Hello Everyone,

I'm running BOINC with an Intel i5-3570k that has not been overclocked. I'm currently running 100% of processors at 75% time. The system is also utilizing my NVIDIA GPU and Intel GPU as co-processors and is crunching for Einsten@home and NumberFields@home.

Requesting a sanity check on temperatures to make sure I'm not harming the system. I understand the processor will down throttle on its own but I don't want to ride the top end of the temperature gauge.

Using SpeedFan I'm getting a "CPU" temperature of about 70-72 C but Core 0, 1, 2, 3 temps of about 98-102C. I checked the Intel Thermal Profile for this processor and see a "T Case Max" of 67.4 C.

What measurement is this referring to and is this spec a good way to discern system temp dangers? Do I have anything to worry about given the temperatures I provided? Can I use more CPU time than 75%?

Thanks
G

Hi G and welcome to the BOINC forums,

First off, the TCase temperature you point out is according to Intel: TCase: Case Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS). TjMax for your CPU is 105C. (That's the max for most all i5 CPUs, even when it doesn't say it specifically at the Intel site anymore)

The temperatures measured by Speedfan are 'diluted'. The CPU temp you see is measured at the top of the CPU, underneath the heat sink. The core temperatures are measured at the bottom of the core dies. So these tend to be showing hotter than the 'normal' temperature. And they are well withing the maximum limit of 105C. That not all cores show the same temperature is normal as well.

What kind of cooling do you use? Any aftermarket cooler, or the stock cooler the CPU came with?
Aftermarket coolers tend to cool better, especially if you changed the cooling paste as well. Water cooling cools best.
Seeing you run at 72C, I think you do have an aftermarket cooler, as stock tends to run at 95C, but correct me if I am wrong.

I have an i5-2500K with an entry point water cooling solution (Cooler Master Seidon 120v) which in combination with Speedfan keeps my CPU under load at a max of 54C with fans at 90% maximum (it tends to be noisy when at 100%). Speedfan looks at all coolers in my case, to combine maximum airflow through the case with as little noise as possible. It works for me.

In all, your temperatures look fine.

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Hi Ageless,

So I went back and looked into more of the options within SpeedFan and was able to display the Core 0, 1, 2, 3 temperatures individually. I believe these are the more accurate temps to which you referred that are part of the "Tj Max" limit. These measurements were pegging at 102-105 C!

I downloaded TThrottle and am now regulating the cores at 75-80C. I'm using the stock cooler that came in the box with my i5-3570k. I do keep the box in a cabinet but have dual cabinet fans running to keep ambient temperature lower. Right now, ambient temp inside the cabinet is 79F (26C). Before throttling the ambient temp was 85F (29C).

I'm thinking I might need to change out my case fans, which at this point are five years old. I also have a spare 120mm fan mount in the rear and I think I'll install a water cooling solution such as the Corsair H55 or Arctic Cooling 120, space permitting. I would probably benefit from reapplying cooling paste as well.

The thermal compound that sits between your CPU and the heatsink also breaks down over time, and becomes less efficient at conducting heat between the two surfaces. Might be time to clean the old stuff off and reapply some new thermal compound. It's been a while since I've done mine, but I typically see a drop of at least 5 C when I've done that.

For any new builds, I highly recommend using one of the closed-loop liquid coolers. They keep things super chilly, and are easy to install and use.

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My Detailed BOINC Stats

The stock cooler is only efficient if you use the CPU in mostly idle situations. Anything that uses the CPU, the stock cooler will be unable to cool.
So yes, best replace fast with some aftermarket cooler. If the case doesn't allow for placement of a radiator with fan, best buy a new case. They aren't that expensive, if at least you don't want it to come with rainbow coloured LED fans. Just shop around for Cooler Master, Aerocool, be Quiet! or Sharkoon cases. (My main i5 system is housed in this case. I'm very happy with it. The radiator + fan fits in the top if the case, under the mesh.)

