P4 1.6A Temps???

[Matthew]

Hi,
Recently built a P4 system - all is well, but the temps are running too high. My system setup:

Skt 478 P4 1.6A @stock speed.
Intel retail cooler
Giga-byte GA-8IRM Matx
512Mb Pc2100 @266Mhz
40Gb Maxtor
20Gb Seagate
GeForce4 4200 128Mb...

currently on idle the temps are averaging 55-58 C, and on load are averaging 65-68 C. The board temp is averaging 35C. However, at these temps the heatsink (Intel retail one) is not even warm to the touch... though at these temps, there should be a hot touch to it, right? A good coat of Artic Silver 3 is applied... and the system is housed in a ATCS 600, with 2 60mm intakes and a 60mm exhaust.

I have not come across any inaccurate readings from Giga-byte boards, so any suggestions??? Anything is welcome?
Readings from both Sandra and MBM5 read the same temps as above.

[Matthew]

Just in case u say readings from Sandra or MBM5 are too high anyway, the Bios readings give a nice 48C at boot, and when left for an additional minute rise to over 55C so after booting to Windows and loaded, i do believe they will hit the previous temps.

[Alan]

I had a P4 1.6GHz in an ATC600 until recently. (I made the mistake of upgrading to a 2GHz).
Back to the 1.6, I used the stock cooler without arctic silver. The cooler had a black square on the base, and the Intel instructions said don't use anything else. I didn't and the temps. were - idle 31°C running up to 45°C after lots of 3DMark 2001 SE runs. I overclocked the CPU to 2,130MHz and the temperatures were only a couple of degrees higher. The mobo was an AOPEN MX4B
I put the 1.6GHz on an Abit BD7II mobo in a Neon Light steel case. I had to clean the black stuff of the CPU and used a new Intel cooler (with a fresh load of black stuff on the bottom. The temperature is now typically 42°C at idle and 55°C under load.
I scraped off the black stuff and replaced with Arctic silver III. No difference.
I suspect it's simply the sensor chip but I have one small suspicion.
The black frame that sits on the motherboard into which sits and clicks the cooler. How is it fixed to the motherboard?
The AOPEN came already assembled with a plate on the underside of the mobo but on the Abit BD7-II, I had to fit the frame to the holes using little pegs in each corner. These are pushed down when you put the frame in the holes BUT, I suspect, the heads of the pegs appear ro sit a teensy little bit proud of the surround and I suspect that it is holding the cooler off the chip by a baw hair. It's still making contactr, but not perfect contact.
Hope this helps

[Matthew]

to alan,
thanks for your personal account. on my intel stock cooler, i have removed the black paste and applied AS III.

your last suggestion, about the black frame maybe the problem. anyhow, i am going to purchase a Zalman Flower cooler - this will be the model that attaches directly to the motherboard holes - so the black frame is going to have to be removed. this should sort out the problem once and for all... i will post further updates shortly.
thanks for your help.

btw, how do u find the cooling of the ATCS600? i would think twice about using a AMD setup in there - infact, i would not think about it!

[Alan]

I wanted the ATC600 as my case and I considered only the P4 since it runs so cool. The newer .13 micron Athlons should be OK but if I was using an Athlon in the ATC600 I would use the Cooler Master copper heat pipe cooler (HHC-001). The fan is Delta-like and spins at 7,500rpm when connected directly to the mobo. I used a Zalman Fan Mate because it was a bit raucous at full tilt. Maximum rpm fitted to the Fan Mate was 6,800rpm and it would go down to 2,400rpm. It will fit in the ATC600 - so does the Zalman flower but the fan is just below the lid and no more and I suspect air intake will be restricted.
The HHC-001 will definitely keep the Athlon at a tolerable temperature.
BTW in my case, the CPU temperature is less than the chassis when at idle. This is a first for me and I'm on my third CM case.

[Matthew]

Alan,
I now have the Zalman Flower fitted... height wise, its acceptable. I have a sheet of perspex bonded to the underside of the top of the case (as a window) and with this, there is still a good 1 1/2 inch of free space - definitely enough for air to flow.

as for the HeatPipe from Coolermaster - i have that cooler in my Athlon system - its the YY Server Cube, and I have changed the fan (its more delta-noise than anything) to a good/quieter YS tech. temps have increased slightly, but within good temp range...

I will update further when I get new temps recorded. Cheers.