Can't cool those Q6600 CPUs enough

[whitav8 98]

First off, thanks much to Nick and the other experts who help us all tune our PCs for FSX! I used this help a lot in putting together a G0 q6600/8800GT PC recently. My problem is that CoreTemp is reporting >60 deg temps on my Q6600 even without overclocking. I have a NZXT Hush Mid-Tower with two 120mm fans (set at max speed from BIOS), a XFX 680i LT mobo, and a 8800GT along with, at first, a Thermaltake 775D CPU fan which I just upgraded to an ASUS Lion Square which was reviewed (http://legitreviews.com/article/728/1/) as being quite good. I just don't get anywhere close to their results (before or after the CPU cooler upgrade) in that I get over 60 deg with no overclocking and over 70 at 3.2. Their results show less than 50 with 3.0 overclock and running super-PI (I use Prime 95 but I also tried super-pi). In summary, I get at least 10->15 more deg C (Using CoreTemp) than the reviews and this keeps me from overclocking - I know that I can run at 3.2Ghz reliably but don't want to fry the CPUs. I tried different amounts of thermal paste (maybe too much and then too little?) and removing the side panel seems to take off about 5 deg but what gives? Why such a disparity from the reviews?Thanks for the helpwhitav8

[Guest D17S]

Sounds like your temps are fine. A Q6600's 4 cores will average in the mid to hi 70s under a Prime load. Your cooling looks fine. 50C under load is just not reasonable. The Q66 is designed to auto-clock-down at 95C and auto-shut-down at 100. Intel has these limits in place to Save CPUs from RMAs, NoT to cause them! Mid-Hi 70s is just cruzzzin' along. Go ahead and take 'em to 3.6.You have LoTs of room.

[veldthui 0]

I have a Q6700 @ 2.66 and my cores were also running at 60-62 degrees under full load. I thought this was a bit high as when I tried to overclock FSX went crazy as through it was being throttled.I was using the standard intel heatsink so went and brought a Artic Freezer Pro 7 for NZ$58 and installed it. The fan is touching one ram stick (Corsair with cooling fins on top of it) but no orries otherwise. I have mine overclocked to 3.0Ghz at present and Max load temps are now 50 degrees. Idling this morning they were lucky to get out of the twenties but are now sitting at 28 at idle.Very easy to install and took all of about 15 minutes and well worth the money.John Veldthuishttp://www.virtualpilots.org/signatures/vpa475.png

[Guest D17S]

Keep in mind the difference between Tc and Tj. Tc will run ~15C below the average of all 4 Tjs. 28C is a mildly warm day. Temp sensors can provide info in extremely "approximate" graduations and common sense's gotta go along with determining what's what.

[Guest Nick_N]

Temps depend on what software you are reading. Using a correctly calibrated SpeedFan for the offset I run a QX6700 1.47v Vcore @ 3.6Ghz on a Thermalright 120 extreme and it tops out at 72c (average core diode temp) and idles at right around 49. The case temp sensor (not the tower, the CPU case) is always 10-13c lower. That 72c top end is during the summer and is not the full load temp using OCCT or other stress testing software... using those tools I can see 80c which is fine since TjM is 100c and 85c is the top end I would want the processor to ever hit.You cannot damage them because they have an internal thermal limit control which will shut the system down at about 90-95c, just under the point of no return. I have even fired the tower up with the CPU HSF off an Intel slug with no damage to it, just shuts down right away. I dont suggest anyone try that. I can afford to play.If that is a later revision Q6 you are running then your TjM is 110, not 100 like the Q7 or the original rlease Q6600 so you have room to work. Just keep it under 80c though as a rule. I have a 9770 as well but do not run it as high (Vcore wise) as the QX6700 but it runs hot as well. The 45nm CPU's are can be a pain to clock on larger memory amounts and the older B3 quads are much more clock friendly in that respect because they can take the Vcore increases.From your description and the tower side coming off dropping temps 5c it sounds to me like the airflow in that tower is not right, and, the heat sink may not be as good as you thought it was. To tell you the truth the best quad heatsink is either the Zalman or the thermalright, thermalright 120 being the best. I can remove my tower sides and temps will only drop 1-2c which means they are correctly set up for flow.Thermal dynamics in a tower can be difficult to work out if you do not have experience with it. Make sure the cables are all retained and not hanging all over the tower. Also, most towers have perf metal fan ports.. those are garbage and typically reduce a towers airflow ability by 50% or more. When you purchase a tower always purchase one with open fan ports and a removable wire grill such as shown here.. http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/pro...-163-090-08.jpgIf the fan ports look like this it's trash...http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/pro...-133-133-07.jpgThat port shown in the tower above needs to be cut out with tin snips and a grill like this useed in its place...http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/pro...-999-204-04.jpgAll the fan ports should be made like that.120mm rear fan expelling and an intake fan on the side door is usually a good idea however there are towers that work fine without the side door fanIt sounds to me like a combination of problems with heat sink and airflow however the temps being high are typical for a quad

