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[LiquidMetal14]

Very nice. I'm hitting high 80s with my XFX 6950 running stock. Fan stays quiet slow due to stupid profile from ATI. What specific cooler did you use, and was it difficult to install?

I don't understand why manufacturers don't bring out one or two cards with good cooling built in, for a premium. Stock cooling seems quite poor in comparison

It's quite poor out of the box. It basically let's the GPU get to that 80 or 90C range. While acceptable, lower is better.

Artic Accelero XTREME Plus

If you're in the states I can link you to the site I bought it as it was about 30 dollars cheaper with the VR001 heatsink/thermal adhesive kit.

1 review to justify my claim.

And like any legit solution, it's worth it. And like I said, if you look around, there are better prices than the ones listed on the site.

I should thank Hazaro for bring that to my attention.

Also be aware that the official site has the 6950/6970 listed and they are compatible but most sites do not list that same list.

AND like the one review I pointed out, make sure you have clearance for it. If you can fit the card then you will likely be able to fit another 1 1/2 inch more of clearance for the fan. It's rather big but that's all the better for proper cooling that doesn't run like a jet like the stock cooling solution.

 

[longdi]

Very nice. I'm hitting high 80s with my XFX 6950 running stock. Fan stays quiet slow due to stupid profile from ATI. What specific cooler did you use, and was it difficult to install?

I don't understand why manufacturers don't bring out one or two cards with good cooling built in, for a premium. Stock cooling seems quite poor in comparison

No need to replace gpu cooler imho, it is one of the more delicate diy task. instead use sapphire trix i linked earlier here. no installation, very small footprint with custom fan profile and unlocked overclock limits.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

No need to replace gpu cooler imho, it is one of the more delicate diy task. instead use sapphire trix i linked earlier here. no installation, very small footprint with custom fan profile and unlocked overclock limits.

I halfway agree with you. It's not that intimidating and like any enthusiast (and if you built your own rig), you will be able to handle this. The particular piece I linked required the faceplate to be taken off and mounting was very easy to understand. The main thing the site and the reviews say is to buy the optional (but MANDATORY) 6-8USD heatsinks. Like any solution to cooling, you get what you pay for with the quality stuff.

I'm not necessarily selling him on it as I myself mentioned the fan profile (which I am still using and will continue to use). BUT if you want to reduce noise and get drastically better results, the one I linked for the 6950/6970 is the best of the best.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

really impressed with MLAA. GTA IV is like night and day with MLAA turned on. It's a nice feature no doubt for AMD cards.

 

[bwtw]

Last question!

There's both XFX and Sapphire versions of the card...from a bit of Googling the main difference seems to be XFX has better customer service? Given that they seem to be the same price in the UK, is there any reason to get the Sapphire?

Oops. Reading that the wattage of the 6950 is 500w, whilst my current power supply is 460w? How much higher do I need to go above 500w for a PSU?

 

[rossonero]

Sorry for the repost but even after finding out that the Samsung F3 has better write speed the read speed is impressive for the Crucial C300 64gb so I have to ask you guys again:

I just bought a Crucial C300 64gb for like $58, but I still can cancel the order. I'm hesitating because of the supposedly bad write speeds (something like 70MB/s) and apparently that's slower than my 1TB Samsung F3. And also the looming launch of the new gen SSD's which are supposed to be cheaper per GB and faster make the choice harder.

What do you guys say?

 

[vocab]

I just bought a Crucial C300 64gb for like $58, but I still can cancel the order. I'm hesitating because of the supposedly bad write speeds (something like 70MB/s)

That sounds horrible.

 

[Stahsky]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914

May be picking this up today. Anyone got any experience with this specific one? Is there a cheaper place? I've been meaning to replace my thermal paste with some better stuff, so I took the opportunity to make some extra room for the card as well. 11 inches is pretty whacky.

Also applying thermal paste makes me nervous as fuck.

