Are My CPU and Motherboard Temperatures Too High?

[Dragonfall]

I have an Athlon 64 2.0 ghz 3200+ and when I'm running some CPU intensive programs (games, prime95, etc) the CPU temperature goes as high as 60C and the mobo at around 50C. Is this normal, or should I consider water cooling? I have 1 fan at the back, and one on th side, both blowing air out of the case. I do have a third fan in front, but for some reason my case blocks the front fan intake, and I'll have to cut a hole if I want that fan to work completely.

 

[3trQN]

Thats about standard for that chip i think, you can cross check the temperature with the one in the manufacturers technical documents at AMD website, they have temp readings at various degrees of load and case ambients.

See the thermal Data LINKY

Make sure you have clear ventillation at fron n back.

With my PC, when the CPU overheats the bios will shut the PC down.

 

[GluonZ]

60C is fine.

 

[chroot]

60C is practically lukewarm. When it hits 125C, you should begin getting worried.

- Warren

 

[vpatel91]

My comp. temp.

what is a better program mbm or speedfan for temp monitering.
My computer runs at 60C (cpu) degrees about all the time is that normal. My case is around 46C degrees. Is the CPU and case temperates too high?

 

[dimensionless]

Dragonfall,

The temperatures sound okay. Isn't the whole point of Prime95 to raise your system temperature as high as it will go? What kind of heatsink and fan do you have on your CPU?

 

[dimensionless]

what is a better program mbm or speedfan for temp monitering.
My computer runs at 60C (cpu) degrees about all the time is that normal. My case is around 46C degrees. Is the CPU and case temperates too high?

60C is high for a computer at idle. Mine usually idles in the 40's. Some chips, such as the Intel Pentium with the Prescott core can and will run a little hotter. 10C hotter if I'm recalling correctly.

 

[russ_watters]

60C is higher than I would prefer, but it isn't really too bad. I have an Athlon 2500+, overclocked to run as fast as yours, and I don't see above about 55. Several things to check if you are so inclined:

-Make sure there is an air path through the case. Ie, if the fans blowing in are down low but there is no path for air to exit high, then you'll end up with a pocket of hot air at the top of your case. A push-pull, with air entering low and leaving high is ideal. Because both your CPU and fsb are a little higher than typical, case temp (or room temp...?) is what I'd check first.

-Do you have a decent CPU fan? Do you have heat transfer goo (but not too much) between it and the cpu?

-Are you overclocking?

-Are your voltages set right(if you haven't played with them, probably yes)?

 

[russ_watters]

More info on cpu temps, including recommended operating temperatures: http://www.heatsink-guide.com/content.php?content=maxtemp.shtml

Several things worth noting:
-On enthusiast sites, people tend to brag about temperatures even though they mean very little (at least, at the temperatures people brag about).
-The temperature reported by your cpu/motherboard may not be accurate due to sensor locations. Actual operating temperatures are likely much higher. ie:

The temperatures specified for AMD CPUs max case surface temperatures. These CPUs do not have an internal diode to measure CPU temperature. The accuracy of the CPU temperature measurement depends on the motherboard; therefore, it is possible that the CPU overheats even though the CPU temperature reported by the motherboard is below the specified maximal temperature.

That's why I like to keep my temperatures lower. Also, if you are running hot, chances are you'll start getting errors long before you actually start to damage your cpu. So if you are running stable, you're probably fine.

 

[wxrocks]

Yeah -- I thought the point of keeping a chip cooler is there is less need for error correction. Don't you gain a little speed with a cool chip?

 

[chroot]

A chip that's too hot will begin having timing errors, where data arrives too early or too late to various devices inside the chip. There is generally no way to "fix" these errors, and they pretty much mean your computer will crash.

Different kinds of timing errors can be alleviated with different temperatures. There actually isn't any kind of rule of thumb about which is better -- hot or cold -- instead, any chip will begin to malfunction outside its intended temperature range, either when too hot or when too cold.

- Warren

 

[verty]

It sounds like the air in your case is heating up. If you get the hot air exhausting, the ambient case-temp will stay low which will mean lower temperatures.

 

[j777]

If your case does in fact block the intake for the front fan you may very well have to make some sort of opening so air can properly circulate.

 

[russ_watters]

Yeah -- I thought the point of keeping a chip cooler is there is less need for error correction. Don't you gain a little speed with a cool chip?

You may be able to run your chip faster if it is cooler, but it won't perform faster on its own just by cooling it down.

 

[russ_watters]

If your case does in fact block the intake for the front fan you may very well have to make some sort of opening so air can properly circulate.

I had a case with poor circulation and I cut a hole in the top and attached an exhaust fan to it. It made a big difference.