G0 Q6600 Hits over 70 degrees during load, should I be worried?

[BronxBartoni]

So I noticed my cpu was runnin a little hot, as in 2 of the cores idle at around 40-43, and the other two at 47-49? When stressed it hits over 70 degrees. The ambient here in my basemen is about 70 F, and nothing is overclocked. So I went thru and reseated it with some AS5, no change at all. Bad mount maybe? Im just wondering if I am damaging my CPU.

 

[graysky]

If you're running 9x266 you have problems with those load temps. What is your cooling setup? What is your vcore?

Here is a section taken from my overclocking guide about thermal managment:

An overclocked quad system is often limited by the amount of heat it’s producing, and the ability of the heat sink and fans to dissipate it. If you’re getting high temps, there are a number of things you can do to help. Most of them are hardware related:

• Minimize your vcore first (described in the guide)!
• Good contact between the CPU and Heat sink is a must. A major bang-for-the-buck modification in this regard is lapping the surfaces that transfer heat (the base of your heat sink and the top of your CPU). This involves gently moving the surface along wet/dry sand paper in increasing grits on a flat surface such as a piece of glass. I did both the base of my Ultra-120 Extreme and the IHS (Internal Heat Spreader) on my Q6600 and saw some pretty dramatic decreases in load temps.

It should be noted that lapping your HS and/or CPU will void the warranty. Comparing my stock HS/CPU to my lapped HS/CPU, on average lapping lowered the coolest core by 7 °C and the hottest core by 10 °C. To read more about lapping your heat sink and CPU see these two threads; I have results and pictures of the process:

Lapping Q6600 IHS
Lapping the Ultra-120 Extreme

• Consider an upgrade to a more efficient heat sink (like the few mentioned in the beginning of the guide). Remember that a quad core chip will produce about 2x the heat compared to a dual core chip. You really do need to consider using an extreme HS if you plan to overclock a quad.
• Consider an upgrade to the cooling fan on the heat sink to something that has more flow. Most of the larger HS’s will use a 120mm fan. Some have the option for two fans. I think the fastest 120mm fan you can use is around 1600 RPMs. If you have a slower one, you might consider upgrading.
• Reseat your heat sink and make sure you’re using a quality TIM (thermal interface material) such as AS5. Consider rotating the HS 90 degrees if it is designed to do so. I seem to get better contact with my Ultra-120 Extreme when it’s orientated “North/South” than when it’s orientated “East/West.”
• Re-evaluate the way you’re applying the TIM/don’t use too much or make sure you’re using enough. Thermal pastes aren’t all created equally. Some are reported to be better than others. I have always used Arctic Silver 5 on my CPUs (and AS3 and AS1 before that). You can find all sorts of posts out there showing one to be better than another. I’ll leave it up to you to pick one. Again, I like AS5. Here is a shot of my q6600 installed in the MB with AS5 right before I added the HS. It shows the right amount in my opinion given a lapped HS and CPU (which is a thicker line than I used before); the red triangle I drew shows where that tag is on the CPU, remember that on quad core chips, the dies are placed in a different located relative to a dual core, see the instructions on AS5's website for more on this.

• Use good cable management inside your case. Use twist ties or tie downs to bunch cables and keep them out of the way of airflow.
• Make sure you have adequate airflow inside the case and make sure you’re using a well ventilated case. People often overlook this, but it’s important. Not all cases are designed for good airflow. I have an Antec P182 which is a great design. Make sure you have several exhaust fans and at least one intake fan. 120mm fans move more air than smaller 80mm fans do and also run much more quietly.

 

[BronxBartoni]

Its on the stock cooler with all the settings at stock, could have used a real answer instead of a copy/paste from your sticky......

 

[equalme]

Its on the stock cooler with all the settings at stock, could have used a real answer instead of a copy/paste from your sticky......

Difference in temps. on the cores could mean that the surfaces of either the HSF or IHS are not flat. Another possibility is that you're still not applying the thermal paste correctly.

Try the following:
1.) open the side of your computer case to allow fresh air in. If temp. drops drastically, then you do not have adequate airflow in the case.
2.) Press down on the HSF, if the temp. drops, then it means you're still not making good contact.

 

[graysky]

Its on the stock cooler with all the settings at stock, could have used a real answer instead of a copy/paste from your sticky......

Pretty sarcastic attitude for a dude with his hand out.... I'll ask you for the 2nd time: what is your vcore? If you took the time to read by "non-real" answer, you'd know that vcore plays a major role in heat production. Secondly, if you're using the stock HSF, I would recommend that you upgrade it to something more capable at cooling quads. That POS isn't good for a dual core chip in my opinion. Finally, consider lapping them both. See the two links contained in my "non-real" answer.