i5 2500k NH-D14 temperatues - Are they too high?

[hopelessitguy]

Ok i have recently built my new, and first, rig. Had a little trouble with some software issues but the great guys here helped handle that. So i thought i would see if more help could be recieved.

With i5 2500k, nh-d14 and a corsair 600t white case i am experiencing idle temperatures of about 36/37 to about 40 ( C ). Now i am new to the whole thing but thought they would be lower as i had people telling me it would be kept very cool. When i ran Prime 95 for 10minutes the temp was at 51-53.

So are these normal, or is this high? I was wanting to OC, but these are just stock temps. Im trying to know if i have installed it correctly (more about the paste part as i had not done it before. i dont believe i put too much paste on.

Any advice would be much appriciated.

 

[Sardonicus]

Those are pretty good temps, well within the safe range.
You may be able to get temps lower, depending on fan placement and setup, thermal compound and how it was applied, and other variables like room temperature.
But, well within the safe range.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/intel_application_method.html

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Those temps fall inline with what I've heard and read.

 

[Mashed1316]

Hello there, Mate!

Well, let me explain something first: the CPU temps are really (i mean, REALLY) variable and it takes a lot of factors to realize if it is a cool temperature. These are the most important variables:

1) Room/Ambient temps. These temps are really important in your investigation.
2) Airflow inside your case. Front and side of the case = intake, rear and upper side of the case = exhaust
3) NH-D14 configuration. right fan = intake, left fan = exhaust.

Did you check all those?

 

[hopelessitguy]

Those are pretty good temps, well within the safe range.
You may be able to get temps lower, depending on fan placement and setup, thermal compound and how it was applied, and other variables like room temperature.
But, well within the safe range.

Arctic Silver Incorporated - Home

I am fine with it if it is said to be fine. my concern was obviously that of a new builder that i didnt want to cook my stuff.


Also i ran CPU-Z and it says that my cpu is only running at 1605.5Mhz (x16 100Mhz). is this because its ina idle power saving mode or something, or will it always be like that?

Hello there, Mate!

Well, let me explain something first: the CPU temps are really (i mean, REALLY) variable and it takes a lot of factors to realize if it is a cool temperature. These are the most important variables:

1) Room/Ambient temps. These temps are really important in your investigation.
2) Airflow inside your case. Front and side of the case = intake, rear and upper side of the case = exhaust
3) NH-D14 configuration. right fan = intake, left fan = exhaust.

Did you check all those?

1 - my clock says its 24/15 degrees in my room (i dont know how reliable that is tho, but weather outside house is 19 apparantly)
2 - Air flow isall stock fans for 600t (200mm fan intake at front, 200mm top exhaust, 120mm rear exhaust)
3 - the noctua fans seem like they are installed correctly. front facing, the right fan is sucking in, the middle fan seems to be pulling in same direction to blow out the back.

 

[Mashed1316]

Also i ran CPU-Z and it says that my cpu is only running at 1605.5Mhz (x16 100Mhz). is this because its ina idle power saving mode or something, or will it always be like that?

Yes. Intel SpeedStep causes this, it's ok, you can disable it but it won't give you any increase in performance.

Well, apparently everything is ok, so... as linnemeyerhere said: those temps should fall inline with time. do you have a lot of time with this configuration?

 

[hopelessitguy]

Also i ran CPU-Z and it says that my cpu is only running at 1605.5Mhz (x16 100Mhz). is this because its ina idle power saving mode or something, or will it always be like that?

Yes. Intel SpeedStep causes this, it's ok, you can disable it but it won't give you any increase in performance.

Well, apparently everything is ok, so... as linnemeyerhere said: those temps should fall inline with time. do you have a lot of time with this configuration?