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I ordered some new case fans and a Corsair H55. Should receive next week. The H55 comes with thermal paste. It's an entry level unit but with the sale + $10 rebate Newegg was offering I picked it up for just under $40. The case I'm using is a Lian-Li Micro-ATX. I had to downsize the 140mm top-case fan to a 120mm get a maximum width of 60mm for radiator + fan on the rear of the case (I couldn't use the top of the case, because the MB connectors and capacitors look like they would be in the way).

The new GPU is also adding to temp woes; I never intended for this system to even have a dedicated graphics card, but I plopped a GTX 1050 OC WF into it once I got back into crunching. Not that it adds to this discussion but to the wife's dismay, the addition of the card necessitated removal of the WIFI card in the PCI-E slot...which "forced" cutting the drywall to add a CAT 6A home run to the smart panel downstairs...;) It's been a busy holiday season!!

All in I'm out over $200 on upgrades as it is so I don't think I'll be replacing the case on this iteration, but when I build my next computer I'll use at least a mid-tower. I'll check back in to let you all know how this turns out.

-G

Alright, the upgrades are in. I replaced the two front 120 mm fans and the 140 mm top case fan. I also substituted the stock intel cooler with the H55. I had to do some modifications to the Lian Li micro-ATX case to fit the radiator and radiator fan which I mounted where the 140 mm top case fan was. The solution was to mount the fan on the outside of the case and the radiator on the inside. I drilled a 3/8" hole and inserted a grommet to keep the wire from chaffing (I ordered a whole kit off JEGS Racing which is perfect for this sort of thing and has plugs for if I ever eliminate the hole).

The install necessitated completely removing all of the internal hardware, so I was able to clean everything. What I found was the fans were all old, but my real problem was that each of the fans had a dust screen in place which were all completely clogged with 1/8" of dust. So that's why my temps were so high - I had zero airflow. I just never knew the screens were there as they were preinstalled with the case.

The end result? I went from an idle temperature of 52 C on core's 0-4 with a max temp of 105 C hitting the upper limit for the processor when running at 100%. The cabinet the case was in had an ambient temperature of about 23 C (80-85 F).

I now idle at 18-22 C on all 4 cores. At 100% load with both Intel GPU and my NVIDIA 1050 running I'm crunching at 45-55 C. The cabinet's ambient temperature is holding at 22 C (72 F) which is the household thermostat's set temperature.

I'll go ahead and call that a 50 C drop :)

In case anyone was wondering with the 3x 120 mm Corsair AF120s and the H55's fan/pump running the computer still fairly quiet. My AC Infinity AIRPLATE S5 8" cabinet fan, is the noiser of all the fans.

Pays to keep your equipment maintained eh?

Thanks for all the advice!

-G

The stock cooler is only efficient if you use the CPU in mostly idle situations. Anything that uses the CPU, the stock cooler will be unable to cool.
So yes, best replace fast with some aftermarket cooler. If the case doesn't allow for placement of a radiator with fan, best buy a new case. They aren't that expensive, if at least you don't want it to come with rainbow coloured LED fans. Just shop around for Cooler Master, Aerocool, be Quiet! or Sharkoon cases. (My main i5 system is housed in this case. I'm very happy with it. The radiator + fan fits in the top if the case, under the mesh.)

Since I am also dealing with same situation, with high CPU temperature, this case looks nice hopefully I can overcome this problem.

I also had a problem with i7-4790k in November and the solution was Corsair H100i v2. Since I am in Japan, I bought an expensive one in Japan, but as you are in the US, you can buy one at newegg for $54.99 (not new one, but refurbished). I think it's a good deal.

With it, my 4790k stays at 60C even in full power with boinc projects at 4.2GHz. If the clock is lowered to 4.0GHz, the temperature is around 50C. But if at max turbo (4.4GHz), it was 70-75C.

Anyway it's good cooler.

I am using i5 4460, and CPU Temp using Core temp stays 65C