 

[n0n44m]

Sorry for the repost but even after finding out that the Samsung F3 has better write speed the read speed is impressive for the Crucial C300 64gb so I have to ask you guys again:

I just bought a Crucial C300 64gb for like $58, but I still can cancel the order. I'm hesitating because of the supposedly bad write speeds (something like 70MB/s) and apparently that's slower than my 1TB Samsung F3. And also the looming launch of the new gen SSD's which are supposed to be cheaper per GB and faster make the choice harder.

What do you guys say?

what type of activity do you do with a 64gb drive that actually requires lots of sequential writing?

my Intel 80g gen2 bootdrive also does only 80something write, can't think of a situation where it ever bothered me ... this thing runs circles around any mechanical hard drive unless you would be writing away large sequential chunks of data from another very fast medium ... but if you do that you should set up a RAID-5 array anyway
(and the SSD has constant 80 mb/s write, my mechanical drives start at 80 and end at 60)

$60 sounds like a great price for that SSD, cheapest I can find it for over here is €100 ...

 

[iNvid02]

i've got a good oc on my 570 but it seems like this thing can keep going and going.
i've tested under gpu tool for 20mins and furmark for 1hr with no problems. crysis was perfect too.

should i continue pushing or stop now? max load temp hits 85 degrees (not in games, only when stressing)

stock
732mhz clock
1950mhz memory
voltage 0.963v

overclocked
950mhz
2100mhz memory
voltage 1.05v

 

[Slo]

So how much real world performance would I get out of upgrading to a SSD? I'm using a 500GB 7200rpm Samsung right now. 1.5 TB hard drives are damned near free, but SSDs are still pretty pricey.

 

[rossonero]

what type of activity do you do with a 64gb drive that actually requires lots of sequential writing?

my Intel 80g gen2 bootdrive also does only 80something write, can't think of a situation where it ever bothered me ... this thing runs circles around any mechanical hard drive unless you would be writing away large sequential chunks of data from another very fast medium ... but if you do that you should set up a RAID-5 array anyway
(and the SSD has constant 80 mb/s write, my mechanical drives start at 80 and end at 60)

$60 sounds like a great price for that SSD, cheapest I can find it for over here is €100 ...

Thanks for the answer mate. One of the online retailers had their monthly deal here in Sweden and had something like 400 SSDs that were gone in 10 minutes.

The thing is that it seems to have awesome read speeds (350MB/s) on a SATA 6 connection so I was just wondering if the write speeds are that important for a 64gb OS drive. I guess you answered it for me, I'll probably keep the order

 

[Stahsky]

I've got an issue that I was hoping reapplying thermal would take care of, but alas.

Got a 965 BE with a Cooler master 212+ on it and it's currently sitting around 37c with no load and no OCing. When I stress test it, it can hit 60 within 2-3 minutes. I'm not so sure what the dealio is.

the 212 not cutting it or something?


Edit: Also thinking of upgrading my HD 5700 to a 6950. Would that be problematic with my CPU heat issues? Aside from some wires mixed around in between, the GPU and CPU are a decent distance apart.

 

[n0n44m]

i've got a good oc on my 570 but it seems like this thing can keep going and going.
i've tested under gpu tool for 20mins and furmark for 1hr with no problems. crysis was perfect too.

should i continue pushing or stop now? max load temp hits 85 degrees (not in games, only when stressing)

stock
732mhz clock
1950mhz memory
voltage 0.963v

overclocked
950mhz
2100mhz memory
voltage 1.05v

for my GTX480 I use the OCCT GPU test set to 30 mins with error check ... the issue with 570/80 cards is they have this overcurrent protection that doesn't stress them to the max with furmark etc, so I would rather loop Unigine Heaven benchmark @ max settings with such a card

a word of warning about the GTX570; it can draw quite a bit of power (especially when overvolting or turning off the overcurrent protection it can get close to the 480/580), but the actual VRM/phases on the board have been reduced quite a bit in comparison to the 580 with which it shares the pcb design. So to be safe don't go overboard with the voltage, your current 1.05V is considered a safe max

Thanks for the answer mate. One of the online retailers had their monthly deal here in Sweden and had something like 400 SSDs that were gone in 10 minutes.

