Athlon overheat with BEST cooling?

A

AMDCam

New Member
Hey, I have an Athlon XP 3200+. I bought a Swiftech heatsink (supposedly best-of-the-best for XPs) and a Vantec Tornado cooling fan. My standard die heat is 38C, and that seems a little high. The case temp is 32C, and I know 38C isn't high, but the processor does get unstable at even 39C. I overclocked it to 2.3Ghz, and it ran fine until I tried to open an application, then it restarted the computer. Now this seems stupid but could forgetting to put the heatsink on the processor the first time you start (don't ask why, and it does run stable even up to 2.28Ghz, and Thermal Guard I have on my motherboard) damage it to where it can't overclock as high, or did I install my heatsink with too much or too little Arctic Silver? Thanks.
 
I bought a Swiftech heatsink (supposedly best-of-the-best for XPs)
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Which one?

but the processor does get unstable at even 39C.
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Are you sure those temps are the CPU temps cuz the CPU is rated for up to 85C and after boot usually its around 35C. Also if your "standard" temperature was 38C and its unstable at 39C there something wrong there because the temperature guages are never that precise.

overclocked it to 2.3Ghz, and it ran fine until I tried to open an application, then it restarted the computer
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A 100MHz OC shouldnt be that bad but you can try bumping the Vcore up a notch

Now this seems stupid but could forgetting to put the heatsink on the processor the first time you start (don't ask why, and it does run stable even up to 2.28Ghz, and Thermal Guard I have on my motherboard) damage it to where it can't overclock as high, or did I install my heatsink with too much or too little Arctic Silver? Thanks
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1. You can rule out the arctic silver possibility by reapplying it properly
2. As for the chip being fried i doubt it (it is possible though) but i think your temps are already a bit out of spec considering XP3200s were stupid hot (even if you pack a XP90 on that which was damn near the best HS for it
 
Alright, the BIOS and applications tell me the same thing, 38C. Other people even say 32C. Could the sensors be off since that heatsink thing? Actually 2.3Ghz was running well for a while when I last tried it, but after about 10 minutes for no reason it restarted the computer.
 
You think it is? It just seems to hiccup in power then shut down. But only at 2.3Ghz. By the way, do you know if the Radeon 9800XT BIOS actually more efficiently handles graphics than the 9800Pro?
 
Alright, I can overclock it perfect now. But can I up the processor voltage (Vcore) 6% (when I overclock high it sometimes redlines at voltage) because the BIOS warns me that if I go too high on it that it can cause damage to the processor, and I don't want to worry about that.
 
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My Vcore is 1.65 normal and I didn't change it but sometimes the voltage goes higher (red lines) when I overclock it.

Another thing, is RAM timing more important than processor speed when it comes to performance in games (framerate)?
 
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It has a 480watt PSU. I have 11 total fans on it, and a graphics card power connector. If 480watts can't handle my computer I don't know what can.
 
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The only reason I do this is so you guys don't think I left the thread. I just try to get your attention. That's why I say "anyone????????????"
 
I know you guys are here to help, and I also know that there are a lot more, and a lot more important, threads than this. But if you could please help, I rely on you guys until you answer, and I've been sitting here 3 days to see if I should up the voltage. Also, the RAM timing question on page 1, if you know that please tell me. Thank you for all your help
 
480W of what brand? The wattage isn't overly important, the amount of power it can provide on a given rail is.
 
there will be a sticker on the side and will have various voltages and amperage ratings on it, can you post what they are?
 
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