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Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 12:21 PM
When I mounted my new CPU heatsink on my new Athlon X2 4200+ I used my new arctic silver paste.

I had never done this before and have no clue if I did it right. I understand too much is as bad as too little. I put a thin even coat over the processor and slapped on the cooler before bolting it down.

Now, one of the cores of my processor consistently runs higher than the other when idle: 35 degrees vs 31 as I sit here.

When pushed by Orthos for twenty minutes both cores rise pretty swiftly to around 60 degrees and then stay there with 1 degree fluctuations up and down. When I stop Orthos within ten seconds both cores drop back to 40 degrees within 15 - 30 seconds and back under 35 in two minutes.

I am wondering if the different core temps when idle may be because I have not equally cooled them in my efforts at installation or if it is quite usual for two cores on the same chip to run at such different temperatures.


Thoughts, help, advices? all welcome :)

AJ@PR
08-24-2007, 01:10 PM
Quickie as I'm out the door...
but thermal paste should be... like the size of a pea.
If you spread it over the proc, IMO, it's way too much.

Wait for input from others! :)

Luke122
08-24-2007, 01:15 PM
It's possible that there is a small air bubble in the paste... maybe remove the cpu cooler and reseat it. Also, after reseating, the as5 can take a few days to break in and reach optimal efficiency.

Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 01:25 PM
Quickie as I'm out the door...
but thermal paste should be... like the size of a pea.
If you spread it over the proc, IMO, it's way too much.

Wait for input from others! :)

It was a bit smaller than a pea before I spread it. But are we talking Garden peas or marrow fat? very different peas you know ;)

And Luke - Thanks! I'll try reseating it I think.

Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 01:49 PM
I amkind of liberal with my paste.

I thought Airbozo was our resident liberal what with the "man-butt grabbing" incident?

Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 03:22 PM
lol..there is inuendo all over this site today (check sig..) heh heh hehh :D:D:D

Indeed ... my fave of the day was xRyokenx:


... but I do have to agree, ME sucks ass.

... and I sometimes wonder if people who see my sig and don't read my name make an obvious - but wrong - guess as to what "CrazyB" stands for :D

Helix666
08-24-2007, 03:31 PM
Let me make a wild guess: 'Crazy Ba$****'? :D

elbarto241
08-24-2007, 03:36 PM
i have similar problems with my intel dual core, the temps runs around 60-62. im going to fry's to buy a better CPU cooler.
it has a crappy ultra brand cooler i got with the barebones i ordered from tigerdirect.

Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 03:43 PM
i have similar problems with my intel dual core, the temps runs around 60-62. im going to fry's to buy a better CPU cooler.
it has a crappy ultra brand cooler i got with the barebones i ordered from tigerdirect.

Thats not the issue here ... I'm running my X2 4200+ (stock 2.2Ghz) at 2.695Ghz and its doing quite well. The cooler I have is not stock and does a great job: sitting here browsing the web right now my ambient room temp is 26 degrees and My cpu cores are at 29 degrees and 32 degrees. And given the overclock I have this thing running at I'm impressed it stays at or below 60 - 61 degrees after half an hour of Orthos running. I would thoroughly recommend it:

http://overclockers.co.uk/pimg/HS-004-NC_400.jpg (http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-004-NC)

The main question I have is whether one should expect a temperature difference between the two cores? I suspect I may have a bubble in the paste as Luke suggested but i would like to know if others have similar experiences. If it is not an uncommon experience then I'm guessing it may have something to do with how XP loads the cores with different processes.

Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 03:43 PM
Let me make a wild guess: 'Crazy Ba$****'? :D

Indeed :) and I am one .. but that's not the point hehehehehe

Spawn-Inc
08-24-2007, 04:02 PM
wow i've been sig quoted... coool!


anyway a pea sized amount seems to much, i heard rice grain (cooked i think) should do it.

this (http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf) should help

Luke122
08-24-2007, 04:13 PM
wow i've been sig quoted... coool!


anyway a pea sized amount seems to much, i heard rice grain (cooked i think) should do it.

this (http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf) should help

Intersting read (that link)... I'll be sure to redo my As5 at home before Karma goes to her new owner. :D

Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 04:21 PM
anyway a pea sized amount seems to much, i heard rice grain (cooked i think) should do it.

this (http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf) should help


Thanks dude +rep

here (http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_amd_dual_wcap.pdf) is the guide for AMD X2's and here (http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm) is the link in for all processors. You don't use it the same way on all processors - now that is a surprise.

"The example at left shows you an approximate amount to use, about the size of one and a half uncooked grains of short-grain white rice or ¾ of a BB."

