# what are normal core temps for a quad core q9550 on air cooling?



## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

I have a xigmatek rifle cpu cooler on a quad core q9550 processor , and I am wondering what should my core temps be?

Coretemp is showing (at idle)-
core0 - 49 C
core1 - 46 C
core2 - 45 C
core3 - 55 C

Why is core3 so much higher? Is it possible the thermal compound above the core3 is not as spread out as it is on the other cores? I used arctic silver 5 and followed the instructions to put the compound on as a single line across the cores of the cpu.


Also, I have speedfan 4.34, and for some reason it reports different core temperatures
core0 - 42 C
core1 - 42 C
core2- 40 C
core3 - 51 C

Also, what is the "internal temp" and "remote temp" that speedfan reports. It also seems to have confused the CPU with "System" as CPU is showing 23 C and System 37 C.


Lastly, my video card, ATI HD4870 seems to run so hot! 
temps at IDLE are
GPU temp - 77C
GPU Load 0%
Fan Sped 1288 RPM
GPU Temp (DISPIO) 77.5
GPU TEMP (MEMIO) 86 C
GPU Temp (SHADERCORE) 82.5 C
VDDC Current 29.8 Amps
VDDC slave #1 temp 63 C
VDDC slave #2 temp 66 C
VDDC slave #3 temp 63 C
VDDC 1.2625 V


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

can someone also explain what the "CPU temp" reported in the BIOS is. Is this a sensor of winbond - where is this reading taken from..., whereas the core temps are more accurate? Why are speedfan and coretemp reporting different temperatures for my cores?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

The cpu temp displayed in the bios should be the most accurate.

I am not familiar with that cooler. I have been using arctic pro coolers on two amd builds and I have very pleased with how they work. One of them is my own system. It is running @32C right now. AMD 6400+ [which is a pretty hot running cpu]

What kind of case do you have? 
Size and number of exhaust fans?


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

The case is currently open (no side door) because I am still doing some work on it.

There is a 120mm rear exhaust fan (blowing out), and a 120mm front fan near the hard drives. 

There is also a 250mm fan on the side door but that is not currently connected. The CPU fan is also 120mm but not connected (that's right the CPU has ONLY the heatsink on it, although the heatsink is very tall, and near the rear exhaust fan so for now it is fine.

I was just wondering why the heck speedfan and coretemp are reporting different core temperatures. When people talk about their cpu running idle at 32 C for example, are they talking about the bios CPU temp (not the core temps as on a quad core for example - I assume these are supposed to be significantly hotter). 

Speedfan is showing two different sensors (besides the core temps):
ADT7475
Winbond 83627DHG.

I think the ADT one is the correct one for the CPU reading.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

I can only ask this question, why is the cooler fan not connected?


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

because it is huge (120mm) and gets in the way of things. I am still working on the computer. Also the heatsink is huge and near the rear exhaust fan so it is doing fine right now (of course this is all temporary)


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

You can't get accurate temperatures running a machine with passive cooling (which is essentially what you are doing at the present time) when the chassis was designed for active cooling.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Speedfan is a fine app and I use it however it often shows flakey readings. If you verify the temp speedfan displays with the bios temp, then it is fine.

Next there is going to be a very big difference between bios reported temp and temp you see in windows IF you have Cool & Quiet enabled in the bios. C&Q lowers vcore voltage and cpu speed when not needed. I generally disable this since all of the amd builds I have done run pretty cool anyway.

Usually most high end motherboards come with some type of utility for reading temp, overclocking, etc. If you have an asus board, this is asus probe; other mfg call it by other names. I currently have a gigabyte board and they call it easytune. 
Load whatever utility came with your board and see what it reports.

BTW I agree you will never get accurate temp reading without the cpu fan. I really see no need for huge heatsink/fans. I usually use the stock cooler that comes with the cpu. In the case of the system I am using now, it was a black edition cpu so no cooler came with the cpu. I bought a $25 cooler that does a great job and fits in the case with no problem. Now in the cool morning, it is running a 6400+ @28C with C&Q disabled; ie cpu running at full speed.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

Hmmm... I don't recall seeing any cool n quiet option in the BIOS. I would like speedfan to be my primary source of information for temperatures. Can you help me, or direct me to a site that give good instructions on how to calibrate the core temp reading (DTS), and also the Tcase (the cpu reading).

Also, for some reason, in the BIOS the North Bridge i always reporting a higher temperature.

When I boot into BIOS, it is usually something like -

CPU 36 C
NB 52 C
SB 42 C


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

OK, you are going about this backwards.
1 *Read you manual and become familiar with the bios settings*.

