i7 differences in core temps

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mikecoscia

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 26, 2005
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Finally got windows up and running on my new rig. Core 0 & 1 are 30c and core 2 & 3 are 26c. Saw it was pretty normal to a have a difference between cores with 45nm chips. Just wanted to see if it held true with the i7s. Gonna try reseating my Noctua again and see if it changes.

By the which method is best for applying thermal paste. Small line accross the cores or spread thin over the whole die with a razor?
 
From what I understand, there are physical imperfections that will have an effect on the heat transfer from the cores to the heatsink for dissipation, these can either lie on the die or on the heatsink base. From there it's possible that the contact between the actual cores and the IHS is uneven, thus resulting in slightly uneven heat dissipation of the cores yet again.

Overall, it seems that a 5°C delta between them isn't something to worry about.

The way I apply thermal paste is to put a small line across the cores allowing the pressure from the heatsink to spread the material where it is needed. It's basically diffusion. People do it both ways and everyone has their stories as to why their way works better, this is just how I do it.
 
The cores will always have a slight varience in temps, especially when your looking at idle temps which is what yours appear to be. Core 0 is going to be the one that typically runs the hottest under load.

And the method for applying thermal paste depends on what product your using. If you bought aftermarket thermal paste then it should have instructions that came with it or that you can find on the manufacturers website.
 
Yah those were idle temps. Running prime now and Core 0 &1 are hitting 52c and Core 2 &3 are hitting 47. So that 5c delta is remaining. Gonna try reseating the heatsink (noctua) one more time just for the hell of it. Maybe one side is tighter than the other. I'll report back.
 
burningrave101 said:
The cores will always have a slight varience in temps, especially when your looking at idle temps which is what yours appear to be. Core 0 is going to be the one that typically runs the hottest under load.

And the method for applying thermal paste depends on what product your using. If you bought aftermarket thermal paste then it should have instructions that came with it or that you can find on the manufacturers website.
Click to expand...

Interestingly, for my 920 it's core 2 that runs hottest by a couple degrees C at idle. Under load the difference is negligible though; all cores end up within 1 degree of eachother. Think I'd worry about being abnormal, but since everything evens out under load I figure everything's fine.

-Fin
 
Here's something interesting. I did not have time to remove the heatsink and reseat it, but I did loosen and re-tighten the screws. They felt like they were on a little to tight anyway. After doing that rebooted and temps dropped. I now have 28c on Core 0 & 1, and 24c on Core 2 & 4. Wouldn't over tightening (without to the point of damaging the CPU) cause the two surfaces to be closer together and increase the convection of heat?

Still going to reseat and lap the heatsink this weekend. Not sure If I want to lap the CPU yet. Think I'll do a quick search and see if anyone else has lapped their i7.
 
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