Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums and my friend suggested I ask my question here.

I had just recently purchased Half-Life 2 and enjoyed playing it, except for the fact that it crashed. And by crashed, I mean just about every time I would play.

At that point, I decided to go through and make sure I had EVERYTHING updated: Windows, DirectX, video and sound drivers, the works (except the BIOS, more about that in a minute).

After doing that, it still crashed. I began to think it was a overheating issue. I began to monitor the temps before and after playing. 114F when idling, 120F when it crashed. From what I can tell online, these aren't very hot temperatures.

The BIOS however reports that, on rebooting (meaning that the computer has been idling for some time), that the temperature of the processor is 58C or about 136F. The motherboard temp reports about the same as ASUS Probe does inside of Windows.

System specs pertinent to the issue:

AMD Athlon XP 2600+ (though everything says its a 2800+ (not overclocked, have checked voltages).
ASUS A7N8X Deluxe2.0 (BIOS v 1006, newest being 1009)
Kingston 512 MB DDR400 PC3200
CoolerMaster Fan with aluminum heatsink (getting a Dynatron with copper heatsink Friday)

Today, I took the left side case cover off, and the temp, according to ASUS Probe went from 114F to about 105F, and I played CounterStrike with the settings turned down, and the temperature only reached 107F during gameplay. I played for about an hour without it crashing, thus increasing the likely hood of heating issues.

What I want to know is, which report is more likely to be correct? Would a BIOS update fix the issue of the conflicting reports? Does the processor have a temperature sensor independent of the ASUS motherboard CPU temp sensor (there is one directly underneath the CPU).

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to be specific about the issue because it has been a nagging issue for a few weeks now.

Any information or advice is greatly appreciated.

First off, motherboard temp sensors will never be as accurate as a temp probe mounted afterwards.
A BIOS update may or may not "fix" the issue.
What kind of case airflow do you have and what size fan(s) are you using?

Secondly, several members here are fully disgusted with the A7N8X mobo, so that could be part of your problem as well, but not sure there.

Quote: Originally Posted by spl3001 Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums and my friend suggested I ask my question here.

Wow............Nice Intro...Who is your friend?
Welcome to PimpRig............

Kick back and enjoy the show....its gona have Drama in it.....

Please check out the Sweeet Pimp Links..

• http://team.pcapex.com/
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Here is a pic I just took of the inside on my case:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...e_07072005.jpg

Hopefully that will give you an idea of the airflow.

I have a 80 mm case fan and an 80 mm (i think) CPU fan. The CPU fan is running at about 4700 RPM.

I don't have a fan on the left cover, it is kept on most of the time though. It does have several vent holes at the top and at the bottom.

By the way, Big Duece told me to post here.

Quote: Originally Posted by spl3001 Here is a pic I just took of the inside on my case: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...e_07072005.jpg Hopefully that will give you an idea of the airflow. I have a 80 mm case fan and an 80 mm (i think) CPU fan. The CPU fan is running at about 4700 RPM. I don't have a fan on the left cover, it is kept on most of the time though. It does have several vent holes at the top and at the bottom.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that just by doing a bit of wire management, you can shave off a few degrees Celsius from your case temps. The longer you stick around though, I must warn you that you will likely get bitten by the mod bug and WANT to take on this task.

A couple of things you can do to lower your temps............

I have that same board and an AMD 2800+ Barton and a ATI 9800 Pro.

1. Get a decent HSF for the CPU. Thermalright SI-97A & YS Tech 92mm Fan http://www.frozencpu.com/cpu-tri-14.html
http://www.frozencpu.com/fan-20.html

2. Get a decent Northbridge cooler. Swiftech MCX159-R
http://www.frozencpu.com/vid-20.html

3. Get a decent video card cooler. For my 9800 Pro I'm using an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 1
http://www.frozencpu.com/vid-35.html

4. Make sure you have plenty of fans for your case for good ventilation. If you only have one fan in the rear and a fan in the front, start thinkin about a fan / blowhole in the top and a couple more fans on the side.

I did all this and dropped my temps by 25 c.........