2 Install a proper hsf; one that fits in the case. No amd chip made in the last 12yrs has been designed for passive cooling. Use either the stock cooler or at least one that fits. If using the stock cooler, check the mating surface to see how level it is. I place it on a piece of glass or something similar. If there are gaps, use 200grit sandpaper, then finish with 800girt. This will give a level surface. Use either a sanding block OR place the sandpaper on a pane of glass.

3 Once you are done with the above, enter the bios and disable C&Q. Restart and note the temp for the cpu.

4 Load windows and smartfan. Select the smartfan temp that matches the bios temp. Have smartfan display that temp in the tray.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

OK I will do that... but is it normal for the BIOS to how my NB temp higher than CPU?

Also, aren't core temps far more relevant than the CPU (tcase) temperature?

For some reason my last core (core3) seems to running 7 C hotter than the rest. Also, to make things even more confusing, the core temps speedfan reports are exactly 5C higher than the core temps RealTemp 2.7 reports.

ahhhhhhh!


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

How can I really find out which temperature is MB, NB, SB, and CPU.

PC Probe II (asus) is showing CPU as 20 C, which cannot be right because my room temperature is 75 (F). It shows MB as 40C, NB as 47C, and SB as 43C.

Are there certain things I can do that will make only one of these go up significantly so I can figure out which one is really which.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Sure run prime95 or other cpu stress app. Whatever temp goes much higher is your cpu temp.

Next you need to realize that the temp sensors on the mb are very cheap items and one board is going to report a different temp than another board [same cpu, hsf]

Really accurate temp sensors are going to make a rather significant increase in the cost of the mb.

When using asus probe, always download the latest version not the one that came on your support CD.

As far as having the NB higher, do you have a fan on the northbridge or is it passive cooled?


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

NB is passive cooled.
Asus probe was downloaded (latest version).

I was reading on the asus forums for the rampage formula motherboard (the one I have), and people seem to report similar findings- but it seems so weird to be that a MB temperature would be higher than CPU - just make no sense to me - but people keep posting it confidently like it is correct.

As far as the sensors, how the heck do u replace those kind of sensors with nicer ones? And also aren't the cpu sensors (the core sensors and the tcase sensor) in the CPU itself, having nothing to do with the motherboard?

An idea Im considering is taking off the NB and SB heatsinks, maybe doing a little sanding, cleaning, and applying AS5, and using screws instead of push pins to put back on.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

You cannot replace the board sensors.

If you really really want to make work for yourself, then you can pull the heatsinks on the NB, etc.

I would not worry too much about strange temp readings. Is the system stable and running OK? That is the main thing.

Next this [among] others is why I no longer recommend asus boards. They used to be very good however in the last few years, their quality has gone downhill.

If it really worries you, RMA the board and go with on from either gigabyte or foxconn. Both make decent boards.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

In a nutshell ... no it is not stable. Have you seen my other post? I am desperately trying to figure out why I keep getting this BSOD. Here it is (poted on ASUS forum but you can just respond here in TGS):

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...&model=Rampage+Formula&page=1&SLanguage=en-us

I am sad to hear about ASUS quality - I used to always use them. I had read very good reviews about this board , which makes this BSOD problem even more frustrating.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

You are wasting your time trying to validate temperatures until you get everything connected, and the chassis closed.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

I know.. I am not worried about that right now- trying to troubleshoot the BSOD I am getting, explained here:

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...&model=Rampage+Formula&page=1&SLanguage=en-us


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

I took a look at your thread. You knowingly used memory not on the approved list?

BTW you received very good advice. You need to bump up the vdimm [ram voltage] ddr3 defaults to 1.5V. That memory needs at least 1.75-1.8 to function.

Adj the vdimm to what muskin says it should be and run memtest for a min of 1hr. If no errors, then you should be OK.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

I have DDR2 memory which default is 1.8V

My BIOS has auto'd the DRAM voltage to 1.9V (it was at 1.9V when I got errors).

I didn't know it was not approved until too late! But did you see in my post - how does it say the motherboard doesn't support 128MB chips while the kingston modules on their approved list ARE using 128mb chips!!!!

Memtest86 version 2.0.1 has been running for about 35 minutes so far on the 1 stick (1 x 2gb stick) with no errors so far.

If the BSOD are due to memory beeing too low voltage, then shouldn't memtest show some errors at that voltage??


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

memtest86 has been running over an hour on the 1x2gb stick, with 3 full passes almost - no errors yet.

I will try raising the voltage to 2.0 and see if that does anything, although I don't see why it shouldn't be perfectly fine at 1.9v when its rated at 1.8v for the current timings-


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

It would help if you posted your exact system specs with links to your parts. I thought you had ddr3 ram.

Next whether or not some other brand supports a certain config or not is irrelevant. When you use ram that is not on the approved list it may or may not work. You in effect become a beta tester.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

crj, what I don't understand is how they claim this mobo doesn't support memory modules that use 128MB chips in them. For example, my memory uses 8x128MB chips. However, there are modules on their APPROVED list that do use 128MB chips. There are only 3 modules under DDR800 for 2GB sticks on their approved list. This does not leave me much to work with.

