some info on a program please. SpeedFan.

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1515

okay heres the thing i need.
well things.

i have speedfan up and running.

but i can't find out what temp is what?

it has temp 1, 2, and 3 but it does not say what they are for? Shocked

my temp 1 is all over the scale from -145 to 178 or higher.

2 and 3 temps are steady around 34 to 38 C.

it also has a core temp
but it says core temp so i know that one but still don't know how a core temp works on a single core cpu?

does anyone have any ideas what those temp readings are for? Confused

i looked at the book for the mb. and it shows in the comos temps for cpu system and power.
could that temp one be power? if so power what? Sad

davolente · Joined: Oct 04, 2003 Posts: 361 Location: Kent, UK

Surely the software developer's website should be the first port of call for support or FAQ?
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

micker377 · Joined: May 27, 2005 Posts: 1059

That's why I gave up on Speedfan. You have to compare it to other programs to see which measurement it was indicating, and the voltages shown were never correct (+12 v. is really -.3 v.?) There are too many other programs that do show the correct readings.

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

I have a calibrated Heat Sensor that I use to make sure nothing in my PC is running too hot. It's called the "Index Finger"!

If I can lay my finger on anything in my computer and if it makes me say "Ouch!" then that thing is too hot. Cool it!
I looked at Speedfan a long time ago and found it totally worthless. But it's probably worth exactly what you paid for it.

At least twice a year, go through your PC and clean all your fans and make sure they are spinning free.
Ram chips tend to get blasted with dirt, from the CPU fan and that dirt acts like a thermal blanket and can cause the RAM to overheat. Keep it clean.
Here is a prime example of what I'm talking about:'

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Image URL: http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g90/DrWho1943/DirtyRam2.jpg

You shouldn't need Speedfan to tell you that there's a problem here!

If you're concerned about your PC's temperature, Give It The Finger! Wink

The Doctor Cool

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1515

i went through the speedfan the same time you did doc
and micker377 found it back then to be totaly unuse able also.

but i've kept an eye on it and what he has done with the upgrades to it.

and since i have upgraded all my hardware. i'd thought i'd give it a try again.

this version he has now really does work on the machines now it just has so many things going on it is hard to figure out what is what,
but i went in to the help files something i should have done in more detail hunting before, but i just did a fast look see then.

this time i found he said in long winded style (which we all know i am good at doing too Rolling Eyes

) and found that he has made it find all sensors on the system even if they are not used by any hardware or software, because he can't tell what is going to be used by what manufacture so he put them all in the find list.

then he tells us how to find the un used ones and turn off their reporting.
so what i have in this post was the one core sensor of two used on that mb., and since that computer only has one core. the one core was messing up.
just turning off the report stopped the messed up look.

still does not have a list for my chipset and board on his site but i got them figured out for what i want to use the speedfan for.

only on this computer here i had to remove it. because it messed up the icon in the tray when i changed and removed some un-used sensors on this computer. the icon in the tray would not change from 88 even in C. or F. it stayed 88, no matter how hot the cpu got or what sensor i told it to show in the tray.
so i took it out of this one, and just use core temp in this one.
Cool

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1515

oh and doc that is a good open area you got in that photo?

how do you keep it so open? man my case has tons of gray cables blocking
almost every angle the fan can throw the air. they get dirt on them more
then the ram does.

now i know you're thinking how do i keep the system cool? which is why i
have to say by use of 3 or 5 fan's in the system.

front side back and top got so much air going through there sounds like a vacume cleaner Laughing

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

Keith,
Now you gotta know, that was NOT my PC in that picture. Right?
It was actually a customer's PC that died. No wonder, Eh?
NO computer of mine, going all the way back to my C-64 never looked that bad.

With that much crud on the ram, it can also short out acting like full blown RAM Failure. Somewhere in this forum there is a thread about washing dirty ram.
I do that a lot and have for years and in the process, I've saved thousands of dollars worth of RAM and even a few Video Cards (they have RAM chips that can get dirty and short out)

But I do see that kind of Dirt all the time. (I have pictures)
How many fans did you say you have?
I have 14! NOTHING in my PC ever gets above room temperature.
I think I did a thread a while back, about PC cooling. If not, I should have. Wink

Doing maintenance on my Suzuki SX4 is #1 in my life, my PC is #2.
I keep them both well maintained.

Cheers Mate!
The Doctor Cool

Baby_Tux · Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 1242

Doc,
I hate to admit it but I thought that dirt was light reflection until you mentioned it & I took a real good look. Embarassed

(some others may have, too)

PhotoCarp · Joined: Sep 06, 2007 Posts: 207 Location: New Jersey

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1515

yep i thought that after i posted that message doc. i said to my self.
Self you know that might just be somebody else's computer and not the doc's. Self said back you are right doc would never let his get dirty like that.

Rolling Eyes

14 fans? wow i only got up to about 8 in the old win98 computer and it sounded like a blast furnnce. but i got tired of changing out power supplys. so i cut back to 3 or 5 depending how many are in the power supply i put in it. most have 2 in them and i put 3 to 4 in the case including the cpu fan.

that keeps it cool i found. also did a little trick on the cases i used duct tape on the inside and covered all the holes on the top bottom and sides
just use the ones in the front and the fan exits on the back.
so the air is going in them and out like a blast from the air hose.

if there is a fan area on the case side i put a fan in there. if there is a panel space for light panels or switch panels i tape it off too only want air
coming in from the fans and front holes and out the back by the fans.
makes a cooler system that way. Cool

just loud.

i still got the slot fan in one of these systems here. but i have something going on with that system i think the pws. is now in need of replacement or 4 of the fans are? i hear that dreaded uuuhh aaaaaa uuuuhhh aaaa uuuuhhhh aaaa. all the time the computer is on. Sad

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

I built my first PC in about 1983 out of spare parts..... it was an IBM XT Clone. The case had a top on it like a FORD hood. That was good, because I was in and out of it daily.

