# CPU Temperatures



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

Hey, I have an Extreme Quad Core QX9300 Laptop Processor in the new alienware M17x. What are acceptable temperatures for the overclock? What is like the max, and average of what I should look for when overclocking. Just to make sure i don't damage any components.

Thanks


----------



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Personally I would never overclock any laptop, "even" an Alienware. You're probably running fairly hot as is. Alienware is a sh** company, they build junk desktops with high specs, then throw high-end hardware into a laptop case and tell you it's safe to overclock.

Your temperature according to RealTemp/CoreTemp while running Prime95 should not exceed 70C, and it would be best to stay under 65C. Idle temp should be anywhere from 25-40C, lower is better. If your idle temp right now is over 45C then I highly doubt you can manage a meaningful overclock.


----------



## kyle g lied (Nov 15, 2008)

i dont know why then put the quad cores in the laptops, i would imagine this thing heats up really fast when gaming, and requires a good laptop cooler. And its probably really heavy.
might as well call it a "mobile" desktop, not a laptop.

a good laptop cooler might be a great investment.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

I have a good laptop cooler. And yes it is heavy. I know that alienware is not regarded as a good company, the only reason I got a laptop from them is because they have the highest specs in a laptop. Otherwise I would have built a desktop, but I wanted a laptop. Yea according to HWMonitor, I run 32-35 degrees idle, 250-30 with the cooler. I run up to about 42-45 when gaming with the cooler. I think that is pretty good. The cooler I have is supposedly the best around, and I got it mind for my components. I was running about 75-80 degrees when playing Crysis with my graphics cards the 280m's. They are beast of cards even in a laptop. With the cooler I have never gotten above 63 degrees. It think that is amazing for a cooler. So you think it should not exceed 65. OK. I mean I have overclocked, but I do I test for a stable overclock other than keeping my computer running for 24 hours? I think my computer is more than capable of an overclock, especially with the cooler. Should I overclock the fsb more, or the multiplier more? What do you think Phaedrus2401.

Thanks


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

However reading over your post again, I do not know what Prime95 is.


----------



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Prime95 (32-bit only): http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=103
Prime95 (64-bit only): http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=205

Run its stress testing mode, Large FFTs (not blend). While finding the general area that you want to overclock just run it for a half-hour to an hour to see if any errors pop up (one of the icons will turn red) and to monitor temps. When you get to an overclock that you feel comfortable with staying at, run it for a full eight hours, just Prime95 and a program like RealTemp, no other apps. Overnight is fine. Then check it and see what the temperatures are and if there were any errors.

If you're using speedfan for temps, don't bother as it is very inaccurate. RealTemp is the most accurate, but you have to set the TJMax (calibration point) by hand I don't recall what that is for the QX series. CoreTemp is nearly as good and finds TJMax automatically.

http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/



Is your laptop cooler the Antec one with the 200mm fan? That's the best I know of.


----------



## Underclocker (Aug 13, 2007)

For me at least OCCT finds instability and errors out faster than Prim95 or ORTHOS. If it passes the one hour OCCT test it's an indication of moderate stability, then just run Prime95 or ORTHOS. Most people go for eight hours but I do 24 just to be sure.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

No I don't have the antec 200 but I have the NZXT Cryo LX. It has 3 200mm fans, it cools thoroughly as you can see. I have an almost 15-20 degree difference in graphics cards peformance. That i think is pretty good. I have not seen any specifications for the antec. I think HWMonitor Pro by CPUID is pretty good. I think it is pretty good because it matches the temperatures of the GPU when I run RivaTuna for the graph. I will run the Prime95 test tonight and see where I am with that. I hope I can overclock from 2.53 to at least 2.93 or even 3 Ghz, because that is what most people are getting. So if I have the cooler I should be able to do more anyway right? Sometimes when I was running 3.0 Ghz or above, it would always run a blue screen right at the end of the shut down but not in idle. Was that because the CPU, or more specifically fsb was too high? Is that the error message? If i turned the fsb too high sometimes the computer would not start either. Is that the computer being able to be turned on, on a temperature monitor. Meaning if I turn the computer on does it just not turn on if it thinks the temperature of the cpu is too high?

