What to run to test my new build?

[sean126]

any idea on how long to run prime95 or cpu burn in? I assume they both do the same thing...test the cpu stability.

Then it's 3dmark06 for my video card...how long?

Then I will try one or two of the system stability tests.

I hope none of these requires making a floppy.

[gvblake22]

I usually try to run Prime95 for about 12 hours when I'm doing a major stability test; 24 hours is what others suggest. A single round of 3DMark06 should usually yield instability if it exists. And no, these are all Windows applications so no special booting procedures or disk creation is required!

[sean126]

Amazing GV....


I'll let you go to bed now and if I have any more questions...they can wait till morning. Thanks a million dude and to all of you who been patient and helpful.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by sean126

Amazing GV....


I'll let you go to bed now and if I have any more questions...they can wait till morning. Thanks a million dude and to all of you who been patient and helpful.

HAHAHA, thank you. I am actually pretty tired...

[sean126]

Update....I ran 3dmark06 and I guess my video card passed. it said I had a score of 562 and out of all the systems similar to mine I was #6. I was in the middle of All the systems combined. I guess this is good.

currently running prime95 until about 4 pm tomorrow ( a full 24 hours) and then I guess I should test the over all system.

Anybody with any preferences....I've seen the link, but don't know if they are all about the same or not.

then comes the next round of questioning. LOL. I plan to do a modest overclock to see how fast it speeds up my video editing and dvd copying/burning. Maybe to 2.8 or 3.0 if it's not going to shorten the life very much.

Since I plan to overclock a little and then retest it...if running prime95 is unncessary for a full 24 hours...speak up and I'll cut it to 12 hours.

[gvblake22]

12 hours or 24 hours, whichever you really feel like doing. Obviously it is a big range, but I've only had my system fail after 12 hours once or twice (once at 17 hours!)
Usually if something is unstable, it will fail in 5 - 10 minutes, sometimes even less than 1 minute if it is very unstable. So 12 hours is usually enough for most situations, but if you will sleep better at night knowing it was 24 hour stable, then go for it

Overclocking really won't shorten the lifespan of your chip, it all depends on how you overclock. If you are the kind of person who just can't wait to pump up the FSB as high as it will go and will pump up the voltage 15% or 20% higher than normal just to get an extra two MHz, then it may signifigantly shorten the lifespan. But if you just increase the speed without ramping the voltage up more than 5% - 7% above stock, then there is not really any measurable decrease in lifespan (unless your temperatures are out of control). Holler when you're ready to start overclocking and we'll see what we can do to pump up your FSB!

[sean126]

It seems on ran the wrong test on prime95. Well, at least I know that my computer has a 1 in 9125702 chance of finding that special kind of prime number. I should have been running that torture test on it over night.

Looks like I'm going to have to redo my heatsink and artic silver today. Temps over night (in an airconditioned room) stayed about 26-28 on my cpu. I started running that torture test this morning and within about 15-20 minutes the cpu temp got to 67 and stayed there for several minutes before I stopped the test and turned off the computer. This is the second time temps have hit 67 since it's been built.

I had the right amount of artic silver applied I believe, but the guy who helped me build it...looked like he put too much on. I've never done it before, so I didn't question it since he does this for a living. I assume applying too much will also make the temps go up.

[gvblake22]

Yes, you don't want too much TIM on. The best conduction occurs when the actual material of the heatsink's base comes in direct contact with the surface of the processor's IHS. The TIM is only there to fill in the tiny peaks and valleys (imperfections) in the two surfaces that don't make direct contact because the TIM conducts heat better than air. Check out this guide for more information.

[sean126]

Ok...reset the heatsink properly, I believe. CPU still shows 66 c.

Speed fan....CPU-67C...but the core o and core 1 show 23c
Asus probe...shows 66C
AI Booster shows 66C

I just downloaded Coretemp...but can't really read it. It says:

Tjunction 85C and core 0 and core 1 at 23C.



Any ideas? I had ran the wrong prime95 test over night and the temps stayed between 23-24C. All of a sudden today it's 66 by just getting on the internet.

[gvblake22]

Wow, those temps are really high. What does it say in the BIOS for temperature readings? Have you changed any speeds or voltages? If so, turn it back down to stock speeds and voltages. I try not to let my processors get over 50ºC...