hot Athlon

[bigfatdeal]

I just bought an Athlon XP 2000+ (Palomino, thouroghbred not available)and it seems to run really hot.
The board I am using is ASUS K7V333. The heat sink and fan are the ones that came with the chip. My current system (P3 550) seems to stabilize at around 55-60 degrees Centigrade (130-140 F approx.) but this chip and fan combination steadily heats up to beyond 75 Centigrade. And this is just by playing in the BIOS and booting from the floppy drive (I haven't installed an OS yet, wait... I haven't even hooked up the hard drive). This is beginning to worry me. And all this was done with the case open. Any suggestions?

 

[minendo]

Did you properly install the heatsink? Did you use the thermal pad or paste?

 

[Anubis]

makke sure the heat sink is on correctly and the fan in blowin in the right direction. in most cases this is down onto the chip

 

[bigfatdeal]

I used the heatsink provided by AMD. Just to clear things up, which is the right way to use the paste?
Do you
a)spread generously/lightly all over the heatsink base?
b)spread generously/lightly all over the processor die?
c)spread generously/lightly all over that curious metallic thing in the middle of the processor die?

The fan IS blowing onto the chip so that isn't the issue. Even I was wondering about the heatsink installation. At AMD's site, they say the phase-change paste at the bottom of the heatsink can be used only once. Does that mean I have to buy a new heatsink/fan?
Also, what is the normal operating temperature for a processor of this nature?

 

[cte]

I have a Athlon XP 1800+ and the same thing happens to me. I have used thermal paste and the heatsink is properly installed. The room is really small and if I use the the computer at daytime when the sun is shining right in the CPU temp may go to around 80-83 Celsius. That is when gaming. In the evening when the room is cooler it will stay in the 65-72 range. Which is okey. One thing that is good to know is that the ASUS A7V333 measuers the CPU temp perfectly on the CPU not by some sensor that is close to the CPU like most mobos.

I have bought some (3) chassi fans today. I will install them later on and see if it makes any change. Hopefully it does. If not i dont know what to do.

 

[blade]

Once you remove the heatsink everything has to be redone, you don't have to buy a new heatsink unless you want better cooling. Use isoprophl alchohol to clean the bottom of the heatsink and the cpu. Wait till dry, then apply a thin-even layer only on the raised cpu part. Then just a little on the heatsink bottom, rub around good and then wipe off with a lint-free napkin or cloth.

For detailed instructions go here

But with that heatsink and since it is summer, I doubt you'll see much improvement. Keep in mind cpu temps are affected by the room temp and your system temp. If both/either are hot the cpu will be warmer than it should. How warm is your room? And do you have an intake fan in front of the case and an outtake one at the rear?

Since that is about the worst cpu cooler there is, this is a slightly better solution while this one is much better. If you can afford it then the ax-7 will do you well. Just depends on your budget. Or wait till winter.

 

[jookz]

Just to let you know.. in the AMD spec the temp that your CPU will die at is 90 degrees C!!!! They also say that any time above 70 can cause permanent dammage. I would do something about those temps fast!

 

[Edman]

I just to have the same problem with my Athlon XP+ 1900, so I resolved with an Thermaltake Volcano 6Cu+ (copper base) and Artic Silver paste.

Temps:
Idle 49C
Full Load 55C

Hope this helps

 

[cte]

Hello again.

As i mentioned in my earlier post, my processor could ´reach 80-83 (it once reached 85) Celsius. Which was really scaring.

As I also mentioned I bought some chassi fans yesterday, I installed them when I got home from
work. AND IM PLEASED!. Three fans, 2 silent and one RPM-adjustable. That got the temperature down.
Installed one in the front and 2 in the back of the chassi. When idle in windows the temp was stable
at 62 Celsius. After 1h of AvP2 gaming the temp was 65 degrees. I think that is okey?

It is not as good as Enman.. Not by far. But since I have the same CPU-fan but the Silent version my fan
never goes higher that 2280 RPM.

65 should be allright, no?

 

[DongTran]

Invest in a GC68 from http://www.svcompucycle.com $6

click on picture, click no fan (it comes with a very quiet fan, no fan means no upgraded fan). MUCh quieter than the AMD relabled dynatron screamers....

I get 54 peak under load from each CPU on my xp2100.....

 

[bigfatdeal]

Well, with the case on it seems to stabilise at about 70 degrees Centigrade. I installed Windows XP, reboooted and checked the temperature in the BIOS. It seemed to hover around the 69-70 range. Must be because of the 2 fans that I have on the side of the case which suck air into it.

I think I'll invest in a Volcano 6. Living in India, we don't get the less popular stuff. I know for a fact that this particular dealer has the Volcano 6 and 7 but I can't afford the 7 so I'll probably stick to the 6. And maybe another fan for the rear of the case to suck out all the hot air or something.

And let's see how it goes...
Thanks guys for all the help.

 

[jarsoffart]

Maybe you put the CPU cooler on backwards?

 

[Mallow]

All I can say is wow... these temps are high. I usually try to keep my Athlon 1800+ <55. Actually at max load it is 42C. However, that is after some very good ventilation mods that others might not have the time to do. If you have very good ventilation IMO the CPU should run 4-6 degrees hotter than the ambient in the case.

 

[neomits]

Originally posted by: DongTran
Invest in a GC68 from http://www.svcompucycle.com $6

click on picture, click no fan (it comes with a very quiet fan, no fan means no upgraded fan). MUCh quieter than the AMD relabled dynatron screamers....

I get 54 peak under load from each CPU on my xp2100.....

I don't see the GC68 on that page?

 

[amdskip]

here's a direct link

 

[daywalker]

Hmmm.. very high temps. I have an AMD Duron 1Ghz with a "so-so" HSF, using the thermal pad and i have 49C with my case being open, since its summertime. I clean it from dust and stuff once a week and everything works A-OK.

Sheesh... it seems than an expensive HSF is a must-buy if you want to have stable and low temps on an Athlon...

 

[bigfatdeal]

Originally posted by: jarsoffart
Maybe you put the CPU cooler on backwards?

Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that there is only one way to install the AMD heatsink/fan.
That retention clip pretty much takes care of that issue.

Oh, and I bought the Volcano 6 Cu+. Now all I need is some isopropyl alcohol to clean up the mess left by the thermal paste...