The thing is that it seems to have awesome read speeds (350MB/s) on a SATA 6 connection so I was just wondering if the write speeds are that important for a 64gb OS drive. I guess you answered it for me, I'll probably keep the order ?

Just keep in mind the 64 version is slightly lower on the read speeds as well, but still one of the better SSDs out there. And for the price its a complete steal

Most writing you'll do to a boot drive are small chunks of data -> the infinitely slower seek speed of mechanical drives will always make them slower than an SSD in these cases, even if they could theoretically write sequential data somewhat faster

And new SSDs in a couple of months might be cheaper per GB, but I doubt they will beat the price you are paying now...

 

[whatsinaname]

Last question!

There's both XFX and Sapphire versions of the card...from a bit of Googling the main difference seems to be XFX has better customer service? Given that they seem to be the same price in the UK, is there any reason to get the Sapphire?

In the US, XFX might be worth a slightly higher price, as it comes with Double Lifetime Warranty. Basically, warranty is transferred on first resale. Easier to sell the cards after a couple of years.

I don't think this offer is available in the UK, so either should work for your needs.
My last two ATI Cards were Sapphires. The current one is XFX.

 

[bwtw]

Cheers.

I'm still pretty confused about this power thing...the wattage of the 6950 says 500w but my power supply is only 460w. Does this mean I need a new PSU > 500w to run it?

 

[whatsinaname]

Cheers.

I'm still pretty confused about this power thing...the wattage of the 6950 says 500w but my power supply is only 460w. Does this mean I need a new PSU > 500w to run it?

What are your other components? The PSU usually has a sticker on the side with various ratings/values. Are you able to post those (or maybe just the image of the sticker?)

Most likely, you will need a new PSU.

 

[Littleberu]

Any news about the Sandy Bridge CPU? Are they still being recalled?

 

[knitoe]

Any news about the Sandy Bridge CPU? Are they still being recalled?

Nothing wrong with the CPU. It's a Intel chip on the MBs that is the problem. Thus, CPU are still on sale while MB are very rare until the fixed / updated versions are release.

 

[SapientWolf]

What are your other components? The PSU usually has a sticker on the side with various ratings/values. Are you able to post those (or maybe just the image of the sticker?)

Most likely, you will need a new PSU.

It's all about the quality of the PSU and the amps on the 12v rail, because the whole system won't use much more than 300W.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2010/12/16/ati-radeon-hd-6950-review/10

 

[Littleberu]

Nothing wrong with the CPU. It's a Intel chip on the MBs that is the problem. Thus, CPU are still on sale while MB are very rare until the fixed / updated versions are release.

Oh, okay. What kind of Motherboards are affected by that?

 

[knitoe]

Oh, okay. What kind of Motherboards are affected by that?

All current available Sandy Bridge MBs have defective Intel Sata controllers. The fixed / replacement MBs won't be available in mass qualities until around April.

 

[HowardRoark]

Anyone build a gaming HTPC? I want to play PC games on my couch and big screen and watch MythTV (I already have a backend). So I'm thinking I'll probably be needing a micro ATX with a case that will fit in my entertainment center. Gaming fidelity is more important to me than fan noise (I have an old Xbox 360, so I'm used to it). There's really no rush, so I can wait for the fixed Sandy Bridge chipsets to come out. Anyone have a set up similar to this? And what do you use for controls? I figure I can use a 360 controller for most games, keyboard and mouse for FPS's. Maybe using a TV tray?

 

[mantidor]

Damn! it seems my card is dying on me I'm starting to get all kind of weird lines and freezes in games, and sometimes even outside games, just browsing, the screen goes insane and shows only three large blocks of different colors.

