# CPU temperature monitoring



## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

Hey all, recently I built a new computer (will post specs below) and I have noticed that I am getting ridiculously high temperatures on all of the cores when playing games such as BF3 (98c was the highest I've seen it go until I promptly turned it off, but it usually goes into the high 80's mere seconds into a game). The idle temperatures seem fine - high 30/20's. 

Im not the only one who has had these high temperature readings with the i7 chips - I searched around on the internet a bit and the tech support guys at Intel told people with similar readings that core temperatures don't really matter, only the temperature of the actual CPU - and that anything under 72c is normal. At the moment I'm using Real Temp and HWmonitor, but as far as I am aware, these only tell me the core temperatures - is there a program that tells me the temperature of the CPU itself?

Thanks in advance.

Specs;

Intel i7 2770k @ 3.5Ghz
GTX 460
MSI Z77A-G43
8GB RAM
Atrix 800W power supply


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

The crappy PSU is temporary btw, it's a leftover from my old system - I ran out of funds. I doubt that it is the cause of this issue, but I don't trust it regardless.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

> is there a program that tells me the temperature of the CPU itself?


HWMonitor should give you both. Take a look in the Hardware section of System BIOS for your most accurate idle readings.

Confirm the CPU cooler is installed correctly. All four corners should be down and locked in place. The cooler should not rock or wiggle when grasped.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

anything under 72 is ok. But your temps should not get that high that quickly as games dont properly stress the cpu like a stress testing program like IBT or prime.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

gcavan said:


> HWMonitor should give you both. Take a look in the Hardware section of System BIOS for your most accurate idle readings.
> 
> Confirm the CPU cooler is installed correctly. All four corners should be down and locked in place. The cooler should not rock or wiggle when grasped.


Idle is in the mid 30's - the CPU cooler is securely locked in place. I will take a screenshot of HWMonitor and post it here after a couple minutes of gameplay in a sec


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

No idea how to post a screenshot here but the max temperature the cores went to after 4 minutes of gaming was 84c. Gamebooster (don't know how reliable this is) listed the CPU as 63c when I closed the game down. My graphics card also got up to 56c according to HWMonitor.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

to post a screen shot you take it (press print screen) then save it to your my pictures then when you are doing a post on here you click manage attachments and find your screenshot


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

That one is the screenshot I took after the game










This one I took a couple of minutes ago on idle. Temperature spiked to 60c


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

go into your bios and post the temps from there (you cant take a screenshot in bios) also please post your voltages specifically the 12v reading the 3.3 reading and the 5v reading.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> go into your bios and post the temps from there (you cant take a screenshot in bios) also please post your voltages specifically the 12v reading the 3.3 reading and the 5v reading.


CPU Temperature = 45c
Mainboard = 21c

I've got all the voltages, just in case it is useful to you.

CPU Core = 1.44v
CPU I/O = 1.048v
GPU = 0.032v
DRAM = 1.488v
3.3v = 3.280v
5v = 5.045v
12v = 11.968


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

1.44v is pretty high right? Could that be the problem?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

It certainly is high, have you overclocked?

Your 12v voltage is ok but if it starts dropping lower you need to replace.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

Nope, I haven't overclocked (don't plan to either) - it's the default 3.5Ghz. Is this a PSU problem?

Replace what?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

if the 12v drops a lot more then the psu is a problem. Personally I would use an atrix power supply as a door stop never mind power a pc.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> if the 12v drops a lot more then the psu is a problem. Personally I would use an atrix power supply as a door stop never mind power a pc.


Good to know that it is the problem - I was going to replace the PSU anyway, just couldn't because of a lack of funds. Thank you for your help. :smile:

One final thing, can you recommend a good PSU for my build?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I didn't say it was the problem but your 12v is a little low and the psu is a bunch of crap.

Seasonic or xfx 550w


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

I think it's safe to assume it is; I was going to upgrade it anyway - I'm not going to be playing any games until I get a new one - at which point I will be sure to check voltages/temps again. 

1.44v in idle seems ridiculous, done a bit of digging and seen people who have OC'd the same chip to 4.8Ghz who are running stable at less than that.

