Arctic Silver Problems (Scythe Ninja)

T

TicTac

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 5, 2005
Messages
210
I have an Athlon X2 3800+ Toledo LCBIE 0618 :D

However I am having some trouble cooling it. I have installed my Scythe NInja mutiples of times re-doing the As5 every time but still every time I am getting idle temps of 32-36c and load temps of 45-49C at stock.

Obviously this gives me no room to overclock, although I have just tried 2.6ghz at 1.24v and it been stable for the half hour i ran it in Orthos. The load temp was about 50C, the idle about 33C. This is too high right? Using CoreTemp, my cores averaged at about 51C + 58C. My room temperature is pretty cold today. I'm in the UK with my window open and no heating, so I'm guessing about 17C.

I have a DFI Lanparty SLI-DR, and I am using the stock backplate - as I am currently running caseless the long screws are not important. i had heard bad things about the stick Scythe backplate. I can't see how this would affect cooling.

The heatsink feels firm. I can wobble it a bit but it seems square and nothing screams 'crooked' or anything.

Onto the arctic silver, I have read every AS5 thread possible and tried different methods. .

If I put a rice sized grain blob in the middle when I take my heatsink off it only covers about 1/4 of the cpu - it definitely isn't covering the whole core. It isn't smooth either, the arctic silver is all rippley and sticky when I take the heatsink off, so its not as though its a thin layer.

If I add more on I always manage to put the heatsink on wrong first so it becomes a bit of a mess and is just larger areas of 'rippley' As5.

Yesterday I got a knife to try and spread it. I spread the AS5 over nearly all of the cpu so it was really thin and you couldn't see too many ripples. It wasn't see through or anything but it was a complete cover. It obviously wasn't perfect but it seemed alright. This is what I currently have for the quite high temperatures above. .I have a feeling it just must not be enough AS5!?

The heatsink has gone through the stage of being in a case and out, with no major temperature difference. There is also a fan blowing in the same direction the fan on the Scythe Ninja is taking air, so I don't think my airflow for the heatsink is terrible. Woudl it make a difference which side I put the Scythe fan on assuming it fits?

So any advice comments on what I might be doing wrong, or what to think?

Thanks.
 
Well, first of all, the "CPU" is not the whole thing. The thing you call CPU is only the heatspreader on top of the real CPU. So, when you say it covers only 1/4 of the CPU, it actually covers the core quite well.

Second, less is more with AS5. Don't use too much because then it becomes ineffective. The best method i know is to clean both surfaces (heat spreader on CPU and cooler) with alcohol. Then rub some (only a little bit!!) AS5 over both surfaces and work it in. Then clean with alcohol again.

Then just put a little rice corn size AS5 in the middle of the heatspreader and attach the sink.

The ripples you see are normal when you take the heatsink off.
 
ok thanks for the info, I knew about the 'cpu' bit, I just lose words to loosely I guess :p

I will reseat the heatsink _again_ bearing that in mind :)
 
Pic of the removed Heatsink and Processor top. If you could, maybe a pic of your entire case with the side off?



It's possible that either your HSF or IHS (the metal covering on your CPU) are convex/concave. AFTER you take piccs for me, try placing the IHS on something really flat, like a marble countertop or a piece of glass (Cmon, you DO have a sheet of glass randomly lying around in your house right :p). Once it's on the flat material, shine a flashlight behind it, to see if there is any light between the base of the HSF (or the top of your processor) and the flat surface.

If there is, you need to RMA.
 
Using CoreTemp, my cores averaged at about 51C + 58C.

If below is not for your exact processor the same informtion can be found on the amd site.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/30430.pdf

Parameter/OPN Notes
Tdie Max
Tambient / Trise
Thermal Resistance (die-amb)
Max P-State
VID_VDD / VDD_dc Typ 1, 2
IDD Max
19.58 A
1800 MHz
1.200 V 1.166 V
18.70 A
2.08°C/W 2.00°C/W
TMSMT34BQX5LD TMSMT37BQX5LD
95°C
35°C
95°C
35°C 10°C 10°C
2000 MHz
1.200 V 1.164 V

well that didnt paste too welll but what is says is that Tdiemax is 95C.

until coretemp hit 75C I wouldnt even worry about it.

do check and find the document for your exact cpu but I think all in the family are the same.
 
