2 identical systems one is 20C hotter!!

[imassey]

Hi all!
I've been using some of the info on PCMech over the past few years to build myself some PC's and for the first time have run into a problem I can't figure out.

I have 2 systems, one which I built for my dad and one for me. The systems are identical in every way. The problem I am having is that the CPU in mine is always running 20 degrees C hotter than my dad's and it idles at about 47 deg C.

The processor is an Intel Core 2 Extreme Q6850
The CPU cooler is an external Zalman liquid cooler. I upgraded mine thinking it would help the temp problem. It dropped the temp a lot on my dad's but mine is only slightly cooler.

All 12 Case fans are blowing in the right direction and the GPU's are nice and cool.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem might be??

I am using speedfan to look at the temps, also can use nvidia's system monitor, they both are giving the same numbers.

Thanks in advance for reading this and your help!!

Nik

PS my dad's system is idling at 30 degrees C and both computers operate in very similar climates.

[1life2live4]

1. Did you put compound on the processor thats hot.
2. Make sure all 4 clips are down. sometimes people think a clip is down and its not.

12 fans ha ( Lordy ) thats a lot of fans. If your that worryed about cooling just get

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106117

I just installed one, Its the bomb I idle at 19C , 21C - Check it out : )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dphxsRoganQ

[Peli]

I only have 3 Case fans, and mine idles at 28 - 35 C.

Even if the fans aren't that great, it depends on the heatsink and cpu fan.

You probably didn't pin the heat sink down correctly, happened to me and my temps went to 50-60 instantly.

[RoadStar]

What do the temps show if you enter BIOS? Maybe a bad sensor (I doubt) or maybe speedfan isn`t showing the true temps. Software based temp apps are good if they show you what you want to see but are bad if they show you what you don`t want to see. Flaky at best. I trust the true temps as reported in BIOS. Also, if you can in BIOS, set an alarm to go off at a temp reading of say 60 degrees C and then stress the system.

Also, have you found that your system runs less stable than your Dad`s? If heat is an issue, first things will become unstable and you will a load of errors, if you are lucky, more than likely, if the HS is installed improperly, you will fry your CPU.

[not important]

How "similar" are the environments? Is your PC in the open or inside a cabinet? I would also say your thermal paste is not applied properly or your CPU cooler is not secured correctly.

[oryx]

What are the motherboard temperature readings?

[Masaki 7-11]

Load up CPU-Z on both computers, I'm pretty sure that the voltage is higher on your computer than on your dad's computer. If that is the case, you could try to lower the voltage in the bios to the level of your dad's computer.

[MaxRat]

I would post up all the temp readings for the 2 PCs....if it's cooler in one room that the other that will make a difference...if the cases and fans arent the same and in the same dirrection that will make a difference....

if one of the CPU IHS surfaces isnt flat that will make a difference....Check the contact patch on the hottest CPU and see...too many variables....you're going to have to check them all....

[imassey]

Hi again,
I am looking into a lot of different factors.

I checked to make sure that the cooler was properly attached, I removed it, cleaned the surfaces of the chip and the cooler and reattached them using arctic silver paste as the heat transfer medium.

The operating environment of my machine is now cooler than my dad's and dryer, but the issue is still the same.

All of the fans are blowing in the proper direction, there is one difference, I have my fans attached to fan speed controllers and dropped down to 25% of max. I decided to test them by cranking them all to 100% The temperature of the overall system dropped a bit, but the processor temperature dropped anly about a degree.

As for the system voltages, both machines have nvidia 680sli boards and have the cpu voltages set to auto. I will check and see what the actual voltage is the next time I boot it up and get my dad to do the same, but we can actually monitor that through the nvidia control panel while in windows.

In the bios itself, I checked the cpu temp before getting into wondows and it actually said the temp was higher than the software readings at 55 degrees C.

I will take some of the previous advice and give some of the other variables a look.

From what I can tell thus far though, the issue does not seem to be cooling, it seems to be hardware settings or maybe (hopefully not!) there is something wrong with the processor.

I'll let you know what I come up with and if any of you have some more advice or things to check, let me know.

I greatly appreciate all of your help thus far!!

[imassey]

Just to let you all know, just checking the voltage that it has set for auto is 1.40V

[imassey]

Here are some temp readings from the bios:
This is booting up just now not having run the computer in 24 hours
CPU=51 C
Board=28 C
MCP=49 C

[Masaki 7-11]

Just to let you all know, just checking the voltage that it has set for auto is 1.40V

Sounds like the voltage is a little high, try changing the voltage to 1.3 and see if it works at that setting (If it boots into windows, use a burn-in program for at least one hour to see how the system handle and see if there is an improvement in temperature).

If the computer doesn't boost at 1.3 voltage, you'll need to restart the computer once or multiple times depending on the motherboard in order to clear the CMOS (Leave at least 10 seconds between each restart as restarting it more often than that can induce an electrical charge on components and stop them from working properly, I accidentally wiped a hard drive by restarting the computer too often in a short period of time).

If the boot at 1.3 voltage doesn't happen and you reset the bios, try lowering the voltages in increment os 0.1 until your computer fails to boot again. At that point, you will need to clear the CMOS and use the lowest voltage that previously worked.

Most likely your computer will boot up fine with 1.3 voltage, but it's important to have some information on troubleshooting if something doesn't work out how it's supposed to.

[imassey]

I rebooted at 1.3 V and then cpu temp dropped 10 degrees c to 41 C but the board and MCP temps are the same.

[Masaki 7-11]

I rebooted at 1.3 V and then cpu temp dropped 10 degrees c to 41 C but the board and MCP temps are the same.

Changing the CPU voltage usually won't affect the temperature of the motherboard or the MCP. What kind of voltage is the north and south bridge running at? How are you temperatures during load?

[glc]

if the HS is installed improperly, you will fry your CPU.

Negative. Intel processors have internal shutdown circuitry to prevent this.

[imassey]

Will look into the NB and SB, and glc is correct, my computer will simply restart as soon as the processor gets to hot, ie when I'm running LOTRO and maxed out res I get restarts after an hour or so because the processor just gets too hot. I have noticed now that the stability is better with the lower voltage. Also I have been reading a lot about people having the same problems with other EVGA boards, I may make a change of motherboard soon probably to ASUS, I have had a terrible time with EVGA products and drivers thus far.

Thanks again for all the help!!

[MaxRat]

did you check the contact patch on the CPU or did you just re-apply new TIM?

If you dont check the contact patch you wont know if the IHS or the Heatsink isnt flat....


How I do it is this.....

Clean both surfaces with Goof-off or goo-be-gone to get the down deep clean then I follow with 95% alcohol (from Walgreens or equivalent) then I take a half grain sized amount of TIM and put it in the center of the IHS

I take a credit card and spread this over the surface as even and as thin as i can...doesnt need to be out to the edges but over the middle core close to the edge (I leave a 1/4in to the edge)

I will then seat the heatsink and when it's clamped down I will give a slight twist back and forth to make sure it pushes out any high spots....

then I will re-pull the sink and look at the surfaces...did it make contact every where the TIM was...?

it should defeinitely make contact on the center....if you see any smooth marks in the TIM with no pull or transfer there is no contact...if there is no contact there is no heat transfer....

Some Intel IHS and some heatsinks are not flat and can result in a 10c-20c temp increase from poor contact...putting more TIM on helps but isnt the answer because more TIM hinders transfer...