Regardless, thanks for your help and suggestions - I didn't even think of checking the voltages with this junk PSU :facepalm:


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

1.44 is either down to the psu over volting or the motherboard being dodgy.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

OK so, new PSU (Seasonic 550w) the max after four minutes of gaming was 79 - still high although it is a noticeable drop - haven't reached 90 or 80 on the cores. The room temperature is likely below normal so I suppose that factors in. I will post the Bios readings in a bit so they can be compared with last time's readings.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

Went into Bios;


CPU Temperature: 42c

Mainboard: 20c

CPU core voltage: 1.144v
CPU I/O Voltage: 1.048v
GPU voltage: 0.032v
3.3v: 3.376v
5V: 5.045
12V: 12.320


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

That's perfectly acceptable.

The ivy bridges do run a little hotter than sand bridges but you should be fine with those. Keep an eye on the temps for a while and see if they get bad.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

I just ran Intel Diagnostics tool, on the last sequence (sequence 8) it passed with 13c below maximum temperature - I decided to look at HWmonitor whilst this was happening and the cores were all high 80s and 90s on the final sequence. The hottest core was at 98c. :ermm:


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I dont think hardware monitor is sensing your temps correctly. If your BIOS says 42 it should not be rising by more than 40 degrees c when stressed.

Download real Temp and prime95

have real temp running and run prime95 on maxim cpu torture test and see what real temp says for the temps.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

Just did that, after one minute the cores were all in the mid 90s


98 is TJ max if im not mistaken; it has reached that numerous times. Could this just be a faulty CPU? The heatsink is fitted fine, the thermal paste is fine, there is no plastic cover on the CPU, the voltages are fine etc yet I get these abnormal readings


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Could be a dodgy cpu. Are you actually getting problems?

When the ivy bridges first came out there were a few people who had really high temps.

My own personal preference is never to buy a cpu that has just been released and to wait atleast a year or 18 months before considering it.

read this Why is Ivy Bridge so hot and bothered? - The Tech Report


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

I really don't want to have to RMA this CPU - I've just discovered that Scan are notoriously bad in that respect. I'm going to buy a Cooler Master Hyper 212, apply some arctic silver thermal paste and if that doesn't solve it I guess i'll just carry on as normal - I suppose I could still get a good few years out of the CPU even if those reading are accurate.

That's the thing, I haven't had a single noticeable problem whatsoever. The moment I put this build together and installed games (around a week before I made this thread), I was playing BF3 on high/ultra for hours on end for a couple of days without a single crash, freeze etc - this was before I looked at the temps out of nothing but curiosity and discovered that the cores were reaching TJ max - surely I would have experienced at least a freeze if this was accurate? It's strange to say the least. Wouldn't I be able to feel the heat if I put my hand near the CPU cooler?

I think i'll take that into consideration for the next CPU I decide to buy. 

Also, this particular cpu is a sandy bridge


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Usually unless you directly touch the cpu you wont feel much or any heat. If your cpu was overheating it should throttle and you would notice this. If it also got into over temp voltages or it was hitting the TJ max it would also throttle if it got too hot it would shut down.

It could be that you have faulty temp sensors which is what happened with my old E8400 go stepping model. In the Bios I would see 42 degrees c and in real temp I would see 37 and in hardware monitor I would see 48.

I tested the cpu with a lazer thermometer (dont bother buying one as they are extremely expensive) my actual temps were 37 idle (same as real temp) but at full load and overclocked to 4GHz 48 degrees c and 53 degrees c during the winter with all the heating on in the house.

It might be wise to do a google search for your cpu and put faulty temp sensors into google and see if anyone else has had this issue.


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## Welsher (Aug 19, 2011)

That's a possibility, I am seeing different temperatures in Real temp, core temp, Hwmonitor and the BIOS (I probably went overboard with the temperature monitoring). Before I got the new PSU, the temperature in the BIOS would fluctuate between 42-45 - even with the new PSU and reduction in vcore it remains in the same range.

Just Googled it, can't find anybody with that problem who also has my particular CPU - I've seen many people with the i7 series reporting 98c core temperatures though. In the official Intel forums they were assured by the folks at Intel that core temperatures were pretty much irrelevant, and as long the actual CPU never reached over 72c (Tcase) in normal use then it would be running under thermal specifications (they also said under load it could go over 72c). I think I'll still get a new cooler and thermal paste just to be on the safe side (they're quite cheap anyway) as many people with my chip are reporting much lower temperatures. Once I get the new cooler and paste i'll report if there is a change, if there isn't I'll probably just ignore this temperature thing unless my computer starts suffering problems that could be attributed to high temps.

Regardless; once again thank you for your help and replies.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Good luck, reviews a lot of coolers before buying. I can't recommend the noctua dh-14 enough it is a quality cooler but also very big so if you decide on it make sure you have the room for it.


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