Thanks


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

excuse me i meant to say 3 120mm fans.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

as you can see here: 

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/antec_notebook_cooler_200/3.htm

the cryo lx wins in every single graph benchmark


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

plus if you have seen the alienware from the buttom, the gpu and cpu are basically seated with no cover at all, which allows maximum airflow to the components unlike the mac that they review which has no vents on the buttom


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

(yet another post) I think macs have possibly the worst design ever. Allowing for no airflow at all. They should not even have games on the operating system. personally i think the only reason people like macs are because they are so thin, but to achieve this slim design you cannot include any powerful components at all, and they must all by downsized or the power must be turned down soooo much as to get the computer to 1. work without overheating and 2. without burning you physically when you have it sitting on your lap. I think the test on the website needs to be done with a computer with sufficient cooling allowing airflow from the cooler.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

I have been running Prime95 for about 6 hours now. I seem to be cruising at 2.85 GHz, with no more than 61 degrees C. Explain this to me tho. I have Prime95 running but my internal laptop cpu fan is not running. I have it on the cooler which is running. Why isn't the cpu fan running, wouldn't the temperature be even lower then?


----------



## Underclocker (Aug 13, 2007)

Probably the PWM kicking in. If it feels the temps aren't high it won't bother running. 60C is fairly low for a laptop, the C2D T7200 in a friend's notebook regularly hits 80C+ during gaming.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

Yeah when I game, it never runs above 40-45 with the cooler when I am gaming. I think the M17x has excellent cooling. I mean like I said before if you have seen the bottom of the laptop, it is completely open. How come then did Phaedrus2401 tell me that I should not exceed 70 C. Isn't that bad?

Thanks


----------



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Most Intel Core 2 CPUs shut off somewhere around 70-75C to protect the processor from damage. Note that this is the main diode temperature, not the core temperatures, so you can see temperatures higher than the shutoff point if, say, the cores are at 80C and the main is at 72C. 

But you don't want to be running right at the maximum temperature, it's always good to have a safety margin. So I say if your Prime95 temp is under 65C it's good, if it's over then you want to think about cooling it down.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

Hey, I ran 2.85 very stably, and it seems that the CPU never ran above 65 or 67, I believe. But that was with the cooler, even though the cpu fan wasn't running AT ALL. Is that part of the torture test, are CPU's supposed to be able to run at 100% from the factory without any fans and overheating. Does that make sense? What I mean to ask is that this test (Prime95) is it used for computers factory designed from companies that are supposed to support their processors with no use of fans running at 100%? Even though the computers have fans that cool it to a "factory designed temperature" does this test, test the cpu with no fans? 

Thanks


----------



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Are you sure the CPU fan isn't running? The temperatures sound like it is. If it wasn't running you'd be overheating right away by this point. What makes you sure the fan isn't going?


----------



## Faded_Mantis (Aug 26, 2008)

Daniel N said:


> What I mean to ask is that this test (Prime95) is it used for computers factory designed from companies that are supposed to support their processors with no use of fans running at 100%? Even though the computers have fans that cool it to a "factory designed temperature" does this test, test the cpu with no fans?


Prime 95 makes the CPU work hard, it is used for O/C testing because it lets you see what temps would be reached under a heavy load. It does this regardless of how the manufacturer has designed the system.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

I am 100% sure that the CPU fan is not running. When I play crysis the fans are really going at it, i think the only reason that the temperatures are so low because I have the cooler. I can feel the airflow in the back of the laptop when I am playing crysis, but when prime95 is running the cpu fan is only running in idle. Almost no airflow at all. Any suggestions.


