Hi all, I just got this processor and a Gigabyte ga-7va, and also a Thermaltake TR2-M2 fan w/ aluminum heatsink(copper base). When installing, I put a dab of thermal compound on the cpu core. I started it up, and at the full speed of 2400 was running at 80 degrees C! I turned it down to 1800, and it was running at around 60 degrees. I thought maybe the thermal compound was messing things up, so I wiped it off and restarted the computer. It wouldn't even boot! I put the compound on again and it runs, but still at the high temperatures. So, first off, am I applying the thermal compound correctly? Any ideas why it would be running so hot? I checked the CPU to make sure I got a 2400, and it is in fact that. The fan is rated to a 3200, and I have it turned up to full speed, 5-6k rpms. Also the system temperature was under 40 degrees. I have two case fans, one blowing across the CPU area and another blowing out. Thanks for any help!

Your system temp is on the high side.....my system temp right now is 30 C. Your heatsink can only do so much. If the ambient tempature of your room is hot your computer is going to run hot too. Till you get your system temps down a bit....you can expect higher cpu temps. I would turn it back to 100\100 till you figure out what the problem is. Using the paste....you want a thin but covered layer on your cpu before you install the heatsink. Whatever you do dont run your computer without the heatsink installed......your cpu will get to 720 degree F......in less than 10 seconds......and FRY. With the fast hot running components we have these days.....its wise to have a large tower case........with 2 or more exaust fans. I have four fans running in my case not counting the powersupply and cpu. Keep an eye on the temps......80 is way too hot........your near the fry temps right now. Your computer will probably run marginally well at 60 C but that really is too hot. I have my xp 2400 turned down to 1.5 gig right now.......which is where I keep it on hot days. I have my Volcano 9 running full speed as well. My temps right now are 35 C Cpu.....30 C system temp.

The room temperature isn't more than 70-75 F. It just seems like such a dramatic difference. The 1700 I had before this ran at about 47 C. To clarify on the heat paste. When you say CPU, you mean just the core? Not the whole top, right?

People should READ as much as they can about building a pc before they do it. if you don't even know how to put thermal paste on you shouldn't be building one. building a pc isn't straight forward always. you need to know what your doing or you can break it real easy. you don't just put everything together and expect everything to work..you need to know what everything is,how it works and you need to know what all the technical stuff means.also you need to know if everything is compatible with everything else. i read about how to build a pc for 5 months before i actually built one. don't just jump into it READ and make sure you know everything there is to know about your hardware and things will be a lot more likely to go smoothly.

Thanks, PC nazi. Anymore helpful comments? PS: This is the 5th or 6th PC I've built, I just do it once every few years. I have read that it goes just on the core, but that was a while ago. I wanted to make sure that was still the accepted practice, and that it did not need to be on other surfaces. I'm certainly not going to go out and get an A+ cert or spend 5 f'n months before building every PC I need to. Hahahaha.

Actually, when I build a pc, I do just put everything together and hope it works. Anyway, touch your heatsink while it's running after a while and see if it's hot. If it is cold too the touch, then something is messed up in heat transfer. If it is warm to hot, then heat is transferring ok. Make sure your fan is on its highest setting, too. Yes, put thermal paste only on the core, otherwise you just have a mess you need to clean up later.

LOL pc nazi eh!! that's nice..well if you did know about pc temps you wouldn't be posting here and that is one of the most simplest things you can learn about when building pc's MORE FANS very simple you said you only have 2 that don't sound like enough if your temps are that high. and i don't read for 5 months for each pc i build that was only for the first one cause i wanted to make sure i didn't break anything. and i actually did break my first motherboard by putting in 1 256mb and 1 512mb of different brands in a dual channel board and after i found out that i fried 3 of the dimm slots...that could happen to you and ruin your whole board because you didn't read. and for froggx when i say "you don't just put everything together and expect everything to work" i mean you need to know if they are compatible and what your board supports if you don't and you just choose whatever you want not knowing what everything supports you'll end up with nothing working..now you get it? obviously you just put everything together but if your putting the wrong things together it won't work.