Does this mean I am at max cooling?

[Computer-Ed]

Okay got my system running pretty smooth at 3.2 Ghz and the core temp according to TAT at idle is at 33c. The AC is going to be worked on in the next hour or so so about 30 minutes ago I decided to bump the system down to stock speed of 2.4 Ghz considering it is a really hot day and my system has some serious work it needs to do this afternoon.

Before I start any work I decide for grins I will let the system run for about 15 minutes at idle and compare the temp numbers to see how much the overclock is generating heat. The answer is ZERO. The system is still idle at 33c on the core temps.

I figure this means I have my system running with the best air flow it can get and this is the max I can cool with the current room temperature. Thats pretty nice when you think of it, knowing you have hit max cooling potential

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by Computer-Ed

Okay got my system running pretty smooth at 3.2 Ghz and the core temp according to TAT at idle is at 33c. The AC is going to be worked on in the next hour or so so about 30 minutes ago I decided to bump the system down to stock speed of 2.4 Ghz considering it is a really hot day and my system has some serious work it needs to do this afternoon.

Before I start any work I decide for grins I will let the system run for about 15 minutes at idle and compare the temp numbers to see how much the overclock is generating heat. The answer is ZERO. The system is still idle at 33c on the core temps.

I figure this means I have my system running with the best air flow it can get and this is the max I can cool with the current room temperature. Thats pretty nice when you think of it, knowing you have hit max cooling potential

Does you overclock needed more voltage? If yes, then you are producing more heat, therefore it is impossible to see exact temperatures. Maybe they don't differ alot, but they can't be the same.

[Computer-Ed]

The overclock is at stock voltage. I know it will likely generate more heat. I am wondering if this means that 33c is the max cooling the system can attain with the current room temp and that if the room was cooler the stock temp would drop more?

Not sure if I am coming across clear.

[polobunny]

Not quite sure what you mean. Maybe someone else will get it. :S

Increasing the FSB will have little to no impact on your temperatures BTW.

[Lead Head]

Idle temps are not very good way to measure cooling performance. I could have a heatsink that keeps my CPU idle at 25*C, then on load, have it shoot upto 70*C and crash. Measuring load temps are the best way to do it

[Quakindude]

Without a voltage bump for your overclock, I seriously doubt you would see much, if any, temperature increase at idle. Loaded for an hour would produce the maximum temp for your FSB overclock. I can't imagine the CPU getting too much warmer than non-overclocked at stock voltages.

This rule doesn't apply to video cards though.

[Elysium]

Agreed. Unless you bumped up the voltage, (which you didn't) temps won't really change.

[Computer-Ed]

Okay had a chance to smack the CPU in the butt for a short burst. At 3.2 ghz the CPU was hitting 47c on the core, with stock it was hitting 43c on core.

What I was referring to in the previous material is that there is a thermal limit that is hit for air cooling based on ambient temperature. When that limit is reached there is no way for the air flow to disipaite more heat.

If at idle the higher speed was dropping to that temperature then the stock speed could not make a difference since the max cooling potential had been reached. I was wondering if that was the case.

[polobunny]

I see what you mean. You're probably pretty close to the point where like you said, your heatsink can't dissipate more heat than it is currently dissipating. All based on your current setup though.
Blast a high CFM fan on there and im sure you could drop 1 celcius, unless the ambient temp is 33c :P
Is it worth it? Probably not, but it's just to say that the fact you seem to idle at 33c in both cases doesn't mean you got the lowest temperature possible for the heatsink material at this room temp. Temperature dissipation is not a line obviously, even at this point. It's just not worth it to go extreme with a crazy high CFM fan to gain (well lose in this case) half a degree celsius.

[Tyreal]

Changing the FSB definately increases the amount of heat generated. Anytime you take a processor and increase it's clockrate, it's going to be working harder and generating more heat. I know this is an extreme example but my processor, at stock voltage, can go up a good 800 mhz. Temperatures definately had risen quite a bit.