ovrclck noob seeks experienced same

[jessehclark]

first time OC please help im not stupid

ok, this is my first time overclocking and building my own pc. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable, but some things have me really confused. let's start with my specs.

antec p180 case
m2n-sli deluxe mobo (heatpipe no fan)
x2 4200+ 2.2ghz, am2 89w
arctic cooling freezer 64 w/ as5
1gb ddr2800 ram (pqi turbo)
250gb WD caviar HD
liteon dvdrw w/ lightscribe
xfx 7900gs 525m extreme
thermaltake purepower 600W sli

when i check cpu and mb temps via asus bios, im seeing, at thier lowest, 53c cpu and 32 mb. I overclocked some (11x, 245, 1.4375/1.45v) and the system seemed stable, but a little over a day later i blue screened. i immediately checked bios and cpu temp read 67c cpu 37 mb, but they quickly dropped to around 55c/32c. I wish i had a windows temp monitor, but i am running vista x64 and cant find one that works.

so, im wondering.. even when i had FIRST installed everything and i was running xp, the lowest temps i saw were around 53c on the cpu according to the bios. i thought max temp was 65 for these processors and normal idle was 30-40c. could bios be reversing the temps? are they off? how can i tell, and what could be causing these temps at idle/stock?

ps- my cables are all neatly tucked away and I have 2 120mm fans running full speed in addition to the heatsink's fan blasting away. they are all oriented correctly. system seems stable but 55c seemed hot to me, and i know i should be able to overclock to 2.6 or 2.7 without those kinds of temps.

also- to the touch ( i was careful) the heatsink and block underneath feel cool or warm to the touch. i got a tiny bit of as5 on my finger that baaarely sqeezed out so i know i was touching the right part. def. didnt feel like 55c.

 

[Nagasama]

okay.
first, when you say it "seemed stable", i take it to mean you did not run stability programs after you overclocked it?
if not, shame on you, that was a mistake.
your mobo temp is acceptable, i don't think they are reversed.
the max temp for a 4200 (before it smokes anyways lol) is 95*C.
as in absolutely do not go higher than this, or you will not have a cpu any longer.
load temps over 55-60C are considered high by most.
indeed though, if you are idling at 53* you have a problem. that means under load you are ohmygodidontwanttoeventellyou. my rig idles at 32-35, straight outta bios. and i have a zalman.
problems could be:
your hsf is not seated correctly. i would try this first, and it's probably whats wrong. so re-seat it.
you didn't apply your as5 correctly, you need to re-do it when you remove your hsf.
you have an inaccurate mobo sensor.
you have issues with psu, i.e. its f***** up.
you have a bad mobo.
you have a bad cpu.
oaky, you have maxed out that cpu as far as overclock goes.
if you get it to boot past 2.9ish, i wanna see it.
2.7 is about as far as it will run efficiently. after that, the temps don't make the payoff as far as performance. really i find that mine runs best at around 2.55-2.6.
you will have mad hot temps with a 1.45v overclock, your looking at high 50's, no doubt.
you may be able to boot 2.7 at 1.4, but it probably aint gonna be stable. i suggest running at 2.5+, that way your cpu voltage can stay down to 1.375/1.4 no prob.
and that's if evrything is set up correctly.
lemme know how things turn out when you redo the hsf.

 

[jessehclark]

OK so lets see:

I was planning on sticking at around 2.6/1.4, but id take 2.7/1.45 if my temps will stay down. I have spoken to several people (that i trust) who have a 4200 or 3800 with a freezer 64 pro, and they have been able to run 2.7/1.45 without dangerous temps... high, but no higher than my IDLE. lol...55 aint that bad... FOR LOAD.

And no, i didnt run stability tests... I have had some trouble getting ANYTHING to run on vista since the drivers are so limited. but i was trying...lol... i did however push it a little- ran some games, etc... and it consistently shut down around 67c (according to cpu temp via bios). I thought that was the max temp for these, and 95c or so was for the single cores?

Anyways, either way, i should be idling 30-40, load 50 or a little over. this is ridiculous.

hmmm..i will try reseating the heatsink..i was a little iffy about that the first time, ill clean off the as5 real well and all... i dont think the psu is bad, all the voltages seem fine.

hmm about the sensor... if the sensor was bad... meaning, it thinks im at 67* when im really at 57*, for example, would THAT make my computer blue screen, or would it BS regardless of the temp sensor? getting a final answer on the am2 x2's temp limits would help.. (im googling). http://users.erols.com/chare/elec.htm

they list max case temp at 70c. that would mesh with my experience.

i think the sensor is right, the psu is fine, the cpu is fine, the mobo is fine. im putting my money on my poor installation... check back later...

 

[jessehclark]

reinstall results

ok, so i removed my heatsink, cleaned the cpu and the heatsink, reapplied a niiiice thin layer of as5 to the die, and put everything back together. I noticed that the heatsink seems to be sitting just a little low on the die - its completely ON it, but a small portion at the 'top' is not covered by heatsink... but there is definitely good, even contact. it looks just like the instruction manual's install pic.

i booted up (after having my case open for an hour AND my window open (its 50F outside here)) and i got idle temp of 50c which quickly rose to 55. im showing literally NO activity on the cpu most of the time, and idle temps still hover around there.

m/b at 27c.

grrrrr...... any other troublshooting ideas?

XX1) bad heatsink?XX
2) bad sensor?
3)mad mobo?
4) bad cpu?
5) bad psu?

how do i check these other things?

also, any word an a Vista x64 compatible temp monitor? theres gotta be a "gadget"...

thanks for all the help!

-Jesse