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

[unclewebb]

SLi_dog: Another general assumption I'm working with is that the Core2 CPUs should be run no hotter than within 20C of the DTS 0C mark.

The general assumption that DTS=20 or 65C is a good number to shoot for when overclocking is too vague. 65C is an undocumented absolute temperature and people's definition of overclocking varies. My E6400 runs fine at 80C (DTS=5) when overclocked to 3200 MHz but 60C (DTS=25) is a good upper limit when I'm pushing it to 3600 MHz and a little beyond, God willing.

Software based for absolute CPU temp reading is NEVER ACCURATE, period !

That's my conclusion and it applies to all Core processors. There's a reason why Intel engineers outline such an elaborate process to come up with an accurate Tcase temperature.

The new revision G0 processors, especially the dual cores, use significantly less watts at idle than the previous B2 processors ( 8W vs 22W ) when C1E is enabled. That's even less than the 12 watts that the L2 processors ( E4x00 ) are rated at. This is resulting in some impossible looking idle temps that are well below ambient when air cooled. For me, it's just more proof at how inaccurate the DTS is at reporting low idle temps which it was not designed for. I believe the DTS may start losing accuracy below 50C so even load temps for well cooled G0 dual core processors at default MHz and voltage may not be accurate.

Using the DTS to report absolute core temperatures the way SpeedFan and CoreTemp do is not documented by Intel and is just plain wrong. No matter what TjMax is chosen, I don't believe you can get 100% accurate core temperatures this way across the full range of temperatures that a Core processor can operate at.

The DTS was designed and calibrated to signal and control the thermal throttling and shut down points of an Intel Core processor and for that purpose, it works excellent. Using CoreTemp 0.95 as shown above to keep track of temperatures relative to the throttling point is the only thing users should be keeping track of and using the DTS for.