E3-1241 v3 with Cryorig C7 Cooler

Engr62

Gawd
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I recently switched the CPU in my Cooler Master Elite 110 mini ITX build from an i5-4440 (84W) to a Xeon E3-1231 v3 (80W). For those who have built a system in this case, you know it's a pain to work with--especially when modifying a build rather than starting from scratch.

Since the motherboard mounts to the bottom of the case, there are no cut-outs to access the back of the motherboard to take off the cooler. So, the only way to change CPUs or coolers is to completely remove the motherboard (and virtually everything else from the build).

So, after swapping the CPUs, remounting the Cryorig C7 cooler, and putting everything back into the case, I ran some full load benchmarks so I could track my CPU temperatures. My full load test consists of performing a Blu-ray to MP4 conversion using Handbrake.

Here's how the temperatures compared (room temp for both tests was 20C):

i5-4440, Idle = 29C, Load = 58C
E3-1231 v3, Idle = 31C, Load = 72C

I was not expecting such a big jump in load temperatures. So, do the temperatures with the Xeon look like what you would expect, or do they look suspect?

I really would hate to have to take everything apart again to remount the cooler. I was very careful when putting it on in the first place because I knew I didn't want to have to do it again.

P.S., I wasn't using the GPU on the i5-4440. In both builds, I've got a Radeon HD 7770.
 
The Xeon has hyperthreading, which will cause some extra heat. But not THAT much.

Is your bios the most up to date? I wonder if there is an incompatibility issue.

are you monitoring with CPU-Z and/or Core temp? do the voltages and resulting max TDP look correct? and how about after a bios update?

If all of that is correct under load, then I suspect either an issue with temp sensors or an improper heatsink mount or application of thermal grease.
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm using CPUID HWMonitor to monitor my CPU temperatures.

As it turns out, my temperatures were even worse than I reported in the original post. When I ran a longer Handbrake test (2-pass), my CPU temperatures hit 82C, and I think it started throttling then. The fan sounded like it was spinning up faster, then slowing down--repeating this pattern. I've never had a CPU throttle before, so I'm not sure what it sounds/acts like.

So, I took the plunge and took everything apart so I could re-install the cooler. This time, I rotated the Cryorig C7 90-degrees (with the fins parallel to the RAM rather than perpendicular as I originally had it) in case it was binding up against the RAM or something (Note, the thermal paste--which came with the C7--looked to have been spread evenly across the CPU and HSF mating surface when I took it off).

After re-assembling everything, I get the same results--82C and what I think is throttling.

I have an ASRock H81M-ITX motherboard and it was running BIOS version P1.70. According to the ASRock website, the E3-1231 v3 is supported at version P1.60.

I then downloaded the latest BIOS for my motherboard (P2.30) which resets everything to default.

Now, it seems that my CPU temperatures really are closer to 73C for full load (Handbrake conversion). I guess at this point, I'm happy to get 73C after hitting 82C earlier with signs of throttling. Since the new BIOS seemed to help some, it would indicate that there may be something with the BIOS settings that could be causing the Xeon to run that much hotter than the i5.

Does anyone know what settings I should look for in the BIOS to change this behavior?
 
the "throttling" you talking about is the cpu fan bouncing between 2 fan speed points(you may be able to adjust the fan speeds in bios). Throttling you wont hear and is at 100c

Look at voltages in bios compare to HWinfo

I think the temps you are getting now are correct, HT adds heat as more work is being done. The new chip also clocks higher

I'm thinking the bios may have been set to multi core enhancement or all turbo before which would explain temp difference
 
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Download Intel Extreme Tuning Utility and you will see if it is thermally throttling or not. Just because the fan is changing speeds doesn't mean the chip is throttling.
 
Download Intel Extreme Tuning Utility and you will see if it is thermally throttling or not. Just because the fan is changing speeds doesn't mean the chip is throttling.
HWInfo shows it also as well as AIDA64
 
It's just convenient because you can load up the processor using the CPU test and see if it's throttling. HWINfo and AIDA64 are fine also, but with a lot more information to sift through.
 
I ended up moving the E3-1231v3 setup to a different small form factor case. I moved it from the Cooler Master Elite 110 to an NCASE M1 v4 I recently picked up from a fellow [H] member.

The CM 110 had a single 110mm intake fan at the front. Now, I've got a 110mm intake fan directly above the Cryorig C7 CPU cooler (on the side fan mount) and an 80mm exhaust fan at the back of the case. My idle temps dropped to 28C (from 31C), and the full load temps dropped to 68C (from 72C). With the NCASE M1, I can replace the C7 with a small tower cooler like the Noctua NH-D9L or the Cryorig M9i, but I'd have to remove the 110mm intake fan to accommodate the tower cooler. I'm sure the NH-D9L would be better than the M9i, but the price differential on these is probably out of proportion to their performance differential.

At least with the NCASE M1, I can swap CPU coolers without having to take the system completely apart like I had to do with the CM 110.
 
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