[whitav8 98]

Nick, Sam,and John Thanks much for your efforts to provide the info on quad temps - Nick, the photo of the "bad" tower case looks just like mine - I would have thought that TigerDirect would have been more discerning since it sold the case/quad/PSU as a combo package. I will open up the rear port and add a grill as you say to increase the flow - I also think that the PSU should be further away from the quad as you show for a better case - BTW, do you have a recommendation for a mid tower case? Nick, you said "Temps depend on what software you are reading. Using a correctly calibrated SpeedFan for the offset I run a QX6700 1.47v Vcore @ 3.6Ghz on a Thermalright 120 extreme and it tops out at 72c (average core diode temp) and idles at right around 49. The case temp sensor (not the tower, the CPU case) is always 10-13c lower." I'm not sure how to calibrate but I enclosed a small JPEG that shows a screen capture of SpeedFan when I am running FSX with NO overclocking.Thanks again for the help. BTW, I am an engineering flight sim developer for Boeing and we use much of the same hardware as for FSX at home, but have BOXX or some other company build it for us. We do the out-the-window scene with Quadros (8800 Ultras with 1.5 gb memory) but develop the scene software in OpenGL and require it to run at 60HZ. Doing it at home for <$1000 or so is a trick - glad you all have so much experience.Dave

[whitav8 98]

Hi y'all, Just another quick post with SpeedFan results for Idle and FSX loaded - jpeg attachments. The CPUs are running at 3.2 Ghz (not 2.4)Dave

[Guest harleyman52]

Those temps are fine..I run the Q6600 @ 3.42 and my temps are like that........About once a week I open core temp...load FSX into windowed so I can watch all 4 cores getting hot and fly over demanding scenery and watch the temps...As stated before..Intel will shut her down when you get close to TJ........not to worry....

[Guest Nick_N]

>Hi y'all,> Just another quick post with SpeedFan results for Idle and>FSX loaded - jpeg attachments. The CPUs are running at 3.2 Ghz>(not 2.4)>>DaveBoeing Brat are you?LOL!Dave those temps are a bit high and I can not tell you if speedfan is picking that up correctly. I would like to see the CORE readouts at 80c max or lessThis can get confusing because of all the different methods of checking that temphttp://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=190193If that is a newer Q6600 then the Tj is 110, if older its 100... you really want to try and stay at least 20-30c under that if possible so using the REALTEMP look at the reported TjMax and CoreTemp, look at the TjMax shown. See if they both agree on Tj and be aware RealTemp is well known to show the lower value and calculate by the case temp of the slug with a few stepping models.http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/See if coretemp shows the TjMax at 110.. if it does you want the cores to stay BELOW 85c but I would get that tower fixed too.. I really do think you are suffering from airflow problems and possibly a poor HSF design on top of it. On your clock I think you should be down around 75c max with FSX. Vcore should not need to be that high on a Q6600 clock @ 3Ghz.. many can do that without changing Vcore at all and leave it on default.

[whitav8 98]

Nick (and others) The major thing that you pointed out was simply that I had left the CPU voltage on AUTO when overclocking to 3.2Ghz instead of inching it up manually - so far 1.30625 looks reliable and I enclose a snapshot of the temp results - much better!! Thanks for the catch! As far as the rear case fan, I have the side off for now and will work that problem some more. I have no idea how to cut out the large hole without taking everything out which of course is a bit of work. Thanks again for all the help!Dave

[Guest D17S]

If you've got the cooling, that Q will run at 3.6Ghz with a vCore of 1.45 (droops to 1.42 _ Droop is Good) with temps in the high 70s. A good - permanent - strategy might be to leave Intel's SpeedStep enabled. This will drop the multi to 6 and run the CPU at 6X x 400 = 2.4Ghz for emailing and general stuff. It'll kick the multi up to 9X anytime it sees a load. It's bulletproof. Works great. You might also want to use Vista's sleep function. New mobo hardware and Vista get along great. With these two strategies, I've cut my 'puter running power consumption (and expense) by 75%. Over a year (or years) this Really can make a difference, for yourself . . . and for us all. Think "carbon footprint." Thanks, from us all.

[Guest jahman]

>the best quad heatsink is either the Zalman or the thermalright,>thermalright 120 being the best.Check the thermalright IFX-14. According to the reviews I've seenit appears to be the best air-cooled solution due to its four 8 mmheatpipes (all others sport 6 mm pipes), comparable to water cooling.(Unfortunately too tall for my 4U case so I had to pass on it.)IFX-14: http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/pro...ler_ifx-14.htmlTHG: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-co...008,1779-8.htmlMad Shrimps: http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticl...204&articID=673Cheers,- jahman.