W
I seem to have everyone here beat with skyrocketing temps.

First about my system (the relevant portions)--
Intel Pentium 4 3.2Ghz
Intel D865Perl Motherboard
400 watt power supply with built in fan
CPU fan and heatsink with paste
Extra case fan
Fresh air duct from side of case directly to CPU
Two SATA hard drives one IDE.
Two DVD drives
Radeon 9700 Pro video card
I dont typically run games and the system is not overclocked. I do run several office type programs at once. The computer is located under my desk but the front of the desk is wide open. There is a UPS and cable modem nearby.

All measurement taken today were with the side cover off. The ambient room temperature ranged from 73-80 degrees F. I turned on the AC when the room started to get hot. I removed the side panel and blew out all the dust I could find.

I downloaded and used SPEEDFAN. It measured the CPU at 63-76C, the three hard drives all at 44 and 55-56C the internal temp (whatever that is) at 38-39 and the remote temp (again, whatever that is) at 42-43. Also it said (i believe incorrectly) that one of my fans was turning at 29rpm and the other at 2700. I physically checked the fans and all are turning at what appears to be normal speed. Speed fan is indicating my CPU temp is in the Red zone.

Later (the two programs will not run simultaneously), I downloaded and used Intels Desktop control center and got different values:
CPU zone 64C, Zone A 36c Zone B 39C. One fan registered at 2700 rpm. Intel has the CPU temp in the yellow-red zone.

I got still different (much higher) values when I checked temperatures using the BIOS
CPU 93C, System 46 and 52C....checked another time and got
CPU 89C, System 41 and 49C.

The reason I started checking temps was my computer kept crashing but I have since determined that was a problem with CA EZ antivirus and not the hardware. Memtest86 showed no problems with memory and the computer ran 15 hours straight without crashing. While using CA EZ antivirus it was crashing every 2-4 hours and I could get it to crash if I had CA EX antivirus running and at the same time ran EVEREST (100% of the time) although EVEREST will run fine if the antivirus is turned off.

My questions for all you gurus out there are:
1) Why do the different programs come up with different readings (aside from the obvious error of running them at different times)
2) What else can I do to cool things down short of an expensive water cooled system?
3) Are these temps normal or abnormal and are they way beyond the safe range (as indicated by looking at other peoples posts).

Thanks for any input you can provide.

Hi jefrank...

they come up with different readings because they are all software based, they don't actually measure the temp, they "calculate it". some do a better job than others but no software based temp ultility is accurate. they are good for "before and after" comparisons, but that's about it.

The BIOS will give you better readings than windows based utilities, but the BIOS does not stress the CPU, so you're not viewing the system under load.

A physical temp probe is more accurate, but you can only place it against the heat spreader, and not the CPU die itself.. so even that isn't accurate either.

first off, water cooling doesn't have to be expensive. second off, you don't need to water cool since you don't game or overclock (unless you want a silent PC )

an easy and cheap way to improve your temps would be to remove your heatsink > blow all the dust from the cooling fins > clean the heatsink and CPU with isopropyl alcohol to remove all the old thermal compound > once dried reapply the thermal compound (use arctic silver 5 for best performance). this process alone should improve your temps quite a bit (assuming you have sufficient case cooling).

also, you say that the front of your case is in an open area, but what about the back of it? heat is exhusted from the back, and it needs to go somewhere. if your desk is trapping the exhusted heat then the buildup will keep your system hotter than you want it to be.

also (again.. hehe ), youe PSU specs are "400watt PSU with built in fan". no offense but that sounds like it is a garbage generic power supply an may also be the cause if your PC crashes. (especially if it's running hot)

ahh, i've got the same motherboard but with a 3.0E p4. i'm assuming yours is also a prescott core. i reccomend the zalman 7700cu cooler, but check first if your case has enough room. (www.zalman.co.kr) it weighs almost 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), is very quiet, and can cool any processor.

in regards to your processor temp, temps above 65 degrees celsius are bad and constant operating at said temp will shorten the processor's operational life. at 80 degrees damage starts to occurr and the computer will malfunction. 76 is definitely pushing it.

