Acceptable max temp for Sandybridge + uneven core temp

[theone1989]

What is a safe 24/7 maximum temperature for a Sandybridge CPU? I have an i5-2500k.

I guess when I ask that question, I mean no core exceeding that temperature.

I have 4 cores, and the temps are uneven. A typical max temp under 100% load at current overclock would be: 48, 52, 59, 53 (nearly 10C difference between core 0 and core 2)

Do I have a faulty core? Should I redo the thermal paste? Because I remember ignoring the peasize in the middle advice and putting bits of TIM everywhere on the chip (i think more than a peasize).

 

[SicKlown42012]

The thermal limits for Sandy Bridge should be near the same as most Intel processors, meaning you'll ideally want to keep it under 80C during load if running for an extended period of time and near 100C is the absolute max.
As for the uneven temps across cores, it can be many things. It could be uneven thermal paste distribution, uneven cooler base, or the heatspreader isn't making even contact across the cores. Try some new paste and remounting the cooler. That might lessen the differences, but if it's still too much for your taste you could resort to sanding the heatspreader and cooler to get everything as flat as possible.

 

[slz]

What is a safe 24/7 maximum temperature for a Sandybridge CPU? I have an i5-2500k.

I guess when I ask that question, I mean no core exceeding that temperature.

I have 4 cores, and the temps are uneven. A typical max temp under 100% load at current overclock would be: 48, 52, 59, 53 (nearly 10C difference between core 0 and core 2)

Do I have a faulty core? Should I redo the thermal paste? Because I remember ignoring the peasize in the middle advice and putting bits of TIM everywhere on the chip (i think more than a peasize).

For some reason with Sandy Bridge, core 0 is always about 10 degrees less than the highest core. It's normal.