Reason for high system temp?

[reuterrat]

Amateur overclocker here. (very amateur)

 

I've been reading up and recently decided to try out overclocking my system.

 

My system:

Asus P5Q3 Intel P45 ATX mobo

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz

XFX GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB

G.Skill 4GB DDR3 1333

WD 640GB 7200rpm SATA HDD

Corsair 750W PSU

 

The only thing I've really done is played around with the FSB speed a bit and let the BIOS automatically handle everything else. When I started out, my CPU temp was at 33 C and my system temp was 39-42 C (using PC Probe II and Asus AISuite). I bumped the FSB up to 350 (2.8 GHz) and the CPU temp remained the same but the system temp climbed up to 48 C. I tried bumping the FSB up to 375 and the system temp went up to 51 C, with the CPU temp going up to just 34 C.

 

I'm not using any sort of aftermarket cooling. My case has lots of ventilation (2x 90mm intake fans (top and front), 1x 250mm side intake fan, 2x rear exhaust fans) and the room temp is plenty cool. I've kept the system fairly dust free. Is this a result of having a stock heatsink or is it something else? I always thought the heatsink was mainly for CPU cooling.

 

Also, I'm not sure at what point I should start worrying about the system temp being too high.

 

Haven't had much luck searching the internet on this one (most info seems to be about controlling the CPU temp) so any info you guys can offer would be awesome. Thanks.

 

P.S. Is system temp the internal temp of the case or the temp of the motherboard?

Edited April 1, 2009 by reuterrat

[Verran]

Sounds to me like the sensor that you think is system is actually your processor. Just logically, based on what you're describing...

 

I suggest using either CoreTemp or RealTemp for your temperature monitoring needs. Those ones that come with the motherboards are always a bit suspect.

 

As for cooling, you're going to want to look for an upgrade. Stock cooling on a quad is not going to get you far when you start overclocking. Even with top-end air cooling it can be very tough to keep a quad's temp reasonable.

[Turophiliac]

if you are going to do any sort of overclocking, an aftermarket cooler is a must.

 

Also, pcprobeII is fairly inaccurate with CPU temps. use the newest version of RealTemp to determine what your temperature really is. also, if you are overclocking, prime95 is a necessity to determine stability. good luck in your endeavors!

[Euphoria]

The only thing I've really done is played around with the FSB speed a bit and let the BIOS automatically handle everything else. When I started out, my CPU temp was at 33 C and my system temp was 39-42 C (using PC Probe II and Asus AISuite). I bumped the FSB up to 350 (2.8 GHz) and the CPU temp remained the same but the system temp climbed up to 48 C. I tried bumping the FSB up to 375 and the system temp went up to 51 C, with the CPU temp going up to just 34 C.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but when you increase your FSB the Chipset that handles the FSB will start getting warmer and thus your system temperature is getting higher.

Maybe cleaning up the Intel P45 / ICH10R chipset and putting some new thermal paste between it and the heatsink might help with the higher temperatures. Also increasing airflow will help get the warm air sucked out of the case.

 

I think that CPU temps will go more significantly up if you are to increase the CPU clock multiplier instead the FSB.

 

Cheers

[reuterrat]

Thanks guys. This is literally my first attempt at any sort of overclocking so I really appreciate all the info. I do plan on getting an aftermarket heatsink in the near future but I wanted to play around a bit before committing.