Intel i5 temperature sensor question

After getting my recent upgrade to an i5 (4670k) all figured out, I ran Prime95 to test thermals, and found some odd results when checking temperatures.

In short, SpeedFan listed the individual cores' (0-3) sensors in the 70-80c during the load tests, while my motherboard's utility (AI Suite) seems to be only reading from the "CPU" sensor which peaked at a much cooler 40-50c during the tests, as seen here:



Left: SpeedFan | Top-right: HWInfo | Bottom-right: AI Suite 3

You'll see I also had HWInfo running to get another reading, and it looks like the sensor AI Suite is relying on for thermal regulating of fans, "CPU", is actually the "CPU GT Cores", which --unless my searches have mistaken me--is the CPU's internal graphics chipset, which I don't use on account of my dedicated HD4870 GPU.

So, basically, I'm wondering A) Are any other i5 users are experiencing this and B) Am I being paranoid and should I just trust AI Suite's choice of sensor?

I appreciate any input.

Speedfan is crap and inaccurate. Use something like HWMonitor or CoreTemp instead.

voyagerfan99 said:

Speedfan is crap and inaccurate. Use something like HWMonitor or CoreTemp instead.

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I expected AI Suite to be a little unreliable, but I hadn't heard SpeedFan giving inaccurate sensor readings. Is it the same with HWinfo?

I might have to retest with the programs you mentioned if these two are known to read sensors poorly.

I agree with what Voyagerfan99 said about Speedfan. It's very unreliable as far as temps go. Use Core Temp or Real Temp.

Core Temp - http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

Real Temp - http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/Real_Temp/

I appreciate the suggestions, guys. Ran tests again using Core Temp and Real Temp, seeing temps similar as before. I guess it's just safe to assume it is a case of AI Suite grabbing the wrong sensor for reporting.

One follow-up question: Since AI Suite is clearly inaccurate, and SpeedFan is not recommended, do you guys have any suggestions for a program to set up custom fan (CPU and motherboard header fans) curves/RPM levels based on temps? I know it's not a big deal, but the extra control and peace of mind is nice.

Thanks again for the input.