High cpu temp

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snail

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Alright, so i just installed my cpu, and when im in the bios the temp is sitting at 47 degrees. Here are my specs,

Cpu: i7-860
Case: gigabyte perspex case
cpu coolerZalman CNPS9900NT
Case fans: 1 x in, 2 x out (80mm)
GPU: Radeon HD 5770 crossfire
Motherboard: p7p55d-e pro
Ram: 8GB DDR3

I put a thin layer of thermal paste, as i used a credit card to go over the top of it. So why is the temp running this high. Also consider my room was very hot at that time of runnin
 
Last edited:
It's not unusual for initial high temps on a new i7 build.
Give it a day or so to stabilise.
Monitor to see that it does not increase too much!
 
snail said:
I put a thin layer of thermal paste, as i used a credit card to go over the top of it. So why is the temp running this high. Also consider my room was very hot at that time of runnin
Click to expand...

Problem identified. Your case also has a severe lack of airflow, you need some more fans pushing air into the case.

MickeyD said:
It's not unusual for initial high temps on a new i7 build.
Give it a day or so to stabilise.
Monitor to see that it does not increase too much!
Click to expand...

Huh? Sure, some thermal pastes have a burn in period, but even so, temps will only drop 2 or 3 degrees.
 
so are you supposed to put a thick or thin layer of thermal paste on?
 
snail said:
so are you supposed to put a thick or thin layer of thermal paste on?
Click to expand...

Thin, preferably just a small blob that gets squeezed across the CPU heatsink as you tighten it. CC method is slightly more likely to allow for the formation of air bubbles which is bad. Also, there is ±3 degrees difference between most thermal pastes, so thats also not a big deal. On that cooler you have I'd actually say those temps are fairly normal, especially if your room temps are above 25. You should however be able to drop the temps with better case airflow. Finally, idle temps are not nearly as important as full load temps
 
What would you guys say a reasonable temp on an i7 is? Mine runs idle ar about 43 with the Intel heatsink and at full load video conversion does not exceed 60.
 
Intel stock coolers really sux. My i7 860 reaches about 80'C (room temp @ 22'C) when I max out all 8 threads using 7-zip benchmark. I have to add that I'm using a cheap case (Coolermaster RC310) and that I'm using that thermal pad that came with the stock cooler.
The very same Intel stock cooler is perfect for C2D CPU's if you're not overclocking, because my colleague is using one and his temperature never exceeds 40'C with a C2D E7500.

Currently my i7 940 would max at about 60'C with my ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme with a Push/Pull setup in a CoolerMaster 690 II Adv case that has 1 additional intake fan blowing directly onto the CPU from the front, which I think is slightly on the hot side seeing that I'm not even overclocking?
With overclocking to like 3.9GHz it would reach 80'C.
 
Pada, would u say 43 is too high with the stock cooler. Ie should I invest in something better. I don't game.
 
Aharon said:
Pada, would u say 43 is too high with the stock cooler. Ie should I invest in something better. I don't game.
Click to expand...
Like Archer said above: idle temperature doesnt mean much, you should check the load temperature
 
Aharon:
I've been using the stock Intel cooler with my i7 860 all year round and I haven't had any issues with it after I correctly secured it to the CPU/motherboard :)
80'C is a bit on the hot side, but it's not problematic either, seeing that I very rarely max out the CPU for a few minutes/hours.

If you're overclocking or continuously running the CPU at 100%, then it would be worth while to get like a Cogage True Spirit (~R360 for Sockets 1366/775/AM3 and another R75 for the 1156 bracket) from WootWare.

I found it the easiest to stress test the CPU using 7-zip's Benchmark option. Then let that run for a few minutes to get the load temperature of the CPU.
 
Thanks - I will give 7-zip benchmarking a go to push the CPU and post results :)
 
What is the best program to use for monitoring and keeping logs of temps.
 
I'm quite happy with HWMonitor, but I can't remember if it can continuously save to a log file though.
HWMonitor shows temperatures and fan speeds of pretty much every component in your PC, including hard drives :)
 
Just out of interest echo, why would the PSU affect the CPU temp?

Thanks
 
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