Real Temp - New temp program for Intel Core processors

[Demo]

I always love seeing those flat line in all 4 core temps on a quad, mine looks like 63-63-59-59 on load =(

[unclewebb]

I just completed my first CPU Cool Down Test. It takes just over 10 minutes and is about as exciting as watching paint dry but I think it will give users some useful information about how their sensors are working. I'm sure Intel is going to be real happy with this test.

This test uses Prime95 small FFTs for consistency. I was running 4GHz at 1.40 volts with my Tuniq on low speed to create a nice temperature spread from full load to idle.

During testing I noticed that when using the Clock Modulation feature that as a CPU throttled down, my Kill-a-Watt meter would show less and less power consumption. In theory, every step down in power consumption should translate into a lower core temperature. A person should see the Distance to TJMax increase at each and every step going down in the chart.

Here's how my test looks on my E8400 that doesn't have sticking sensor issues at normal room temperatures:



I think a processor with sticking sensors when running this test is going to get about half way through it when it will be very obvious that the sensor has stopped moving. If the power decreases to the CPU and the CPU keeps reporting the same Distance to TJMax then that is going to be an easy way to see that one of your temperature sensors is stuck.

Hopefully within the next 24 hours I'll have a version ready for download.
Anyone out there with some stuck sensors that need testing?

[fgw]

I think a processor with sticking sensors when running this test is going to get about half way through it when it will be very obvious that the sensor has stopped moving. If the power decreases to the CPU and the CPU keeps reporting the same Distance to TJMax then that is going to be an easy way to see that one of your temperature sensors is stuck.

hi uncle,
do we have to look at dts temps and check "manually" if the sensor stopped moving, or are you considering to let realtemp check if dts movement stopped? would be nice to let realtemp itself check if the sensor stopped moving and pop up an error msg and probably even stop the cool down test if this happens ...

[Factotum]

I'll have a version ready for download.

link pls

[DJSUB]

link pls

Hopefully within the next 24 hours I'll have a version ready for download.

that's what he said at the time of posting

[WaterFlex]

We`re looking forward to get it.

[unclewebb]

fgw: The first thing I need to do after releasing this new test is to get a lot of feedback from users that have CPUs with good sensors. Most 65nm and the new Core i7 seem to rarely get stuck. I'll also need to see what this new test reports on 45nm CPUs with known stuck sensors.

It might not be until the 25% mark that a sensor first sticks and then I would still have to run a couple of more rounds after that to confirm it. Sensors also tend to stick at slightly different values so after the first sensor gets stuck the test would still need to be run further to see what the other sensor or sensors are up to.

This test isn't designed to be run everyday so stopping it at the 8 or 9 minute mark instead of letting it run for the full 10 isn't going to save a user a lot of time. This test was designed more for when you first get a new chip so that you can get to know your sensors reasonably quickly and see if you have any duds or not. It should also provide a thorough baseline that you can compare to later.

There is a wide range of CPUs with large differences in temperatures from idle to full load depending on cooling, core voltage, etc. That makes it difficult to create a simple formula to interpret this data and pop up an accurate message that says, "ERROR!, Your sensors are junk."

To begin with, I'm going to let users interpret their own data. Maybe I'll get more feedback that way.

Edit: 12 more hours.

[unclewebb]

Here's a second test with the same CPU as before at closer to default settings with SpeedStep / C1E enabled. With Prime95 running, it was at 3000 MHz and 1.200 volts and dropped to 2000 MHz and 1.192 volts when RealTemp stopped Prime95 at the 0.0% level.



The final Idle level is when the CPU Clock Modulation feature is turned off. Power consumption at the wall drops again and the CPU cools down one final step.

When not overclocking and testing at default values, the data continues to look pretty clear. Based on this test I can conclude that both sensors are well balanced and don't exhibit any sticking issues at a Distance to TjMax of 66 or less.

A few more hours and it will be ready for release.

[randomizer]

At first I thought your temps were going up as CPU load was dropping.

Note to self: read the labels.

[TEDY]

you rule

[WaterFlex]

unclewebb
Comon, mate? Where are you

[jaredpace]

Based on the MSR tool's reading, what is my TJ max for the Merom T7100, Unclewebb?

[randomizer]

Since that's a mobile chip, you can just look it up on the processorfinder. It's 100C according to the thermal spec. If only Intel was as clear about desktop chips. Of course, in the case of a known Tj Max (like for mobile chips), you could just add the temperature to the "Distance to Tj Max" together

[rge]

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...7&postcount=52

intel stating error in presentation for 65nm tjmaxes...new numbers look better, but still 5C lower than IHS temps, but guess can wait a few days and see. Still confirming numbers after two weeks...by....hey joe you remember the tjmax on that one?...80?...mmm sounds low....mmm 90?....eh close enough. Ok how about...

tjmax issue apparently is not going to get much better until most are no longer using 65nm.