EDIT: I just looked at the pic you posted on the inside of your case, definitely do some wire management as that blocks airflow.

Well, get some AS5 (arctic silver) and reseat the heatsink, if its not on properly doing so will drop your temps by a couple degrees. After that, throw another 80mm (or 92 if you've got room, positive pressure is teh roxxors for dust (somebody tell that to chenbro damnit!@ )) up front. There should be holes for it, if not, break out the drill. Thatll put more air through your case, probably drop your temps by another few degrees, AND keep your hard drive nice and cool.

Is it Ok Highperf15.....I have some Price matching...

1. Get a decent HSF for the CPU. Thermalright SI-97A & YS Tech 92mm Fan http://www.coolerguys.com/840556031192.html
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556001072.html

2. Get a decent Northbridge cooler. Swiftech MCX159-R
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556037149.html

3. Get a decent video card cooler. For my 9800 Pro I'm using an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 1
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556035466.html

Big Props to Highperf15....
I am just using his Format....for the prices

Holy crap that's some messy wiring.

I had the same problem with Warcraft; I could play for about five minutes before it locked up. However, mine was due to some sort of problem with my video card going bad, and some weird stuff in BIOS. I can't remember exactly what I changed in BIOS, which sucks. Anyway, I got a new video card, and things ran a little more smoothly. Then, I did some wire management (sleeving kit and routed the cables behind the motherboard tray as much as I could), installed a Vantec Tornado 92MM fan on a Thermalright HS, put two Vantec Tornado 80MM front intake fans, and two Coolermaster exhast fans in the side near the I/O shield.

In the picture you posted, I can't make out what type of case that is, but if it has a place for a front intake fan, mount one there! If not, try making space for it! For the limited number of fans your case holds, you should definitely install a blowhole to ensure that you're getting good air circulation. Front intake, rear exhaust, top exhaust. Making sure you have constant fresh and decently cool air flowing over your internals.

Now, I just have to say, like everyone else, wire management is the key. You need to sleeve those cables, which will take you anywhere between 30 minutes to [for me] two hours. It all depends on how thorough you want to go with that. I took all my internals out, sleeved the PSU, then ran wires set by set the best I could. If you don't feel like sleeving the wires, you can at least use zip ties to bunch the wires together. When you have so many free-flowing wires, it creates turbulence in your airflow, not allowing air to flow. Since you don't have a front intake, I'd be worried about your VGA overheating, too.

Hope this may have helped, but heed my words and the other pimps here. Cheers!

Add: Forgot to mention, I'm running an Athlon XP 2100+ thoroughbred 1.73GHz, and with the current setup and when the heatsink is not full of all the dust my little air machine pushes in, I'm staying at around 29-30°C, 80-84°F idle. These figures aren't determined by a physical temperature probe, but using Motherboard Monitor. Not sure just how accurate it is, but it's good enough for me.

From first look - I think your usig a speeze cooler - their not great I have to admit...put one in a customers PC and have always had high runing temps...he now has 2 case fans aswell. Also with your case wiring, most of the PSU wiring can go up above or behind the PSU box, and IDE cables can be tucked in behind the drive basys...thats an inital start to sorting, and cable ties can shrink/or attach cables to aid the hiding of them.

Quote: Originally Posted by THRASHER2 Is it Ok Highperf15.....I have some Price matching... 1. Get a decent HSF for the CPU. Thermalright SI-97A & YS Tech 92mm Fan http://www.coolerguys.com/840556031192.html http://www.coolerguys.com/840556001072.html 2. Get a decent Northbridge cooler. Swiftech MCX159-R http://www.coolerguys.com/840556037149.html 3. Get a decent video card cooler. For my 9800 Pro I'm using an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 1 http://www.coolerguys.com/840556035466.html Big Props to Highperf15.... I am just using his Format....for the prices

It's kewl.........

