Newbie OC question - Core temp reading

[chicagorcf]

Hello...thanks for all the help with getting me new PC set up. I recently obtained a Q6600 and installed an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7. Using core temp, i get the following temps on my 4 cores:

40 34 32 33

My question is: Which core is the one i need to worry about? How do i know how good a job my HSF is doing? Which one is considered my 'idle' temp?

Thanks!!

 

[mellojoe]

That's the temperature of each core.

IDLE temp would be with no programs running, letting everything sit "idle" for a while to settle the temperatures. The readings you get would give you an IDLE temperature. Granted, things always change depending on many factors (ambient temperature and weather conditions), so keeping an eye on IDLE for a while will give you a solid IDLE average.

then you have your "Normal" temperature, which is what I call when I'm running multiple programs like I would in teh course of a normal day (photoshop, Excel, FireFox, spy-ware, and anti-virus software). That gives me a "normal running" temperature, or a "comfort zone" temperature. Again, running those for a while and keeping an eye on temperatures gives you an average.

Finally, you have your STRESS temperature. This is through using Prime, Orthos, BurnTest or any number of high-stress video games or benchmarking utilities. These give you a max temperature under the most load.

But a quadcore should always give you 4 temps, one for each core.

 

[chicagorcf]

Thanks I understand that part. But out of those 4 cores, which one is the one to look at for my main temp?

When you see someone say, "My idle temp is 40c"....which core are they speaking about?

so based off the readings above, is my idle 40, 34, 33, 32? Do i take an average?

 

[MrBojangels]

Thanks I understand that part. But out of those 4 cores, which one is the one to look at for my main temp?

When you see someone say, "My idle temp is 40c"....which core are they speaking about?

so based off the readings above, is my idle 40, 34, 33, 32? Do i take an average?

Hottest core.

 

[BillParrish]

As mentioned above the hottest is the one you should be concerned with because when any one core reaches the catastrophic trip point the entire cpu will shutdown.


There are no "temp" police, you can say it anyway you want it and sometimes depending on the audience it might be better to just pick one number to avoid mass confusion but this is [H] and I at least like to be precise and accurate about such things. See my sig.

Keep in mind the windows operating system is not the worlds best or even second best at assigning tasks on a muli-core cpu. That is why you are seeing core0 at 40 because even doing nothing in windows, windows is doing something.

Idle temps mean very little. I know of no tasks or games that do anything interesting while not running. Switch the options in the software to to read "Delta to Tjmax" and run a stress test that exercises all 4 cores and tell us what you get. Then we will have meaningful information on the installation and operation of that heatsink and how well it is working in your case.

As to your direct question, I will just say that it is very un-informed to quote a single idle temp for a muli-core cpu. So pick the lowest, the highest or take an average or just say "in the low 30's" it will not matter as anyone up on the subject will know not to take it seriously anyway. The way you did it in your post and the fact you asked the question means you realize that quoting one temp for mulit core is not correct or useful, the way you listed all 4 is much more correct.