Few questions

[bolger]

Hi their, new to the forum so if this topic is against any rules or ettiquete (sp) please let me know.

First off, iv got a x2 athlon 4200 dual core cpu. Looking to overclock it but according to Everest, my cores run at different temps all the time. Core 1 runs at about 35c while core 2 runs at about 43c when idle.
Is it normal for one to idle at higher temps than the other constantly?

Question 2, what cooling aids could i buy to bring these temps down fairly cheaply.

Iv had a quick search for these questions so im hoping this topic is acceptable.

Thanks.

 

[cavemanoc]

Loads of options really - mostly dependant on budget - to do it cheaply you'd be looking at buying a better HSF (Heat sink and Fan) - Somthing like the new Sythe Ninja or the Thermaltake Big Typhoon with some Arctic Silver 5 applied would do the job - then just pick up a couple of Akasa Ultraquiet fans or Panaflo's and you'd be laughing!

Scythe Ninja: --------------- Big Typhoon:

And welcome to the forums

And from there have a read of the FAQ, it contains everything you need to get you started!:
Overclocking FAQ

 

[bolger]

Great thanks for your help

Think ill go for the big typhoon.

And for a really newbie question, how do i decide which size of fan to go for?



Edit : yeh iv read that FAQ, really good help.

 

[cavemanoc]

The Big Typhoon comes with it's own fan (you can see it in the picture) - so even though it doesn't cool quite as well as the Ninja (only a couple of degrees in it) at least you don't need to mess about - buy it, attach it, love it

Only thing I would say, is pick up some AS5 (arctic silver 5 - can be bought from Overclockers) and follow the guide HERE

Basically, all you have to do it put a blob the size of an uncooked grain on rice in the center of the Heatspreader and let the heatsink do the work - but please read the instructions - specifically for your socket 939 kit!

As a rule - always go for the biggest fan you can shoehorn into your case - normally this means going for 120mm instead of the old 80mm - you get more airflow for less noise You are now starting to see 140mm fans, which I can't wait to get my hands on, and I've even seen a 160mm one - though fitting that requires a bit of thought!

 

[bolger]

Fantastic thanks.

Just ordered a asaka ultra quiet 120mm, thermaltake big typhoon and some artic silver 5

On the subject of the 2 cores, is it normal for 1 core to run at a higher temp than the other one when both are idle?

Edit: 8 quid postage is a bit pricey

 

[SiriusB]

Are you positive both cores are idle? Seems like a big difference in temp to me, although admittedly I haven't actually seen separate temp readings for my 4400+ [didn't there were any separate diodes!]

SiriusB

 

[bolger]

Yeh iv looked at it over the past few days and at any one point, core 2 has been atleast 5c higher than core 1.

 

[cavemanoc]

That's a good one - I'll have to have a look at mine when I get home - can anyone remember if the cores are side by side or one on top of the other - might explain the difference?

I'd always expect a little bit of flex, but that does seem excessive - try the opposite - load them both up with 2 instances of Prime 95 and see if they behave under load - probably more useful, as they're never reall idle.

(Good choice on the amber - not the ultimate, but given the price it's what I go for every time, I have loads of them now. )

 

[bolger]

Okay so i bought the Big typhoon and fitted it today.
Iv noticed a change in temps, but not as much as i expected.
My cpu is still idleing about 32c(core1) and 40c(core2). I applied the artic silver 5 aswell.

Im just wondering why i cant get the temps down to what iv been reading from other people. Iv got 2 case fans (140mm and 120mm) and neat cables.

The only thing i cant think of is that my case is sitting pretty near the wall (2-3cm away), on the side that the heatsink intakes air, and im wondering if this will make a difference to air intake.

Iv not even overclocked the cpu much (4200 x2 at 2.5ghz with 1.35V).

Is it possible to increase the rpm of the big typhoon to make it more effective - i realise this will increase noise but its not a big factor for me at the moment.
Anyone got any ideas?