I guess 1 1/2 uncooked grains are similar to 1 cooked :D

AJ@PR
08-24-2007, 04:30 PM
TBCS...
Moddin'... Computers... Cooking... Thermal Paste...

dgrmkrp
08-24-2007, 04:41 PM
About the unequal temps on the 2 cores, I'm there too:

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/7072/3600x2stockkq2.jpg
I don't know if it bad or not, but I have the same problem.. It may be the paste, the surfaces not being plane enough or maybe it is just.. this way.. Never wondered, but I'll keep an eye out for more info.. My interpretation: one core is always loaded with the OS stuff, the other.. not.

Crazy Buddhist
08-24-2007, 04:54 PM
I don't know if it bad or not, but I have the same problem.. It may be the paste, the surfaces not being plane enough or maybe it is just.. this way.. Never wondered, but I'll keep an eye out for more info.. My interpretation: one core is always loaded with the OS stuff, the other.. not.

I think that's partially it but if you look at the OS stuff you can set an affinity for it is usually set to run across both. It might be that some system processes have to run on one core only? Or even that the core "0" is making the decisions as to which core does what?

Interestingly you have the same situation as me: core "0" running a few degrees higher than core "1". Not enough data to support any theories yet but I'd bet this is very common.

crenn
08-24-2007, 05:40 PM
When seating a new HSF, wiggle it a little bit before securing the HSF down. It's recommended, but one core being higher than the other isn't uncommon.

Crazy Buddhist
08-25-2007, 05:59 AM
Answer: From RightMark (http://www.rightmark.org/) - "The independent Open Source Software Project" - forums:

"Dragonforce

I was wondering why my Core2 temp. is 8 degrees lower than my Core1 temp...

Is that normal for Dual-Core CPU's ? AMD Turion X2 here"

"Dmitri Besedin

Yes, it is. At least, it is observed on nearly all AMD CPUs." (http://forum.rightmark.org/topic.cgi?id=6:1202)

They have some interesting looking bits of monitoring software.

XcOM
08-28-2007, 10:31 AM
the difrence is temps is becuase the 1st core i on the bottom, the heat has to pass through the second core, therefor meaning the second core shows up hotter than the first, or via versa, im not sure if the first is on the top of bottom.

dgrmkrp
08-28-2007, 10:52 AM
the difrence is temps is becuase the 1st core i on the bottom, the heat has to pass through the second core, therefor meaning the second core shows up hotter than the first, or via versa, I'm not sure if the first is on the top of bottom.
errm.. modern micro technology can't really do that.. every chip made up to now is planar.. it does have interconnections and transistor layered in space, but not 2 on top of each other.. At least, that's what I know :) So, the cores are side by side, with shared stuff in between or near them.. but planar.. like in the pic:
http://tiggerfox.tibsfox.com/AMD%20Dual%20Core%20die.jpg (http://tiggerfox.tibsfox.com/)
..which means that if they do have a separate temperature, something is weird.. The cores are very close to each other and in one silicone die.. They should have the same temperature because heat creates a gradient, which would then tend to be equalized by the heat dissipating parts.. Only if there are some really hot "hot spots" on the chips would this weird behavior be explained... or.. I don't know :)

Crazy Buddhist
08-28-2007, 11:07 AM
..which means that if they do have a separate temperature, something is weird.. The cores are very close to each other and in one silicone die.. They should have the same temperature because heat creates a gradient, which would then tend to be equalized by the heat dissipating parts.. Only if there are some really hot "hot spots" on the chips would this weird behavior be explained... or.. I don't know :)

The rest of what you say may be correct but my researches indicated it is absolutely normal to have different temperatures in the two cores of an AMD chip. I think it is something to do with either the Chip's architecture or how Windows loads the chips with O/S tasks.

dgrmkrp
08-28-2007, 11:24 AM
Well.. it doesn't really bother me.. I will super cool them anyway, so a slight difference isn't that important.. Anyways, if the CPU is loaded, the temps get the same (50-60ish), right? That's what we have to fight ;)

Crazy Buddhist
08-28-2007, 11:27 AM
Absolutely ... under load the two temps tend to get closer. It's when idling that the difference shows and that by definition is at lower temps and less of an issue.


Well.. it doesn't really bother me.. I will super cool them anyway, so a slight difference isn't that important.. Anyways, if the CPU is loaded, the temps get the same (50-60ish), right? That's what we have to fight ;)

XcOM
08-28-2007, 07:19 PM
sorry for the bad info, i didn't realise they have redesigned them,the orgional cps were ontop of them.

but in thory then, windows will always us the first core rather than the second