as criteria for buying a PC. So long as everything appears to operate within temperatures recommended by the manufacturer, and the system is stable, it’s not an issue.

I’ve physically got a sensor lodged in the prongs of my northbridge heatsink. I’ve also got about 600grams of Zalman heatsink on my CPU. Being a lower end Core2Duo chip, they are fairly cool running out of the box. The temps are even lower with a good aftermarket cooler, and categorically should be lower than certain motherboard components when idle.

An effective HSF will always keep the CPU temp very low when the system is idle. In turn, a powerful graphics card will always increase the ambient case temp. So long as the system is stable under heavy load, that’s all you need. Case temps are especially hard to gauge, because they’re affected by so many variables such as cable layout and case design, as well as the components and fans types used. Simple cable management alone can improve case temps significantly. Variations in motherboard layout means that heat sources can be in different places (such as transistors and smaller chipset heatsinks), so even if the temp is measured from the same relative location on a selection of systems, a "standard" measurement is nigh on impossible. Manufacturers websites are a particularly wobbly resource when it comes to such subjective/variable measurements.

[firedog]

im not having temp problems, i was just curious.

i am using cool n quiet, do you think this slows my pc performance down at all, or is it best left on?

[Quinnbeast]

It’s been a while since I’ve used an AMD processor, and I don’t really have any first hand experience with C’n’Q. From the blurb I’ve read in the past though, the CPU should only throttle back when the CPU is idle, or under very light load. Under heavy load, the CPU should run as normal, meaning that for gaming or any other system intensive process, there shouldn’t be any performance loss.

Couldn’t say for certain though. You could always try it with it off for a couple of days, but it may bump up your idle temps a little.