 

[bolger]

Anyone?

Sorry to bump but i really want to increase the speed of the fan on the big typhoon and i cant find out how to do it when searching google etc.

 

[cavemanoc]

If you've got time, get 2 instances of Prime 95 running so that both cores are maxed out at 100% and see what happens to the temps and the fan speed. The idle temp isn't too much of an issue as long as it keeps the chip nice and cool under load! I'm not sure about the fan control on the Typhoon - I'll have a dig and see what I can find.

 

[cavemanoc]

Right - looks like the fan controller is an optional extra on the Big Typhoon, and I'm guessing that you didn't get it. Not a great loss as it only lets you reduce the speed which is not what you want.

I'm a little skeptical of their published stats (54.4CFM for 16dBA) Seems a little optimistic to me, but hey - might be true.

If you want better performance, all I can now suggest is getting a meatier fan and putting it on (what are the specs for that 140mm fan you have - you could put that on?)

If you are willing to put up with the noise, the Deltas give give 190CFM at 59dBA But that is loud - could always get a fan controler.

or the YS-TECH FD1238 (125CFM @ 40.5dBA)

Run the system at 100% first though so you've got an accurate idea how it performs under load - the kit you've now got should be more than enough!

 

[bolger]

Okay great thanks a lot for your continues help caveman, much appreciated.


I think ill put up with the temps as it is, just hope the cpu lasts more than 6 months

Another question, slightly off topic again, but in cpu-z my memory frequency is 180mhz at 2.5-3-3-9. Im just wondering which setting ups the memory frequency as iv adjusted most and it hasn't altered the frequency

Sorry for all the questions

 

[cavemanoc]

The best advice I can give is have a look at the guide Here

If you've got a DFI board, you're laughing, if not, let us know what you've got and we can explain the subtle differences

Memory on 939's is a bit more complex than it used to be on the old Socket A stuff as we tend to run on dividers (even if they're 1:1) so the 'chip' and the 'memory' don't have to run at the same 'FSB' anymore.

In your bios you need to check a couple of things: (Quotes from that link I gave you)

Originally Posted by Wildstyle
HTT is your “FSB.” LDT is the HTT Multiplier (LDT = Lightning Data Transport)

So for example on your system we could use..
200 (HTT) * 5 (LDT) = 1000 (HyperTransport freq.)
HTT * LDT = HyperTransport Bus Frequency.

The DFI's (and Asus's's's) will happily run with their HyperTransport freq between 800 and 1200, but there is no advantage to going over 1000 and some instability may occur. Also, there is no real penalty for underclocking it - so if you keep it in the range 800-1000 you'll be fine.

What does that mean - up to 250 FSB you want the LDT (multiplier) to be 4, above 250 it should be set to 3 (250*4=1000; 300*3=900 )

Next to your question (sorry it took so long!)

The FSB is the speed your memory will run at (180 at the moment for you) provided you're running your divider at 1:1. The divider is just a ratio and has lots of options:

FSB=200 Divider=1:1 Memory=200
FSB=200 Divider=4:5 Memory=160
FSB=200 Divider=1:2 Memory=100
(Bear in mind that it's DDR ram so the 'real speed' is twice that number ie 200FSB 1:1 actually gives 400 hence DDR400)

Next step, try something like this:
Set the FSB to 220
Set the LDT to 4
Memory divider to 5:6 (will give close to 200)
Memory timings to auto (can play later)
See what it does

You 'should be able to get to 250*4 with the memory at 4:5 (still 200 ) without too many dramas - might need to tweak the voltage to the chip a bit - might not.

Get a copy of Prime 95 or Occt to test stability and Memtest (the dos boot version is built into the DFI bios!) is a must.

Read the Link - It's awesome

If none of the names mean anything because you have a different Mobo - get some screenshots of your bios (camera) and we should be able to decode them for you!)

Have fun!