Although working on your cooling with wiring work and different fans will definitely help your rig, your temps don't look that hot. Granted that these are MOBO temp probes which are terrible. I would look somewhere else for the problem. You only noticed this problem with HL2? Have you tried changing any of the video settings in HL2? It might be a BIOS problem or something else as well. IM(very)HO, those temps aren't high enough to cause the problems you're seeing...

what's the ambient temperature? do you have a fan in the front of your case drawing air in?

The problem is that the BIOS reads 55C when idling (BIOS idling, Windows isn't even up), and I'm assuming now, after some research, that this is the CPU diode sensor, while the ASUS Probe app is reading from on the onboard motherboard CPU sensor. If it's 55C/136F idling, and it goes up 6 to 8F during gameplay, then the CPU is probably reaching 142F-144F, maybe even higher. And I can't assume that CPU diode is located at the hottest part of the processor either.

My case does not have a front fan, there is no vent for it on the outside. There is, oddly enough, a mount for a fan on the inside, but the effectiveness would be negligle. I was at a computer store today looking at cases, and I think I've found a new one for just $50. It has room for a fan in the back, a fan on the front, a CPU air duct on the side, two fans on the side, and one fan on the top. Plus it has air filters, which is an added bonus.

And with my current airflow, it may not be the CPU overheating but my video card. It's a ATI 9800 Pro 256MB, and is probably not getting sufficient air across the GPU. A wireless card restricts the path a bit, as you might be able to tell in the previous photo.

Later today, I plan on getting the new case, and tomorrow I should get my fan. I purchased some Arctic Silver 5. So with all that combined, plus some wire management after switching cases, I should have a much, much cooler system.

Sounds like a good response to the problem I'd like to know what your new temp readings are when you install everything in the new case.

If you are buying a case try to get one with mounts for 2 fans in the front and 2 fans in the back and possibly on the side. But make sure you can mount 4x80mm or a couple of 120's.

There are some ASUS "X" version that are the "Yugo" of motherboards around here, pawn it off if you can if thats the version you have.

This review it did OK in though, you might want to check with J-Dogg, he had the crappy one and could tell you if it was the same model as yours.

http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews...XJsX3BhZ2U9MTA=

There is a "Cheap" version of the legendary "Deluxe" version that was fairly expensive when released, but was the top board of it's time, and ASUS was the king of reliability back then, and still are with a few exceptions...hopefully that is the version you have, and can figure out if it's a temp problem.

Get a DFI LP RevB that can run over 500FSB out of the box (Or the equivalent INFINITY version that's a bit cheaper)

The Abit NF-7S is a very strong performer in the FSB dept too (Be carefull of the cheaper stripped down version) and the AN-7 is even better...

These are the top 2 performers for Athlon XP.

If you are on a budget, the Shuttle AN-35 Ultra cant be beat for around 60$ The one I had ran at over 470FSB, but does not have SATA support, and is a bit stripped down in the feature dept compared to the more expensive boards above.

Quote: Originally Posted by $SOLID$ Necro If you are on a budget, the Shuttle AN-35 Ultra cant be beat for around 60$ The one I had ran at over 470FSB, but does not have SATA support, and is a bit stripped down in the feature dept compared to the more expensive boards above.

Unfortunately though, Shuttle no longer manufacturers these boards so you may have a bit of searching to do to find one. If you can find one and don't need SATA, it is a great board. I have one as well and it has been the most stable board I have ever had. It overclocks well if you have quality RAM and an unlocked CPU (good PSU helps too) and doesn't break the bank on top of that.

Quote: Originally Posted by spl3001 My case does not have a front fan, there is no vent for it on the outside. There is, oddly enough, a mount for a fan on the inside, but the effectiveness would be negligle. I was at a computer store today looking at cases, and I think I've found a new one for just $50. It has room for a fan in the back, a fan on the front, a CPU air duct on the side, two fans on the side, and one fan on the top. Plus it has air filters, which is an added bonus.

You probably dont need to fill all those slots. I'd mount intake fans anywhere theres an air filter, and then mount exhaust fans, making sure there was one less than intake. With fan filters and positive air pressure, you can keep your case virtually dust free. With that many fans, you may also want to invest in a fan/rheobus to keep her from soundin' like a jet engine.