Hotter than Hell!

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31 Aug 2005
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19
...and I haven't even started overclocking it yet!

I just completed a Quad core build using the components below and was hoping to get a modest overclock to around 3GHz. I must have done something major wrong as it's running extremely hot at stock speeds.

Case: Lian Li V1100 Plus
Chip: Xeon X3220 (2.4GHz)
Board: Asus P5W64-WS Pro
GFX: EVGA 8800GTS 320Mb Superclocked
PSU: Enermax Liberty 720W
Memory: 4Gb Corsair 6400C4
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9700-NT (using AS5)
Case fans: Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM (rear) and Akasa AK-183-L2B Amber (front) + Lian-Li exhaust blower
Hard drives: 5x Western Digital Caviar RE2 500GB

With all the fans flat out, TAT reports idle temps of 69, which jump to over 80 under load! (and this is only testing 2/4 cores). Asus Probe seems to under-report by about 13 degrees, which is also odd.

temps.jpg


Here's the layout - any ideas on where I've gone wrong?

hot1.jpg


hot2.jpg
 
Take off the cooler and see what the contact is like, the c2d chips are renounded for having a concave IHS (due to the soldering of the IHS direct to the core). Remember, that being quad core means you have two dies under there side by side - kicking out a lot of heat. So good contact all around on the IHS is important.

The imprint of the AS5 should tell you just how good contact is.

Also the V series lian li back fan is supposed to be an intake, not an exhaust like you have it set to at the moment.
 
Mekrel said:
Also the V series lian li back fan is supposed to be an intake, not an exhaust like you have it set to at the moment.
Click to expand...
Do you mean the brown Noctua fan or the Lian-Li exhaust (by the GFX card)?

The 12v is showing as a steady 12.25v too - is this a problem?

I also had to mount the PSU upside down to leave some airspace for the 135mm fan (which is now underneath). Is this ok?
 
The Noctua :)

Software apps never get rails and temperatures right (apart from TAT/Core temp as these read direct from digital sensors inside the processor). So 12.25v won't be correct and even if it was, it will be within ATX spec for the 12v rail.

With regards to the PSU upside down isn't the best idea being as heat rises and a PSU ventilates itself by drawing air through it and out the back. So with the fan will be pushing warm air back into the PSU that was released by the PSU in the first place.

I had a V1200 which had a perferated bottom part so that PSU sucked in fresh air from outside the case. Does the V1100 not have this?

I noticed yours is sat on the carpet which means it wouldn't make much difference either way unless the case comes with castors like the other V1 series do.
 
Mekrel said:
I had a V1200 which had a perferated bottom part so that PSU sucked in fresh air from outside the case. Does the V1100 not have this?

I noticed yours is sat on the carpet which means it wouldn't make much difference either way unless the case comes with castors like the other V1 series do.
Click to expand...
It does have a perforated base and castors, but I had to remove them to fit the case into my desk (it doesn't normally sit on the carpet. :)).

So just to be clear... the rear fan needs to blow air TOWARDS the CPU fan, not suck air away from it? And the large PSU fan should be sitting right under the aluminium shelf? I inverted it as I didn't think it could get any airflow that way round.
 
The PSU situation seems to be a no winner, at the moment you've got the PSU fighting against convection which isn't the best. Which is why all top fan mounts in cases are exhaust.

Putting it the correct way won't work either as without the castors the case will be sat dead against your desk and air won't be able to be pulled in.

Yes, the noctua should be pushing air into the case.

I still think the cause of the bad temps are:

1) The mount of that cooler isn't making good contact with the processor.
2) The 9700 is not actually a very good heatsink, well not for a quad anyway. In a review on Xtremesystems - the 9700 cooled test failed orthos tests due to too high temperatures before any of the other coolers which were probably Scythe Ninja Rev B, Tuniq Tower etc.
 
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Mekrel said:
The Noctua :)
Click to expand...


He'll also have to flip the cooler around 180 degrees if he changes the rear fan around. My bet is on poor contact though... I am using a freezer 64 pro in my v1200 with the rear fan set to exhaust air with no intake and I am getting 28c idle on both cores (e6300 @ 2.8ghz)

Edit: As for the PSU have it facing down, even with no holes in the bottom there is more space for it.
 
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Raikiri said:
He'll also have to flip the cooler around 180 degrees if he changes the rear fan around. My bet is on poor contact though... I am using a freezer 64 pro in my v1200 with the rear fan set to exhaust air with no intake and I am getting 28c idle on both cores (e6300 @ 2.8ghz)

Edit: As for the PSU have it facing down, even with no holes in the bottom there is more space for it.
Click to expand...
what are you using to read those temps, when i got that low with my E6300 and ACF7 they were wrong and were actually 47 idle
 
Core temp, I am however using a 1000rpm 120mm fan on it.

Edit: Oh and from another thread, what case do you have? :p
 
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