I've been wanting to upgrade for some time, but not like this! I have an 8800GT and it has served me well, I really don't want to go through all the hassle of having to buy a new card plus a new PSU probably... now I need a dummie guide to know what to buy, it's been ages since I've even opened a PC case, any recommendations? any help would be really appreciated.

 

[bwtw]

What are your other components? The PSU usually has a sticker on the side with various ratings/values. Are you able to post those (or maybe just the image of the sticker?)

Most likely, you will need a new PSU.

[Motherboard (MSI 770 AM3 DDR3)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165438 (£49.66)
[CPU (Athlon ii X3 435 2.9ghz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176043 (65.67)
[RAM (Corsair 4GB DDR3 1333mhz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166463 (£80.79)
[GPU (XFX HD 4870 512MB)]:http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169206 (£91.20)
[DVD (22X Sony DVDRW)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/170014 (£15.89)
[Case/PSU (Coolermaster Elite 330 and Coolermaster eXtreme Power Plus 460w PSU)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135101 (£54.99)
[HDD (Samsung F3 500GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252 (£42.54)

Apparently the specs of the PSU are:

3.3V - 22A
5.5V - 25A
12V1 - 18A
12V2 - 18A

 

[causan]

So after a powersurge last night I think my MB/cpu are fried. Tested the PSU and it is working fine but when I have it connected to the MB/cpu alone it does not power at all.

So Im in the need of a new MB/cpu that I can use with the rest of my current componets and that is at least as powerful as my current MB/cpu. Im looking to spend sub $300. Any recomendations?

My current setup is:
-Q6600 quad core cpu(BELIEVED DEAD)
-Gigabyte GA P35 DS4(BELIEVEd DEAD)
-PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610w PSU
-G.SKILL 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
-Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770 GPU

 

[whatsinaname]

Apparently the specs of the PSU are:

3.3V - 22A
5.5V - 25A
12V1 - 18A
12V2 - 18A

I really don't think the 6950 would work. The CM Elite 460 seems to be a re-branded Elite 400W, so that makes it even more doubtful.

 

[bwtw]

Alright. Looking at the Antec EarthWatts 650w which is recommended in the OP. Presumably that would be compatible?

 

[mrklaw]

I've got an issue that I was hoping reapplying thermal would take care of, but alas.

Got a 965 BE with a Cooler master 212+ on it and it's currently sitting around 37c with no load and no OCing. When I stress test it, it can hit 60 within 2-3 minutes. I'm not so sure what the dealio is.

the 212 not cutting it or something?


Edit: Also thinking of upgrading my HD 5700 to a 6950. Would that be problematic with my CPU heat issues? Aside from some wires mixed around in between, the GPU and CPU are a decent distance apart.

I wouldn't worry. The idle temps aren't great, but that can be affected by airflow in your case, room temps etc. Your load temps seem fine. It's easy to fuss over these things too much.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

Damn! it seems my card is dying on me I'm starting to get all kind of weird lines and freezes in games, and sometimes even outside games, just browsing, the screen goes insane and shows only three large blocks of different colors.

I've been wanting to upgrade for some time, but not like this! I have an 8800GT and it has served me well, I really don't want to go through all the hassle of having to buy a new card plus a new PSU probably... now I need a dummie guide to know what to buy, it's been ages since I've even opened a PC case, any recommendations? any help would be really appreciated.

Read the OP.

 

[mrklaw]

Alright. Looking at the Antec EarthWatts 650w which is recommended in the OP. Presumably that would be compatible?

More than enough. I'm running an i5 2500k and 6950 2gb off a seaaonic 520W based on Hazaro's recommendations and its fine. I think benchmarks have a similar setup at around 325-350W at load.

