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Some serious A64 temp problems - 63C under load

S

ShaolinDragon

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 30, 2004
Messages
423
Ok, I need some help, I have a few ideas of what this kid be but as I live on a remote island there is little I can do about it.
My temperatures are just short of 50C at idle as soon as I turn on computer, and after half an hour of Doom3 temperatures were about 64C (you think that was bad, the first time I tried it the temperatures were about 70C under load).
How the hell can this be? The only things I can think of are that I have reseated the heatsink so many times and havent cleaned it properly (I use IPA), and there is a resistant film of AS5 there which is dropping thermal conductivity. The only other thing I can think of is that I got a bad batch of AS5 - I have only used one tube in my computer, and it is hard to find more.
Anyone else got any ideas at what this could be? I shall be ordering some new AS5, some heatsink cleaner, and some good sandpaper to lap my heatsink and heatspreader, as I will not take chances.
I use a CM praetorian, with a A64 3200+ (90nm), Zalman 7000BCu, with 4 80mm CM fans on max.
 
You might be using too much AS5 as well, as it's supposed to be VERY THIN....just a small dot in the middle and squash. Also, a BIOS update might help too.
 
I put a little dot in the center then spread it out with a credit card - my temps actually got worse. I will reseat it now I think, and check this tomorrow.
 
so, just to be clear, IPA == isopropyl alchohol. right? 99% pure?

IPA != india pale ale. right? :)

a haze of AS5 on the heatsink is unlikely to interfere with additional AS5. they actually used to reccomend it, and called the process "tinting" back in the day. clean both IHS and heatsink with iso and lint free tissue. see bottom of post.

a dab of AS5 in the center of the heat spreader, and then squish it out when you put the heatsink on is the way that AS reccomends, and i would say that they probably know best.

check your heat spreader for flatness. a guy over in watercooling (plywood, in think) found that the center of his heat spreader was quite dished inwards, leaving a fair gap between the heat spreader and the waterblock. you might want to check for that with a ruler, or something similarly flat.

zalman puts a pretty good finish on their heatsinks, so although a fine touch of sanding might not hurt, it is unlikely to help all that much. i hope that it is a given that you checked for and removed any protective plastic coating on the contact surface.

did you install your heatsink in the way that zalman reccomends for your board? there is as least one asus that you are not supposed to use the zalman retention bracket on, because there is a component on the board that interferes with it. have you made darned sure that the heatsink is fully screwed down into place?

as noted above, there are also some boards that are known to have wonky temperature sensors. my friend's asus A8V reports about 10C higher than it should.

edit: when cleaning heats spreader and heatsink with iso, use something lint free like coffee filter papers, or microscop optical wipes. do NOT use Q-tips, paper towel, kleenex, or some nice dish cloth. none of that other stuff is lint free, regardless of how much softer it feels.
 
Clean both the heatsink and CPU off with Rubbing Alcohol (higher the % the better), and put a small dot in the center of the CPU (heatspreader). Squish it (not spread it) with the heatsink (not a credit card) and see what temps you get then...also, update your BIOS to the newest release you can find as the K8's had a problem with the tempature sensors at first.

Just a few suggestions.
 
Ok thanks you guys (How did you know I have a MSI K8N :), you are psychic), I have been using q tips :rolleyes:, the guy who gives me the IPA told me to use cotton buds, (hes not an idiot, they make transistors for the japanese :D), ok I ordered some new AS5 anyway, I'm sure I can find a use for it. I shall update my BIOS tonight, and track down some lint free tissue on the internet :). The reason I was going to lap my heatsink was because it has some small z shaped scratches on it, but not in the center of the heatspreader, as the center is fine.
I have also reseated the heatsink following AS5s, advice with no credit card this time, a blob the size of a rice grain, and squished it out, and I still think i used a bit much, but I will wait until I get my tissues.
Thanks for the help and the noticable lack of flaming
 
i really wasn't joking about the coffee filters being lint free, they work pretty well.
 
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