Same thing with my current system. I was taking the side panels off so often that the screw holes were getting worn out, so I just took the panels off and put them under the computer desk.

But heat generating parts, like CPU's, GPU's, hard drives, etc., still need to be force (FAN) cooled.
I have two fans in my Antic Earthwatts 650 PSU, one OEM fan on my AMD 5200+ CPU, one on my video card, two on each of my hard drives and three in the front of the case and one BIG one in the back panel which is only turned on when the side panels are in place.
The fan on my Video Card is extra large and is glued down to the top of the GPU heatsink. (after the OEM fan burned up)

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Image URL: http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g90/DrWho1943/GPU_Cooler.jpg

At any time, I can reach in and lay my finger on anything in my computer and it will NOT be HOT to the touch. I just did that on my CPU heatsink and it's just barely even warm to the touch. My HD's are nice and cool, and always stay that way.
Remember one very basic rule of electronics....."Heat Kills".

And to make it even worse..... the electronics in home computers are the lowest spec'd things you can buy. It's called "Hobby Grade" by the EE's.

OK, this is my system with the front panel open, to show my main HD in the upper bays, with a two-fan cooler mounted under it. The red fan blows the heat off of it back into the cabinet where it exhausts out the sides.

I cut out the two grills in the lower case and installed two case fans in that space.

These are seven-blade, ball bearing fans and are almost SiLENT.

A few years ago, during one hot summer, I replaced three hard drives that failed because they got so hot you couldn't touch them. Then I developed the cooling system that I still use today (and that many other people are using, world wide). I've not had a HD fail since then.

Every hard drive I have or set up for others is equipped with a Two-Fan cooler, like this:

The fan assembly has to be raised up from the HD by 1/4" spacers or there is an "Air Dam" effect between the fans and the drive, and the drive won't cool properly.

My apologies to those who have seen all this before.

If you pick your fans carefully, the noise will be negligible.
I don't even hear it anymore.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor Cool

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1515

ah ha!! 650 watt ps. i only have a 450 one that is why it does not like anymore things connected to it. and yours can take all the extra stuff.

the case i have the 5 hd's in is an matrix case the hds are sideways just behind the front where all the air comes threw and there is a large half inch or just a little smaller then that. gap between each hd.
all the air goes over them first which is cool air.
the ac vent is in the ceiling just above the computer so all the cool air is right there for it to suck through the system.

my fan in the back is that large one also.

but i've done that shotgun airflow stuff since the old win 98 oem mini case which was really a tightly packed case it was small.

i switched to this matrix case and win 98 had all the room in the world then. but the mb was just past its time to go at the 10 yr mark so it did not matter that it was in the huge matrix case. but now this xp system is in it and it likes all that extra air space.

yes i said duct tape in the last post and matrix case in this post. so can you say redneck? as i get called that all the time when i say what i did to make something work. i'm just a cheap person and get new stuff only when i need too. thats why i kept the win 98 system running for 10 years i'm that stinggie Cool

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

Back somewhere around 2000, I built a system for a customer with a good mobo, AMD cpu and a Seagate HD.

A couple of years ago, they bought a complete new system thru their work place. After I set up the new system for them, they GAVE me back the old system.
The CPU fan was howling, other than that it was still running like a champ, with Windows ME on it. The CPU fan in question was from "Thermaltake". I took the fan out of the heatsink, cleaned and re-oiled it and it's still running today, over ten years after it was first installed. OH, and I've replaced Windows ME with XP-Pro.
I changed nothing else in that ten year old system and it's running GREAT!

Build a system with top quality components and they will run for YEARS, with minimal maintenance.

Oh, on the PSU thingy..... the wattage printed on the label on the PSU is the Maximum Peak wattage, available for the couple of seconds needed to start the motors and charge the mobo capacitors. DE-Rate that by 25% or more for the all day operating wattage. So if you really need 400 watts, install at least a 650 watt psu, or you may be experiencing a PSU overheating and blowing its brains out.

When a PSU fails, it can fail in two different manners. One, it can just shut down. Two, it can loose regulation and the voltages can soar to double their normal voltage and burn out almost every circuit in the PC. I've seen that happen three times..... once to me and twice to customers.
In every case, the PSU was a "Codegen 300". They are really JUNK!

On those HD's only .5" apart......reach in and lay your finger on the top of each drive. If they feel HOT, then you need to separate them more and increase air flow. Stacking HD's close together is never a good idea. The radient heat coming from one can effect the next one. If you don't mind loosing a HD once in a while, then don't worry about it. Sad

One friend in Arkansas, took my suggestions for drive cooling to the extreme. Here's what he came up with:

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Image URL: http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g90/DrWho1943/redblue.jpg

The hard drive in the base, with the two-fan cooler attached, is secured with duct tape. I doubt he'll ever have a cooling problem on that drive. Rolling Eyes

The RED fan is not suspended in space, as it looks, but is mounted in the clear plastic insert in the left side panel.
I have one of those in my left side panel too, but the panel is currently NOT on the PC. Rolling Eyes

Doc