 

[mrklaw]

Anyone build a gaming HTPC? I want to play PC games on my couch and big screen and watch MythTV (I already have a backend). So I'm thinking I'll probably be needing a micro ATX with a case that will fit in my entertainment center. Gaming fidelity is more important to me than fan noise (I have an old Xbox 360, so I'm used to it). There's really no rush, so I can wait for the fixed Sandy Bridge chipsets to come out. Anyone have a set up similar to this? And what do you use for controls? I figure I can use a 360 controller for most games, keyboard and mouse for FPS's. Maybe using a TV tray?

Your size restriction is the main thing. Can you give us an idea of dimensions? I have a silvers ton LC17 case, which is about the size of a large AV receiver. Takes full size ATX, full length graphics cards, has space for five case fans for good airflow. I have two intake fans, two exhaust fans and two fans on the CPU cooler. All noctua running at reduced RPM and they are really quiet. The only time it gets remotely noisy is if I stress the GPU and the GPU fans speed up. Could solve that with a better aftermarket GPU cooler but I don't mind as long as it's quiet during normal windows use.

I've also seen builds with mini ITX and a 5970 in a SFF case, so it is definitely possible.

If you are going to use it for mythTV I'd try and spec it to be quiet for that task.

 

[HowardRoark]

Your size restriction is the main thing. Can you give us an idea of dimensions? I have a silvers ton LC17 case, which is about the size of a large AV receiver. Takes full size ATX, full length graphics cards, has space for five case fans for good airflow. I have two intake fans, two exhaust fans and two fans on the CPU cooler. All noctua running at reduced RPM and they are really quiet. The only time it gets remotely noisy is if I stress the GPU and the GPU fans speed up. Could solve that with a better aftermarket GPU cooler but I don't mind as long as it's quiet during normal windows use.

I've also seen builds with mini ITX and a 5970 in a SFF case, so it is definitely possible.

If you are going to use it for mythTV I'd try and spec it to be quiet for that task.

I actually have a big compartment in my entertainment center:

H 12.5"
W 20"
D 20.5"

EDIT: This guy looks about right, guess I wouldn't need micro: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112228

 

[whatsinaname]

So after a powersurge last night I think my MB/cpu are fried. Tested the PSU and it is working fine but when I have it connected to the MB/cpu alone it does not power at all.

So Im in the need of a new MB/cpu that I can use with the rest of my current componets and that is at least as powerful as my current MB/cpu. Im looking to spend sub $300. Any recomendations?

My current setup is:
-Q6600 quad core cpu(BELIEVED DEAD)
-Gigabyte GA P35 DS4(BELIEVEd DEAD)
-PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610w PSU
-G.SKILL 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
-Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770 GPU

How did you test the PSU? Was it able to power up some other system?

 

[mrklaw]

Similar to my lc17. Check the lian li case for the maximum length of graphics card - those pictures look like it might be a bit close to that HDD fan if you have a long one.

The lc 17 has space for six 3.5" drives, but if you have a long GPU you have to drop the middle cage so you're left with three.

 

[causan]

How did you test the PSU? Was it able to power up some other system?

I followed the troubleshooting steps from the manufactors website here. After shorting the two indicated pins the psu's fan did turn on and started spinning like it normally does.

This is what I get for never investing in a surge protector.

 

[HowardRoark]

Similar to my lc17. Check the lian li case for the maximum length of graphics card - those pictures look like it might be a bit close to that HDD fan if you have a long one.

The lc 17 has space for six 3.5" drives, but if you have a long GPU you have to drop the middle cage so you're left with three.

Will do. Looks like it at least fits a 10.5". I will definitely take the lc17 into consideration. Since I can't build until April, I have some time.

Do you game on yours? What do you use for controls?

 

[mrklaw]

Will do. Looks like it at least fits a 10.5". I will definitely take the lc17 into consideration. Since I can't build until April, I have some time.

Do you game on yours? What do you use for controls?

Wireless xbox 360 controller and wireless keyboard & mouse. Just using our old telephone table at the moment as it's in the spare room not the lounge.