----------



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Ah. No, what you're feeling/not feeling is the GPU fan. That's just for the graphics card, which is why Prime95 doesn't make it kick in. No, your CPU fan is probably running. It's probably an intake fan which is why you can't really feel it, while the graphics cards are venting air out the back of the laptop the CPU is just sucking air in.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

I mean have you seen the laptop? I don't think that the cpu fan is the same as the gpu. The gpu fan(s) are distinct because they are on both ends of the laptop. On the left and on the right side. The cpu fan is in the middle. I runs even more if I only watch a movie on my bed. I can prove this because my computer also has an internal graphics card, the 9400M that it utilizes when I am not gaming and running on battery power. ONLY it has the same air pull as the cpu. The graphics cards both have their own fans. I've seen them when another guy took his computer apart. It has nothing to do with the cpu. I think there is another problem. For example when I was running the program with Tj max in it, it said there you were supposed to be able to control your fans. There it had absolutely no fan control for me. So I'm curious if Prime95 doesn't recognize that I have the fans that I do. I don't know what else to say. Any other suggestions. I mean the cpu fan works, so I don't have a problem with that, but i don't understand why Prime95 doesn't work with it. If it wasn't for the cooler that I have I think that I wouldn't be able to run the cpu overclocked. But I don't know what is stable if the cpu fan doesn't work. So.... idk.

Thanks


----------



## kyle g lied (Nov 15, 2008)

Solution to your problem is to reset the BIOS to the default configuration. Undo your overclocking and run it at the normal clock it was meant for.
Maybe by overclocking there is a BIOS misconfiguration that screws up the CPU fan.
Just run it at the stock speeds and settings. Laptops are not meant to be overclocked even if they say it is safe to do so.


----------



## Underclocker (Aug 13, 2007)

Phædrus2401 said:


> Most Intel Core 2 CPUs shut off somewhere around 70-75C to protect the processor from damage. Note that this is the main diode temperature, not the core temperatures, so you can see temperatures higher than the shutoff point if, say, the cores are at 80C and the main is at 72C.


For desktop processors yes, but it doesn't apply to mobile. Most of these chips are designed to run up to 100C. 60C is very safe. I'm not saying to run the chip at 100C, just that I wouldn't be worried even if it reaches 80C.

When testing for stability you want the processor to be running at its hottest so that it's stable at the extremes.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

wow kyle glied you did not help with posting that at all. For one I already know how to set something to the default settings in the BIOS. I want to know why the cpu fan is not registering ONLY when running Prime95. It works overclocked in all games and is running.


----------



## Faded_Mantis (Aug 26, 2008)

Daniel N said:


> So I'm curious if Prime95 doesn't recognize that I have the fans that I do. I don't know what else to say. Any other suggestions. I mean the cpu fan works, so I don't have a problem with that, but i don't understand why Prime95 doesn't work with it.


You're right, prime95 doesn't recognise your fans...because it's not meant to. Prime95 isn't designed to have anything to do with your fan, that is controlled by your system. The reason the fan isn't coming on would probably be because the system doesn't think it needs to.

It might also be as someone above me said, that when you feel the fan go on, it is actually the GPU exhaust fan, rather than the CPU fan. Prime95 doesn't stress the GPU, so it wouldn't be getting hot enough for it's fan to go on, where as when you run Crysis, it will be working hard.



> If it wasn't for the cooler that I have I think that I wouldn't be able to run the cpu overclocked. But I don't know what is stable if the cpu fan doesn't work. So.... idk.


You will know if the CPU overclock is stable if you can run a stressful programme like prime95 for several hours without the computer resetting (12-24 hours is often recommended to be sure). If the system runs fine, and the CPU doesn't get close to overheating, then it is stable, regardless of whether the CPU fan is running or not.


----------



## kyle g lied (Nov 15, 2008)

Daniel N said:


> wow kyle glied you did not help with posting that at all. For one I already know how to set something to the default settings in the BIOS.