Thanks for the input

Interesting, KingCody you say the bios gives better readings but does not stress the CPU, yet I got higher readings from the BIOS. that might mean that the true
temp while being stressed is even higher than monitoring with the bios.

I may look into water cooling but not in the UK. Everything there is at least 50% more expensive. Can anyone recommend a decent cooling system available here in the US and give me an idea of what I should have to pay for the parts, and a source for it? What exactly is involved in the installation? Does it replace the CPU fan and heatsink or supplement them?

I would like to hear from people running the P4 3.2ghz to see what temps they are experiencing with and without water cooling and what water cooler they are using (if any). Be sure to state how you measured it (bios or which program).

I will try to remove the heatsink and fan, clean it and reinstall using the paste you recommend. Trouble is I unsnapped the two clips and tried to pull it free but it seems to be stuck. Is that just the paste holding it on? Should I just give it a good yank or am I taking a chance breaking it. I did my best to blow it out in place.

As for the power supply I was just too lazy to look it up. It is a Macron MPT-400. Is that any good?


Thanks for all the help.

P4 3.2 prescott cpu here, everest home reading 29`C with 6 IE windows open (yes i have firefox.. dont worry ) and few idleing background tasks.. on load its about 30-40 range, i never check it properly before.. so i forget. Bios about the same.

only temp problem i have is on my main hdd, but its still quite below the threshold..

my setup involves 2x 80mm fans at the bottom front for intake, 1x 120mm side fan intake direclty on the mobo, 1x 80mm exaust on the back and the top of the case each. Stock cpu fan and heatsink, and havnt reapplied thermal stuff for a good year now, and someone did it for me since i was a noob at that stage, so i cant answer your yanking cpu question . Due for another dusting in about 2 months (in a 4 month cycle) but its winter here, so not much of a temp problem i guess.

Lots of fans i know, but keeping it dust free, and using the fan power line from my PSU (except for the 120mm, which is connected directly to the mobo) makes it somewhat more silent..

Thanks for the input. Mine is also a Prescott. Today, even though Im running a bunch of programs I am now down to a cpu temp of only 60 and my harddrives are down to 34-38 my aux is at 40 and my motherboard is at 37. The only difference is its cooler in the room today (although now I have the side panel on--I have been running the A/C all day). Here is my report.

i would sugest in addition to cleaning the whole case (including the air filters on the fans) to tie up your cables to improve airflow.. and maybe add a few fans, with checking to the basic principles of airflow: front to back, sides in, bottom to top.

yes it is the paste (or pad) holding it on. and no! don't yeank it because you'll rip the CPU out of the socket and bend the pins and possibly break them off . once the clips are unhooked, gently rotate the heatsink back and forth until it's easy to move, then pull up up from an angle to avoid pulling the CPU out with it. trust me... the lever that locks the CPU down is not stronger than you

sorry, but it's garbage. whether or not it's the source of the crashes, it would be very wise to replace it with a reputible brand like Antec or Enermax to name a couple.

if you're referring to water cooling then I would never recommend any prebuilt systems because they are either poor quality or too expensive. also you have to assemble it yourself anyways, so why not just buy the parts separate and save lots of money

what you pay is up to you, depending on what parts you like. as far as sources, you can get a nice 120mm heatercore for under $20 from www.aquastealth.com and for the rest of your parts www.voyermods.com has good prices. there are mnay other sites as well, just google for them. personally, i buy almost all my parts off ebay (it's pretty much as cheap as you can get).

it's actually quite simple. you get a pump, a waterblock, a radiator, and a reservoir (or T-line, but a resi is better) and you just connect them all with tubing. you do not need a reservoir, but the more water that's in your system, the longer it takes for temps to rise and fall, as a result you get more consistant temps.

well, that's up to you. 99% of the time it replaces the heatsink/fan. but if you're mechanically inclined then you can make your own flat waterblock with side input/output and mount a heatsink on top of it (that is my next project by the way )

From my own personal experience in building several water cooling systems (even before you could buy commercial PC water cooling systems) I can tell you this much:

1. the design itself is your biggest factor, not the components themselves. for example where you place the pump is more important than what pump you use, how and where you mount the radiator is more important than what radiator you use... this is why i say it doesn't have to be expensive and the more that you can make yourself instead of buying a prebuilt part will save you even more money.