Sounds ok for anything other than really long cards. GTX460/560 are fairly compact I think. Check also how much headroom you have for a CPU cooler. I was slightly limited so am using a noctua 9B. With two quiet fans it's really quiet and still plenty cool.

 

[whatsinaname]

I followed the troubleshooting steps from the manufactors website here. After shorting the two indicated pins the psu's fan did turn on and started spinning like it normally does.

This is what I get for never investing in a surge protector.

I've had busted PSUs where the fan spun up, there were LEDs on the motherboard lighting up but the board/CPU not POSTing.

Are you able to use another PSU on your mother board/processor combo or use your PSU on another working mobo/CPU?

This will just confirm things before you shell out money for a new mobo/CPU.

My busted PSUs (has happened to me 2-3 times) were also due to power surges.

 

[Hazaro]

I've had busted PSUs where the fan spun up, there were LEDs on the motherboard lighting up but the board/CPU not POSTing.

Are you able to use another PSU on your mother board/processor combo or use your PSU on another working mobo/CPU?

This will just confirm things before you shell out money for a new mobo/CPU.

My busted PSUs (has happened to me 2-3 times) were also due to power surges.

My Corsair 520w (built by Seasonic) has lived though like 8 power outages and protected my parts. That's another plus of a good PSU.

I feel that I'm pushing it a bit with a GTX 295 though.

 

[TheExodu5]

A good power bar is all you should need to protect your PC.

 

[Hazaro]

A good power bar is all you should need to protect your PC.

I just have some 6 outlet Belkin plug. I had a giant blocky one but it is really old and can only have 2 things plugged into it.

 

[whatsinaname]

My Corsair 520w (built by Seasonic) has lived though like 8 power outages and protected my parts. That's another plus of a good PSU.

I feel that I'm pushing it a bit with a GTX 295 though.

I have a decent one now.

All my busted ones were from when I was at Uni. Bad power surges, no proper grounding, cheap generic PSUs.

 

[HappyBivouac]

Alright, so I'm not really asking about building a new PC here, but I couldn't find a general PC gaming help thread.

So I've been using this laptop as my primary computer since I bought it a year ago. It'd been several months since I checked my temps, but last night I bought Magicka (great game) and played a bit with friends. After a while, my fan revved up like crazy, and soon after my computer shut itself down.

My fear was definitely heat issues, so I started my computer back up after letting it cool down, and started the game back up again, this time having a look at CPUID. It was sitting steadily at 95 C for the CPU, GPU and motherboard readings. At one point it spiked to 103, hot enough to boil a goddamn pot of water.

I figured "okay, this game is grossly inefficient or just sucks with my hardware setup for one quirk or another." But now I'm looking at my temps with just firefox on and I'm looking at a steady 89 degrees C. I know the i7 is supposed to get hot and is meant to take it, but I'm pretty sure at these temps I'm going to be sending this thing in for repair without warranty fairly soon.

I looked at my bios, and I can't really limit voltages or downclock anything. Exposing the intake fans to air instead of letting it sit on the table does nothing. Honestly I don't know what to do. I seems like there's nothing I can do, and this is just what you have to be prepared for when using a laptop for everything. However, some of you are awesome at this stuff, so if there are any possible solutions, I'd love to know them!

 

[whatsinaname]

Alright, so I'm not really asking about building a new PC here, but I couldn't find a general PC gaming help thread.

So I've been using this laptop as my primary computer since I bought it a year ago. It'd been several months since I checked my temps, but last night I bought Magicka (great game) and played a bit with friends. After a while, my fan revved up like crazy, and soon after my computer shut itself down.

My fear was definitely heat issues, so I started my computer back up after letting it cool down, and started the game back up again, this time having a look at CPUID. It was sitting steadily at 95 C for the CPU, GPU and motherboard readings. At one point it spiked to 103, hot enough to boil a goddamn pot of water.