Hey I never said you didn't know how to do that. I would HOPE that you know how to do this. I am simply disagreeing with your overclock. It may damage some components because it is a laptop with not much air getting through it, as compared to a desktop, even if the programs tell you your temps are good.


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

Im sorry Kyle Glied. You are right that it is not the best idea to overclock a laptop, but I paid almost 400 more dollars for this extreme overclockable edition. I would suppose that I be able to use it and take advantage of it. But it seems I really can't.

When I play Crysis on an overclocked processor it works fine but it has this lag spike every minute. I don't know what the problem is, but I have not tested it on other games to see if it will do the same. I have to do further tests to determine if that is truly the problem, maybe a driver or maybe even just a patch for crysis. Well Underclocker if you say the temperatures are fine then I feel a little bit better. Explain this to me though, when I play crysis at the same temperature Prime95 is running at, then the fans are really going at it try and keep it below 60. Whilst running Prime95 and almost hitting 70 nothing happens...


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

Also AGAIN the gpu fan and the cpu fan are completely different. They have nothing to do with each other. Only the integrated card has the same fan as the cpu and it is DISABLED. The 2 GPU's have their own fans. I don't know how else to explain that.


----------



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

You're saying exactly what we're saying. Your CPU fan IS running, you just can't feel it. When I told you this you said, "But I feel the fan during Crysis" and we said, "That's your GPU fan." 

Prime95: CPU fan only is running, too quiet/not enough air movement to feel
Crysis: CPU fan and GPU fan are running

So I'm willing to bet that your CPU fan is in perfect working order and is running when you run Prime95.


----------



## Faded_Mantis (Aug 26, 2008)

Daniel N said:


> Also AGAIN the gpu fan and the cpu fan are completely different. They have nothing to do with each other. Only the integrated card has the same fan as the cpu and it is DISABLED. The 2 GPU's have their own fans. I don't know how else to explain that.





phaedrus said:


> Ah. No, what you're feeling/not feeling is the GPU fan. That's just for the graphics card, which is why Prime95 doesn't make it kick in. No, your CPU fan is probably running. It's probably an intake fan which is why you can't really feel it, while the graphics cards are venting air out the back of the laptop the CPU is just sucking air in.





Faded_Mantis said:


> It might also be as someone above me said, that when you feel the fan go on, it is actually the GPU exhaust fan, rather than the CPU fan. Prime95 doesn't stress the GPU, so it wouldn't be getting hot enough for it's fan to go on, where as when you run Crysis, it will be working hard.





phaedrus said:


> You're saying exactly what we're saying. Your CPU fan IS running, you just can't feel it. When I told you this you said, "But I feel the fan during Crysis" and we said, "That's your GPU fan."
> 
> Prime95: CPU fan only is running, too quiet/not enough air movement to feel
> Crysis: CPU fan and GPU fan are running
> ...


We aren't claiming that your GPU fan and CPU fan are the same thing. We're just pointing out that while playing Crysis your GPU is working hard, so it's fan will be running (as well as the CPU fan). Where as when running Prime95, the GPU does almost nothing at all, so it's fan wont be running, the CPU is working hard, so it's intake fan is probably going.

Take your laptop off the cooler, run prime95, can you hear any fan noises? (might have to put your ear right up to the computer to hear, if the fan is quiet).


----------



## Daniel N (May 31, 2009)

Guys, the CPU works. I can hear it running. I can see it running and I can feel it running. Never mind about the whole GPU and CPU thing. But the thing is when I am running Prime95 the CPU is running minimally at 60 degrees, on the other hand playing crysis the laptops' CPU is also at 60 degrees and it is really working. It is not the GPU fan that I feel, i can distinguish them. I wonder only why the CPU doesn't kick in at 60 degrees in Prime95 like it does at 60 degrees in Crysis. That is all. 

And is doesn't seem to be a problem because it is running stably no matter what. I was just curious.

Thanks


----------

