High temp reported by AMD OD

[Dexcimus]

Hi and thanks for reading;

 

I've just started tinkering with OCing my Phenom 2 X2 550 Black, and saw to my shock that AMD Overdrive was reporting temps in the low 60sC while idle and in the High 80sC and low 90sC while stability testing.  To make this brief, can I trust what AMD OD is reporting for temps?  Is there a utility available that is more accurate/trustworthy?  Shouldn't my rig have burst into flames if those reported temps were accurate? 

 

All I did was to push the multiplier to 16.5 stock voltage and stress test... for a short time... until I saw those temps.  Then after a brief panic attack I shut down.

 

Config follows;

 

Phenom 2 X2 550 Black,  ASRock A780GXE128M,  Stock Cooling @ 100% fan speed while stress testing,  Corsair TX650W,  4G Corsair RAM, Sapphire Vapor X 4870, Win XP Pro SP3.    Nothin' fancy really.  This rig has been up and running with no problems since 2009ish, just starting to show its age in COD Black Ops... thus the OC attempt.

 

Once again, thank you for your time and assistance.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[EuroFight]

I myself use OCCT as a joint stress test/temperature monitoring program. It offers both CPU and GPU stress tests as well as reporting temperatures of major components, fan speeds etc.

 

If you are using the stock cooler, I suggest you revert to the stock clocks immediately, until you can get a aftermarket cooler. Stock coolers are often just capable of keeping the chips cool as the processor ships.

 

With regards to the accuracy of the reported results, with the stock cooler that would seem accurate. AMD processors ideally should be kept in the mid 60s, if you had an Intel chip, they are safe at around 100C, but for an AMD chip, 90C is dangerous.

 

Hope this helps,

 

 - Euro

[Dexcimus]

Thanks Euro for your reply.  I'll give OCCT a whirl and see what happens.  I have reverted everything to stock clock speeds.  

 

It surprised me to see such high temps reported.  Many 550 owners have posted in various forums about moderate OCs using the box cooler at stock voltage, so many in fact that they cannot all be lying

 

I'm heading over to Newegg now to check on coolers, although I can't imagine anything other than phase-change or liquid nitrogen making the difference between 90C and 60ish.

 

Cheers mate!

 

Anyone else who might like to contribute would be most welcome.

[Pteroduck]

I recommend getting a new cooler, the stock cooler is good only to use at stock speeds

you can try a high end closed water loop such as the h100 (*dual 120) or the my favorite, NZXT's Kraken x60

or try noctura's nh-14(i believe thats what its called)

[Dexcimus]

As Homer Simpson says... DOOOH!  I decided to check the HSF and TIM.  To my disgust the heat sink was completely clogged with gunk and the thermal paste looked almost burned and way too thin.  Cleaned everything out and remounted the CPU with Arctic Silver and viola'.   Temps are at  38-39C idle and no higher than 56C under full CPU load while stress testing at 17.5 multiplier and stock voltage.

 

I learned my lesson... again.  Always check the obvious first before jumping to conclusions.

 

Thanks again for the replies, and maybe someone else can learn from my mistake.

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[Cyberburnout]

 

As Homer Simpson says... DOOOH!  I decided to check the HSF and TIM.  To my disgust the heat sink was completely clogged with gunk and the thermal paste looked almost burned and way too thin.  Cleaned everything out and remounted the CPU with Arctic Silver and viola'.   Temps are at  38-39C idle and no higher than 56C under full CPU load while stress testing at 17.5 multiplier and stock voltage.

 

I learned my lesson... again.  Always check the obvious first before jumping to conclusions.

 

Thanks again for the replies, and maybe someone else can learn from my mistake.

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Glad you caught it before it slow roasteed your cpu. Have to keep those fans clean. I blow mine out once a month.

 

BTW If your Heat sink has that much dust in it your PSU may have just as much. Get it blown out asap. Dust is a killer.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dexcimus]

 

 

As Homer Simpson says... DOOOH!  I decided to check the HSF and TIM.  To my disgust the heat sink was completely clogged with gunk and the thermal paste looked almost burned and way too thin.  Cleaned everything out and remounted the CPU with Arctic Silver and viola'.   Temps are at  38-39C idle and no higher than 56C under full CPU load while stress testing at 17.5 multiplier and stock voltage.

 

I learned my lesson... again.  Always check the obvious first before jumping to conclusions.

 

Thanks again for the replies, and maybe someone else can learn from my mistake.

WebRep

 

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Glad you caught it before it slow roasteed your cpu. Have to keep those fans clean. I blow mine out once a month.

 

BTW If your Heat sink has that much dust in it your PSU may have just as much. Get it blown out asap. Dust is a killer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice     I'm spending the morning cleaning everything, and form now on I will make a habit of monthly cleaning.

 

Cheers all!

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[Cyberburnout]

I learned the hard way. lol I do this for a living but was being lazy on my own. PSU was covered in dust. Overheated and blew up. Those fuses in PSUs are not worth anything. The fuse was still intact but everything else was toast. lol 

 

 If you smoke or have pets you really need to be on the ball. If there is a way to lift PC a few inches off the floor that is even better. The average home has a small draft low to the floor. It carries dust, dander and god knows what else. Your fans will suck it right up.