Cooling my PC ( an 8-day test of Arctic Silver 5)

[Bozos of Bones]

This is interesting to follow...

[Rikard T'Aranaxz]

yes quite

[Larry_OHF]

Sorry I could not post Test #4 last night, as my headache was severe enough that I did not want to even turn on the PC. I'll make up time by doing two tests today, 12 hours apart.

[Larry_OHF]

Test #4

5 Min. Game-on: 122/109F (50/43C).
8 Min. Game-on: 124/115F (51/46C).

Cool Down Time: 4 Minutes

************************************************

Comparison of Four Days

Processor temps.

Day 1: Five Minute Test: 126F (Less than five min.)
Day 4: Five Minute Test: 122F
************************************************
Day 2: Eight Minute Test: 127F
Day 4: Eight Minute Test: 124F


Observations:

Five minute Test: In 4 days, temperature improved in the processor area by 4 degrees.

Eight Minute Test: In 4 days, temperature imrpoved in the processor area by 3 degrees.

[ 12-11-2006, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Larry_OHF]

Tonight's Results for test 5 are not good. I seem to have slipped backwards in progress.

In five minutes, the temp had reached 124 processor zone / 111 for system area in Farenheit. That's 51/44C.

In eight minutes, I was up to 126/117F (52/47C).

This test shows an increase of 2 degrees F. in both processor and system area, in both the 5 and 8 minute intervals.

[Felix The Assassin]

I don't want to be the breaker of not-so-good news, but somebody has to do it. Artic Silver any number is not any better than Radio Shack thermal paste, probably not as good as to begin with. Moreover, thermal paste should only make a very small barrier between the proc, and the sink. The more, is not the merrier. Too much and it will ooze out onto the top of the proc creating a degradation in heat dissapation and performance from the on board L1 & L2 cache. Excessively too much, and puff, what's that burning smell! Additionally, anything that claims to fill a void between the sides of a surface and another, sounds like a sealant to me.

In so far as weather goes, we have had a major warming trend here, what about you? An increase in ambient temperture coupled with denser air will create a warming effect on any CPU, irregardless if it's using Artic whatever, or space shuttle "goo"! That alone probably skewed your test.

Fork out the big bucks and go "Liquid"!

PS. I'm no longer a standing member in the overclockers association. It would seem that one must be a M$ user to remain a member, and Linux has no power club or OC club to date! Anyhow, I'm still 12% over on the proc, and 15% over on ram, using nothing more than Radio Shack paste, and air.

[ 12-12-2006, 05:46 PM: Message edited by: Felix The Assassin ]

[Callum]

I'm pretty sure you can find tests if you search that compare AS5 and other thermal pastes. Supposed to be good for a couple of degrees C.

(22.5 %, and 12.5 % respectively here. Hooray for air. Although I'm moving to water soon [img]smile.gif[/img] )

[Larry_OHF]

I appreciate your comments and have to add that I actually bought Arctic Silver 5 from Radio Shack, and the man that sold it to me said that he'd heard that this stuff was better than their store-name kind. That was his assumption (there's that word again!). I have never before heard anyone until now that works with computers talk negatively about AS5. For the record on my application of it, I performed the application just as described, using a dab the size of half of a small grain of rice in the center of the processor. There's no way I did that wrong, and its not going to leak over the edge.

As for weather, its been in the 60s during the days and 30s at night. We keep our internal temp of the house at 68 in the winter. As for what's going on outside, all I am concerned with is that my processor is heating up too hot and I cannot play Undermountain until I get it resolved, but I do not have any "real" money to make a "real" fix until I get a job now that I am out of school and back in the real world. I am therefore trying to find simple fixes (duct-taping the problem) until I can replace it all. While I am doing so, I am having fun learning how it all works.

[Bozos of Bones]

In response to Felix:
People don't know how to use thermal paste. It has better conductivity than air, but not as well as the aluminium or copper of the cooler. It's there just to bridge the gap. But try explaining that to Joe Regular, the 1337357 Counter Strike player ever. "OMG J00 NUB! TTr3hmal pa3st coools ur PC u n00b!1"

But there still is a difference between the "quality" and the "quantity" goods.

[Larry_OHF]

Tonight's results are better than yesterday's. We're back on track with what is expected.

Five Minutes: 122/113F, (50/45C)
Eight Minutes: 124/115F, (51/46C)

The system seems to be doing just fine after I added that new fan for the export of hot graphics air.
I am seeing that the processor is still too hot for gaming, and my next step if this does not work out would be to buy a better processor fan.