Intel TAT / CoreTemp / IDCC all different temperatures....

[unclewebb]

TjMax exists for all processors but without this number being documented by Intel, all software is left guessing when it comes to reporting an absolute core temperature. If you don't want to invest in an IR thermometer and risk damaging your processor by running it naked and if you really want to see an absolute temperature number then I'd use software that assumes TjMax = 85C like SpeedFan 4.32 and CoreTemp 0.94 do. This is only for the Core 2 Duo and not the Quads and don't use this number to compare your results with anyone because they might be meaningless.

If you want a number that is 100% accurate, documented and guaranteed to have some meaning when it comes to C2D temperatures then stick with CoreTemp 0.95 which can be set to report the DTS directly, in real time, without any further bastardization of the number.



The Core 2 Duo has a huge amount of head room and there are only two things you need to be concerned about.

#1) Throttling. When a C2D gets too hot it will throttle and slow down which no one wants to happen. My E6400 doesn't start to throttle until DTS=2 which is far hotter than what 99.999% of people run their cpu at so it's not really an issue, especially if you're overclocking.

#2) Stability. If you can run Orthos for 4 hours and if your processor is not throttling then you've got a pretty good system that will be able to run most real world applications without any problems. If you are Orthos stable and not game stable then you should concentrate on your GPU and making sure it is not over heating.

You're CPU is going to need more temperature headroom the more you overclock to maintain stability. Here's what my E6400 needs.

3200 MHz ~ 1.30 volts ~ DTS=5
3400 MHz ~ 1.40 volts ~ DTS=15
3600 MHz ~ 1.50 volts ~ DTS=25

Those voltages are approximate Orthos load voltages and the DTS values are approximately how much headroom I need to maintain stability. Everyone knows that as the MHz goes up you have to use more core voltage to maintain stability but I was a little surprised to find out that there is also a direct relationship when it comes to temperature. You need more temperature headroom the faster you go and reading the DTS directly is the most accurate way to monitor that.