Does this mean do i intend on using these parts for a long time? yes i do have alot of time to spend with this set up

 

[Sardonicus]

Heat kill components. The cooler they are, the longer they'll last.
People drop temps a few degrees more by applying AS5 and using their instructions.
It's a good thing that your processor idles running at 1.6 Ghz. That saves power and produces less heat.
When the processor needs to kick up to 3.3 GHz, it will.
When I play a game, mine jumps to and stays at 3.4 GHz.

Seems like you can get the CPU temps lower considering the room temps you posted.

 

[Mashed1316]

Nono, what i meant was:

When did you put the Noctua NH-D14 in your case? because it normally takes up to 200hrs of PC use for the Thermal Paste/Compound to break in correctly.

 

[Sardonicus]

Nono, what i meant was:

When did you put the Noctua NH-D14 in your case? because it normally takes up to 200hrs of PC use for the Thermal Paste/Compound to break in correctly.

Punkster, has a good point. You do have to allow time for the paste to cure.

 

[hopelessitguy]

Nono, what i meant was:

When did you put the Noctua NH-D14 in your case? because it normally takes up to 200hrs of PC use for the Thermal Paste/Compound to break in correctly.

oh i see... hmm well ive had it runing for a 24 hour test to make sure it was semi stable. The build was done on wednesday so it hasnt been that long i guess.

 

[Mashed1316]

Yep, you need to let it break in for at least 200hrs of use time.

But don't worry about that. If the Noctua NH-D14 was placed correctly and if the thermal compound was applied correctly, temps should go down a bit. if they don't, you could always check if your Noctua fans have the RPM regulators connected. That could be the reason.

Less RPM = less air flow but more quietness. (this means your rig will be quiet, but less heat will be pulled in/out of the case)
More RPM = more air flow but less quietness. (this means the exact opposite of the stated above)

 

[hopelessitguy]

Yep, you need to let it break in for at least 200hrs of use time.

But don't worry about that. If the Noctua NH-D14 was placed correctly and if the thermal compound was applied correctly, temps should go down a bit. if they don't, you could always check if your Noctua fans have the RPM regulators connected. That could be the reason.

Less RPM = less air flow but more quietness. (this means your rig will be quiet, but less heat will be pulled in/out of the case)
More RPM = more air flow but less quietness. (this means the exact opposite of the stated above)

Ok i will wait an see how it is after some time. But for now it should be okay right? I didnt use the regulators to drop the sound as i cant really hear the cpu fan over the case ones anyway lol. its plenty quiet enough.

If the temps dont go down a little what should i do? would it be a case of reinstall the sink?

 

[Mashed1316]

Hmm, i really can't tell...

So far, with the stock HSF on my Intel Dual Core E6500 i have 37ºC idle but i haven't look on full load :huh:

But a Noctua NH-D14 should perform a lot better than the stock one from Intel. I guess not too much on the idle side but on the full load side.

You could always check if the HSF wasn't placed properly, or poorly adjusted.

 

[pparks1]

Heat kill components. The cooler they are, the longer they'll last.

Excessive heat kills components, temperatures within their safe operating ranges aren't going to shorten their life.

To the OP, your temps are fine and right in line with where they should be. You have nothing to be concerned about.

 

[hopelessitguy]

Hmm, i really can't tell...

So far, with the stock HSF on my Intel Dual Core E6500 i have 37ºC idle but i haven't look on full load :huh:

But a Noctua NH-D14 should perform a lot better than the stock one from Intel. I guess not too much on the idle side but on the full load side.

You could always check if the HSF wasn't placed properly, or poorly adjusted.

see thats what i wa thinking, that the performance should be alot better.

it should be placed right, its in the correct fitting and screewed down firmly but not over tightened

 

[pparks1]

Keep in mind that an older Core 2 Duo has different temp outputs than a Core i5. The Corei5 is a quad core, which will create more heat.

 

[Sardonicus]

What software are you using to read the CPU temps?

 

[hopelessitguy]

im using CPUID hardware monitor

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Well there is no harm in pulling the cooler off and checking the spread of the TC then clean both surfaces and re-apply and re-mount the cooler.