[unclewebb]

Monday night football and the kids on a 4 day weekend kind of slowed me down but the new Test Sensor feature is finally ready for some testing.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/...alTempBeta.zip

If you are lucky and have some decent sensors then you might end up with something that looks like this:



I can only imagine what crappy sensors are going to look like.

I added a lot of extra code to try to make setting up this test as simple as possible but for best results it will still help if you follow a few directions.

This test uses Prime95 - Small FFTs to create a consistent amount of heat. If you don't already have it installed then click on the Download Prime95 button and it will take you to the website where you can download either a 32 or 64 bit version. Scroll down to Step3 when the Mersenne - Prime95 web page pops up for a download link.

If you have a Dual Core then you could probably use Orthos Small FFTs instead but I haven't tried that yet. Prime95 has recently been updated to version 25.7 build 3 so I'm recommending that.

You need to let RealTemp start up Prime95. This will give RealTemp full control of Prime95 so it can shut Prime95 down automatically when it reaches the 0.0% level of this test. The CPU Cool Down Test won't start if you already have Prime95 running. You will need to shut it down first before starting this test.

Before clicking on the Sensor Test button, make sure your computer is as idle as possible for best results. Give Vista some time to calm down before starting a test. The first thing it will do is run the previous sensor movement test to give you a quick idea of how your sensors are doing.

To begin the more thorough CPU Cool Down Test click on the Start button and navigate to the directory where you have prime95.exe installed.

When Prime95 starts up, select the Small FFTs option at the top and click on OK to begin the heat up phase. There is plenty of feedback in the info window so you don't have to remember too much of this.

That's about all there is to it to get this test started. Go for a coffee or kick back for about 10 minutes and RealTemp will do the rest. You can Stop or cancel this test at any time if you get bored. When the test is done it should look like the picture above.

What you're looking for are sensors that show movement at each stage of this test. If there isn't movement then you might have a sticking sensor or two. If both sensors are moving but moving at different rates then that would show "slope error" that Intel has warned us about.

I haven't tried this on a Quad yet but it should work OK. Post some results and lets see if we can figure out anything new about these sensors.

[DJSUB]

thanks uncle good job!
keep up the good work

[unclewebb]

Thanks DJSUB. Some are what keeps me going on this project.

I just had a PM from burebista who wanted to know if he could use Orthos Small FFTs instead. If you have a Dual Core then that should be OK. I'm just testing that at the moment to make sure.

If you have a Quad then running Prime95 is easiest. RealTemp isn't set up to manage two instances of Orthos.

Edit: It seems to work. I caught this screen shot just before RealTemp shut down Orthos for some idle testing.



And here's when it finished:

[DJSUB]

here's a test with my crappy stuck sensor E8400



very nice tool

[WaterFlex]

Wow!!! Mega work is done! Thank you very much!

[unclewebb]

Looks like this test makes it VERY easy to spot a stuck sensor. Above the sticking point your sensors look very well balanced like they should be.

[DJSUB]

is there a way to fix that stuck sensor?
i will sell my e8400 if there's nothing special with this proc.
but this one does 626x7fsb on aircooling. stuck sensor is my only problem

[unclewebb]

is there a way to fix that stuck sensor?

Ya, it's called EBay!

Unfortunately there is no fix for this. Stuck sensors rarely become unstuck. Intel doesn't consider this to be a problem because these sensors were not designed for reporting core temperatures. At 626x7, I'd keep it.

Many great overclocking chips have lousy sensors. At least you have one sensor you can trust.

[WaterFlex]

unclewebb
Mate. You do a great job man. Really hat off. But I have a little wish. Can you create a custom version of your program with graphic design?

[unclewebb]

WaterFlex: I'm always open to suggestions. Tell me what you'd like to see and I'll think about it. Time for a snooze.

[DJSUB]

Ya, it's called EBay!.

Unfortunately there is no fix for this. Stuck sensors rarely become unstuck. Intel doesn't consider this to be a problem because these sensors were not designed for reporting core temperatures. At 626x7, I'd keep it.

Many great overclocking chips have lousy sensors. At least you have one sensor you can trust.

my highest clock on air on that proc is 4.907ghz not bad for a C0 revision E8400
that's the reason why i keep it.