Anyway, I think I may have found the problem. I downloaded windows debugger and opened each of the 4 minidump files. They all lead to "probably caused by ASACPI.sys" , which when I looked up, seems to be a driver for the asus AI Booster software that allows overclocking from within windows. I do not need this - how can I make sure this driver will not cause any more problem (by disabling it). If I remember correctly it has something to do with using the "verifier" command but I really can't remember.

I am relieved to a fairly certain degree that the memory is perfectly OK. 

btw, that CPU temperature that reported 21 C is the one that went up the most during stress test (watched it through asus probe), so I am sure this is actually the CPU. Just makes no sense how it could be 21 C though - that i just wrong! my ambient temprature is around 23/24C.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

When you see memory on the approved list, it means it has been tested and found to work. The board may only support some types of chips not all of them. While it may support say crucial memory with that config, it does not mean it supports ocz memory with the same config.

You are right, the cpu temp is not going to be <than ambient. It is just a poor quality sensor. 

As far as the driver/software, just uninstall it. There is no need for AI anyway. If someone does want to OC a system, it should be done from bios settings anyway.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

Thanks.. I'm not exactly sure how you uninstall a driver thats not associated with any hardware. I simply located it and deleted it- hope thats ok. I uninstalled "asus suite" but I'm not even sure thats the thing that was using it.

Anyway, as far as the sensor goes, should I just put an offset on it of a few degrees?


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

question...

asus probe as well as speedfan and everything else i use reports the CPU idle temp at around 21 C, which is impossible because my ambient temperature is 23/24C.

When I boot up the machine in the BIOS the CPU temp reads between 32 and 35C. How come this temperature is not being read from the BIOS correctly, even with ASUS Probe (I have an asus rampage formula motherboard).

Another thing, as I know can be a problem with CORE temps - the idle temps are innacurate but once it heats up the temps are accurate. Thus if I put an offset on the CPU temperature of +11C or so (so instead of 21 it would show 32C which should be about correct at idle), when it gets hot it will still be adding that +11C, when in fact the sensor may be much more accurate at this temperature. There is no way to know because I cannot see the BIOS while stressing my cpu with prime95 25.6

hmmm?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Do you have cool & quiet enabled in the bios?

Next reported temps can be off by quite a bit. The reported temp is only for use in determining a trend; ie getting hotter or cooler. If you expect to see an exact temp of your cpu, you are mistaken.

A really accurate temp sensor would most likely double the cost of most boards.


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## Sphinx (Aug 5, 2003)

There is no cool & quiet option. I have disabled C1E as well as speedstep (at least until I get a stable system).

I have overclocked the processor from 8.5 x 333 = 2.83ghz to 8x400mhz = 3.2mhz

My FSB at 400mhz is not 1:1 with my DRAM (DDR2-800). The memory settings are at auto settings until I get the voltages stable, whereafter I can then mess with memory.


I was experiencing rebooting during prime95 testing, where the computer would just reboot without error (no BSOD, no prime95 error, no mini dumps or anything). I took a guess that i had my vcore too low , not compensating enough for vdroop (when the vcore drops with a large load on the cpu). 

So I increased my vcore by 3 increments (i know this is a bit much). It is now set at 1.27 I believe, but in actuality is about 1.25 at idle and as low as 1.21 at load.
It seems to be stable now (so far no rebooting), but my CPU temp hit 67 C at one point during a test, but most of the time it seems to be under 60C.

My core temps are giving DTS readings as low as 7 (7 C from tjmax, whatever that is for my cpu i'm not sure). Is this normal?

I know core temps are innacurate at lower temperatures, but should be within 1 degree of accuracy at very high temperatures.

My cpu is 45nm and I think its rated up to 1.36v. It is the Q9550.
Motherboard is Asus Rampage Formula with 0403 BIOS
DRAM is 2x2GB = 4GB HP2-6400 DDR2-800 Mushkin Memory @ 5-5-5-15 (auto timings)

thermaltake 750WATT toughpower PSU

Case is currently laying flat , with the side door closer, but the side door fan not attached. The side door fan is 250mm so I'm wondering if it would be a big different in temps if I turn that on.

I'm also thinking of putting arctic silver 5 on the North bridge because my NB is around 59 C at load and 52 or so at idle. (it is passively cooler with a copper heatsink.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Ops I thought it was an amd 9550 not an intel 9550. My mistake. You have no C&Q, it is called eist. It does the same thing; lowers vcore and cpu speed in relation to load.

I am not understanding this at all. You are concerned about temps and you are overclocking???

You do understand that overclocking voids your warranty on parts correct?


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