Cooling Issues

I'm not sure what to make of this one. I put a new machine together:



Asus A8N32-SLI
AMD X2 4400+
XFX 7800GTX
Corsair XMS 2gb PC3200
WD Sata 3.0gb/s 200gb drive
Maxtor Diamondmax 10 300gb drive
Antec Truepower 550w PSU
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BNS case


Now, I have four case fans:

1 120mm intake fan on the front of the hard drive cage
1 120mm exhaust fan
1 90mm intake fan on the top of the machine
1 90mm exhaust fan at the back under the PSU.

I've bound my cables to increase airflow. I am using the stock AMD cooler and Arctic silver ceramique.

The temperature for the CPU is what I would expect from a stock cooler. I average 42-45c idle, 51c max under load.

The motherboard temperature is what throws me off. The temperature is either the same as the CPU, or 1-2 degrees above it. Now keep in mind this board has passive cooling on it, via a new Asus heatpipe design.

I called Asus and they said the temperature was fine, just be concerned if it hits 60c. They said it was because I am stressing the NB more because of the GTX and the dual core cpu.

I don't know how to resolve this, or if I should just let it be.

I know I am not alone, as I found cases of other people having the same issue.

The Asus tech I talked to (American, woot!) said another tech there had an A8N-SLI, with the same issue.

It seems perfectly stable.

 

It doesn't sound like too much of a problem, you could try another case fan, I guess.

 

Is it the bios or a 3rd party piece of software giving this info?

 

Try This It is a bit big but it would keep your mobo cool.

 

BIOS and PC Probe.

 

Ok, I enjoy humor now and then, but this isn't the Lounge. Reply with serious responses, or not at all.

Thank you.

 

Not gonna sweat it for now. Im seeing mobo reviews with the same temperatures.

 

Fan on top of case should be exhaust

 

It is. That was a typo on my part.

 

If you are still worried, take a look at this:
http://www.quietpc.com/uk/amdcooling.php#9500
It might not fit your mobo, check the compatibility chart at:
http://www.zalman.co.kr/product/cooler/9500_LED_754_eng.html
If it fits, it will blow air over the heat pipe radiator, and you cant ask for more than that. A small fan near the radiator is going to do far more than extra case fans.

 

Well...I thought about that, and I even have a radiator fan that came with the board.

Thing is, it blows air over it to cool it, and according to Asus, it will mess up the CPU cooling if I use it. Its only to be used with watercooling and other fanless cooling designs.

So...

I'm waiting. TBH, I think if I get a 120 or even a 90mm fan and cut a blowhole in the side of the case, it would help considerably. I also saw somewhere where there was a theory that the heat sensor is located near the PCI-e slot and my 7800GTX is skewing the readings.

I mean, it feels stable. Running benchmarks and games, the motherboard temperature never jumps more than 3-5c. Usually not even that.

 

Update:

The CPU is now running at 36c, thanks to CNQ. I've managed to squeeze out 42c on the motherboard, and found the problem.

The NB sits right next to the 7800GTX, and is being affected by the heat being given off by a heatsink near the back of the card. In addition, it appears the heatpipes are not transferring enough heat off of it, as the radiators are warm, and the NB itself is hot. Heatpipes were smart thinking by Asus, but bad implementation in the end.

Only option now, IMO, is to cut a hole in the side of the case and install an intake over the NB. I probably won't do that though, unless I start having problems. Under full load, neither CPU nor MB goes above 45c.

 

Maybe, I'm concerned any mod will hamper the future ability to install any PCI cards or another GTX.

 

you could water cool the 7800.

 

I'm not interested in water cooling. Leaks do happen.

 

I assume you mean the northbridge temps.... Iv never known mobo temp sensors to be very accurate. Id feel the northbridge and then feel the CPU cooler ..if the temps are correct thay will feel about the same temp.....My gess is its just a buggy temp sensor....

 

Little cheesy .... But seriously i used to run a window fan on low blowing into my case during the summer months when i played games ....

 

Its the NB, yes. There are no other motherboard temperature sensors. It is accurate in this case, the NB is very warm to the touch.

 

That cant be good ... Id run the case open but then again i always run my cases open ... but for some people thats not an option....

 

It doesn't make a difference. People keep telling me to do that

Ventilation is not the problem. Its the poor system of removing heat that Asus set up.

For it to make a difference, I'd have to point a floor fan towards it with the side off.