I figured "okay, this game is grossly inefficient or just sucks with my hardware setup for one quirk or another." But now I'm looking at my temps with just firefox on and I'm looking at a steady 89 degrees C. I know the i7 is supposed to get hot and is meant to take it, but I'm pretty sure at these temps I'm going to be sending this thing in for repair without warranty fairly soon.

I looked at my bios, and I can't really limit voltages or downclock anything. Exposing the intake fans to air instead of letting it sit on the table does nothing. Honestly I don't know what to do. I seems like there's nothing I can do, and this is just what you have to be prepared for when using a laptop for everything. However, some of you are awesome at this stuff, so if there are any possible solutions, I'd love to know them!

Have you looked into getting a Laptop Cooling pad for use when you plan to game on it?

Edit: Something like this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997420

 

[HappyBivouac]

With the temps I'm looking at, I kind of doubt one of those is going to do a whole lot of good. I might try it when I have some money though.

 

[Shambles]

Alright, so I'm not really asking about building a new PC here, but I couldn't find a general PC gaming help thread.

So I've been using this laptop as my primary computer since I bought it a year ago. It'd been several months since I checked my temps, but last night I bought Magicka (great game) and played a bit with friends. After a while, my fan revved up like crazy, and soon after my computer shut itself down.

My fear was definitely heat issues, so I started my computer back up after letting it cool down, and started the game back up again, this time having a look at CPUID. It was sitting steadily at 95 C for the CPU, GPU and motherboard readings. At one point it spiked to 103, hot enough to boil a goddamn pot of water.

I figured "okay, this game is grossly inefficient or just sucks with my hardware setup for one quirk or another." But now I'm looking at my temps with just firefox on and I'm looking at a steady 89 degrees C. I know the i7 is supposed to get hot and is meant to take it, but I'm pretty sure at these temps I'm going to be sending this thing in for repair without warranty fairly soon.

I looked at my bios, and I can't really limit voltages or downclock anything. Exposing the intake fans to air instead of letting it sit on the table does nothing. Honestly I don't know what to do. I seems like there's nothing I can do, and this is just what you have to be prepared for when using a laptop for everything. However, some of you are awesome at this stuff, so if there are any possible solutions, I'd love to know them!

Have you tried to open it up and clean out any dust inside? Also look at reapplying the thermal paste on the heat sinks. Third, the last Asus gaming laptop I looked at has a complete ass backwards system of cooling that had no airflow over most of the components which resulting in getting a ton of heat just from the harddrive and wireless adapter alone since they were isolated and basically insulated. If something like this is a problem with yours as well you could even consider running it with the plates covering the harddrive removed.

 

[·feist·]

990x @ 7.1ghz

Spoiler

liquid nitrogen of course

Heh. Read about this a few days ago and all I could think was "Imagine if that was actually usable?" For now it just falls within the same realm as all those 7GHz+ AMDs and world-record Intels.

Hicookie was also one of the first to comfortably surpass the 5GHz mark with an 1155 CPU.

Here's the board used in that 990x run:

Gigabyte GA-X58A-OC
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=275858&id=209090107119&saved

 

[HappyBivouac]

Well I'm sort of an idiot. There's an asus utility to limit cpu power consumption, which is kind of sort of a fix.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I bought another fan for my COOLER MASTER 212. I have 1 intake and 1 out now for the CPU. CPU temps have dropped about 2C. I expected more. It's not worse or anything but the added fan is registered as a PC case fan. Is there a way to sync that or have it run faster? Or a monitor for system fans? The CPU fan has it's own dedicated fan plug, I know this much. It works fine but I'm trying to make sure the out (the new fan I just bought that is technically a case fan) is blowing at the same RPM or close to the main stock "in" fan.

To be frank, the gain I am getting is what almost everyone with a push pull configuration is getting so I don't feel bad. The new fan RPM is not as fast as the COOLER MASTER fan though. At least that's what my monitor is telling me.