Temperature doesn't matter at stock speeds.... But running at 60'c with an overclock will spell doom for system stability.
 
Arcygenical said:
From your pic I dont know whether you've isntalled the fan correctly...

Does it look like This
Click to expand...

I agree. The fan should be pressed up against the side of the heatsink. That should improve airflow through the fins. I'm not sure how much that will help but I'm guessing it might make a little difference.

Additionally it would be good to know what your ambient temperature is. I have a Ninja and it typically keeps my processor (also an X2 3800+) at about 1-2 degrees below the temps reported on my northbridge.
 
vladthedecker said:
I agree. The fan should be pressed up against the side of the heatsink. That should improve airflow through the fins. I'm not sure how much that will help but I'm guessing it might make a little difference.

Additionally it would be good to know what your ambient temperature is. I have a Ninja and it typically keeps my processor (also an X2 3800+) at about 1-2 degrees below the temps reported on my northbridge.
Click to expand...

Ah sry, that picture was before I installed the fan properly and all the reported temps in this thread and stuff are with it installed properly on the left side.

My ambient temp is pretty cool I imagine currently, around 18C as I'm in the UK with no heating in my room on. My NB, (which has a NB47J on it) has a fan near it so stays really cool about 32C-37C depending on load.

i currently only have 2 fans, the Nexus B+W at top right of picture, and the heatsink fan. With that Nexus fan where it is, would there be much difference to the position of the Scythe fan?
 
Someone please correct me if I am wrong but those temps you mentioned are not that far off from the norm. If you want temps that idle in the 20s and loads in the 30s you may want watercooling.


TicTac said:
I have an Athlon X2 3800+ Toledo LCBIE 0618 :D

However I am having some trouble cooling it. I have installed my Scythe NInja mutiples of times re-doing the As5 every time but still every time I am getting idle temps of 32-36c and load temps of 45-49C at stock.

Obviously this gives me no room to overclock, although I have just tried 2.6ghz at 1.24v and it been stable for the half hour i ran it in Orthos. The load temp was about 50C, the idle about 33C. This is too high right? Using CoreTemp, my cores averaged at about 51C + 58C. My room temperature is pretty cold today. I'm in the UK with my window open and no heating, so I'm guessing about 17C.

I have a DFI Lanparty SLI-DR, and I am using the stock backplate - as I am currently running caseless the long screws are not important. i had heard bad things about the stick Scythe backplate. I can't see how this would affect cooling.

The heatsink feels firm. I can wobble it a bit but it seems square and nothing screams 'crooked' or anything.

Onto the arctic silver, I have read every AS5 thread possible and tried different methods. .

If I put a rice sized grain blob in the middle when I take my heatsink off it only covers about 1/4 of the cpu - it definitely isn't covering the whole core. It isn't smooth either, the arctic silver is all rippley and sticky when I take the heatsink off, so its not as though its a thin layer.

If I add more on I always manage to put the heatsink on wrong first so it becomes a bit of a mess and is just larger areas of 'rippley' As5.

Yesterday I got a knife to try and spread it. I spread the AS5 over nearly all of the cpu so it was really thin and you couldn't see too many ripples. It wasn't see through or anything but it was a complete cover. It obviously wasn't perfect but it seemed alright. This is what I currently have for the quite high temperatures above. .I have a feeling it just must not be enough AS5!?

The heatsink has gone through the stage of being in a case and out, with no major temperature difference. There is also a fan blowing in the same direction the fan on the Scythe Ninja is taking air, so I don't think my airflow for the heatsink is terrible. Woudl it make a difference which side I put the Scythe fan on assuming it fits?

So any advice comments on what I might be doing wrong, or what to think?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
my ninja has zero wobble. i had to work my ass off to get that thing mounted. i set the backplate on my leg to not bend the board with the force it took to get it locked in.

with 17C ambent your temps are high for being uncased. i. so either you have a poor connection to cpu or thermal probe is off.

i only have a 12C change in idle to load but i dont have a dualcore chip, if you see more then 20C change i would think something is wrong. i think i remember seeing some people with high FX chips only seeing 15-16C change.

edit, just with some cheap paste smear a razor think layer over the cpu, then press the cpu on to the base of the heatsink to look look for an air pocket. it is possble you have two concave surfaces getting poor contact. then you need to lap both.
 
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