Do I need to RMA my quad?

psymanproductions · Post by **psymanproductions** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 2:26 pm

I bought a q8200 a few days ago rinning at 2.3ghz and 1.135v (lowest voltage option on my mobo)...

there is a 15.c difference between core0 and core 4, core 0 rises to 72.c under load and begins throttling!

i am using a xigmatek hdt cooler with a 600rpm fan and have remounted it, results were the same.

also tried the stock cooler, temps were mybe 5.c lower but there was still a 15.c diff between hottest and coolest core.

idle core temps - 55-45-41-39.c

idle cpu case - 50.c

load cores - 72-67-65-60.c

load cpu case - 68.c

so, are my temps really bad enough to damage the cpu? will i get away with disabling thermal monitor so it doesnt throttle under load? or should i just send it back and hope the replacement is cooler?

(speeding up my fan is not an option loool)

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 2:56 pm

Hi,

Are you sure that it is throttling? It sounds like the sensor in the one core is just way off, but even if it is not that hot, if it starts to throttle, that is a problem...

psymanproductions · Post by **psymanproductions** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:00 pm

well, i am as sure as i can be... with speedstep disabled and full load on all cores, core 0 gets to 72.c then cpu-z shows cpu speed has dropped to 2.0ghz and multi as 6.0

should be 7x multi and 2.33ghz and is udner temps lower than 72...

ThaArtist · Post by **ThaArtist** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:18 pm

How do you guys get all these readings? Software or in the bios?

sNNooPY · Post by **sNNooPY** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:26 pm

ThaArtist wrote:How do you guys get all these readings? Software or in the bios?

CoreTemp
RealTemp
Speedfan
Everest
...

psymanproductions · Post by **psymanproductions** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:14 am

i got the temps from speedfan, and reltemp bios shows same readings... ive decided i am just going to speed up the fan to 800rpm (i pains me so)

at 800 it still throttles under prime95 but takes ages to get there and doubt it will ever get there in real life usage.

is there any program availble that will notify me when i throttling occurs with out me having tio sit here and watch cpu-z 'till the core voltage and freq drops lol

thanks fro the help

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:01 pm

psymanproductions wrote: also tried the stock cooler, temps were mybe 5.c lower but there was still a 15.c diff between hottest and coolest core.

idle core temps - 55-45-41-39.c

idle cpu case - 50.c

load cores - 72-67-65-60.c

first off, your math is slightly off... since the cpu won't be throttling at idle, you are only concerned about the temp differences at load, which is 72-60= 12 degrees difference, not 15.

it's been awhile since i looked at overclocking, but i think that the only reason that you care about thermal throttling is to prevent cpu damage?... if you put the right cpu cooler on there, you can turn off the thermal throttling forever.

i use the scythe mugen 2, which is the best bang for the buck out there, check out the spcr review... those test results are a bit biased towards weak cpus, but other testing on the 'net has shown that the mugen 2 cools with the very best of 'em, for less money.

in terms of temp monitoring, it is possible that you have a malfunctioning cpu temp sensor, read all of the help files on your coretemp program, because it will tell you how to calibrate the sensors... coretemp is the best choice for temp monitoring.

psymanproductions · Post by **psymanproductions** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:10 pm

ok, but the main thing i am thinking is, does the 12-15.c difference between temps justify an rma?

i mean does that make the cpu in any way faulty or is it in the "normal range"

when playing a game if the cpu throttles you will suddenly loose fps, wich may mean i die lol

as for cpu cooling i have the xigmatek hdts1283 fitted (its defo seated properly) which is considered one of the best.

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:19 am

i almost got the xigmatek, it's a good cooler, but you shouldn't have to be manually turning the fan speed up to overcome a defective temp sensor.

i think that your point about an rma sounds valid, ask the vendor before the return period is up, and you have to deal with intel directly.

in the long run, tho, i don't think that serious gaming and thermal throttling are compatible with each other... in particular, if you are overclocking, you probably don't want thermal throttling turned on.

a 12 degree spread in sensor readings seems like a bit much to me.

Rebellious · Post by **Rebellious** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:36 pm

Iâ€™d return it.

AMD would have locked this CPU and sold it as a dual-core, and let consumers unlock the bum cores at their own risk

psymanproductions · Post by **psymanproductions** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:24 am

thanks guys, i will get in touch with the vendor and see if they will swap it!

intel and their over complex thermal management, lack of specification about how it acctualy works, faulty core sensors and f...king PUSH PINS can suck my balls. lol

thanks for the help.

colm · Post by **colm** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 10:21 pm

I wouldn't swap. seems normal.

it also has a trigger to shutdown bluntly when exceeded. Intels goal since prescott, was reaching the max thermal design... that does not mean failure, that means exactly what they claim is being reached.

and at 45nm, it could go even farther than their own writings.

Do I need to RMA my quad?

Do I need to RMA my quad?

Re: Do I need to RMA my quad?

yes