CPU core temp help

Ok so I’ll make this quick.
I have been looking at my I7 2600 core temps for two days and am very confused. Core 1 is running at 38c whilst the other three are at 32c. Even with no load.
Does this mean my cpu or motherboard are done? Or do I need to redo my thermal paste and possibly get a new cooler?
I just find it weird that core 1 is running that much higher.
And I have zero bloat on my main PC.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

It’s perfectly normal to have 1 core running slightly hotter than the others when your PC is “idle” as there will still be basic processes running.

It could also be the cores are running at a different clock speed (you’d have to check bios), which is pretty normal too.

No harm in reapplying thermal paste though.

a reply to: TerryDon79

I don’t do any over clocking on my this PC. But I do think I’m going to apply new paste and maybe a drop of oil for the fans.
The CPU is clocked stock at 3.4ghz with a boost to 3.8ghz I think.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

The boost is overclocking It’s just what intel has deemed safe for that processor (after a lot of testing).

The paste most likely won’t do anything, but it never hurts to clean off the old stuff and put on a new drop.

Look at the average. A multi core CPU idling at anything under than 40c is fine. Even 50c would be fine depending on your cooler.

Just "feel" it. If everything seems fine it is. If you are having software issues I'd do a memtest and be more concerned about hard drive read/write errors.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

Current leakage is a beotch!

I have a 2.4Ghz I7 something in my laptop I bought new last year for $400 on sale so it's no slouch. Its normal operating temp is around 40c. I know cooling on laptops is limited so it might be a retarded stronger chip but no worries. I also have a 2.4ghz intel core duo from 2008 thats been through hell and back, it still runs. It's healthy but I think you might be too worried about your rig. Taking it apart to apply heatsink paste may be excessive and more of a headache than needed.

a reply to: Allaroundyou
If your not slowing down a half hour from startup (AND it's a
desktop with a real fan) a point spread of even 10C is OK.

I've got an HP Envy I7 with four cores and two slabs... with
the factory heat monitor turned off as well as the virtualization.
I'm picking up a MAX of 8deg C with either AutoCAD '11 rendering:
or FS2004 (hungry butch) ALL on core 0. I'd let it go...

Do a 100% load on the cpu and then check the temps. You should see that the only difference is 1-2c between cores.
Idle temps ain't what you should be really sweating, its Load temps.

How old is the thermal paste?
What brand is the thermal paste?
what cooler is cooling it?
What are the fan speeds running at?

What Voltage is the board running at when idle vs 100% load.
If you don't have speed-step or power saving features enabled,config.
you could be down clocking to base 3.4Ghz but using the same voltage as if you was boosting to 3.8Ghz.

Use Cpuz it will show you clock/voltage.

Amds normally run "hotter" than intel.

Even then anything under 50c on an air cooled AMD at idle is fine.

When it comes to CPU overheating. You'll normally see normal/fast boots and than some slow down under application or game load.

Sometimes just a good clean out of the cooling system can help that. Open it up and blow dust out of the PC. Dust between cooler fins on the CPU and graphics cooler helps a lot. If the fins have dust in them, they can't move air between them. Turns a fined cooler into a brick cooler.

In several decades I've had very few CPU problems. Air or liquid cooled.

I did a test once when I put an electric 12x12 inch fan directly behind a PC. It consistently lowered already acceptable CPU temps by 10 degrees or more. The results were explosive.

originally posted by: r0xor
I did a test once when I put an electric 12x12 inch fan directly behind a PC. It consistently lowered already acceptable CPU temps by 10 degrees or more. The results were explosive.

Temp matters.

Now, if you have an old fridge you aren't using.......

I know, I was practicing my sarcastic comedy routine. I'm a CompTIA A+ Certified Computer Technician but I work at a restaurant.

My simpleton logic spoke to me when I thought about the topic and told me that one core would, by design, take more of the load. Wouldn't it require more architecture and code to perfectly split processing equally among all cores, all the time? Sounds like extra.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

So I am using hardware monitor as I have always used this. I was browsing my third hard drive and found some screen shots of me doing tests three years ago. And the temps only changed by 1c. So tomorrow I am going to redo the paste because well why not. Also the paste and CPU fan are stock.
I was thinking about water cooling but really I have no need for that. I may upgrade my intake to a 120mm fan though. But I really don’t think I need to. I’m sure if I clean my filters I’ll be just fine.

i have noticed after Intel applied their "Fix" to the cpu vulnerability that my MSI runs slower for sure.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

If it aint broke then don't fix it and low 30's is fine just make sure any dust bunnies are evicted.

I bought the big honkin Noctua cooler and never looked at my CPU temp again. It was serious overkill for my setup but it was only 60 bucks and it fits in my case (just barely). If you're that worried about your temps just spend a little more on a serious cooler. Frankly, I think Noctua ones are the best because you don't really have to worry about the fans dying or getting noisier.

Try redoing the thermal paste. Grain of rice or small x whatever. Also i assume your using a dedicated gpu, otherwise it might be heat from the cpu's integrated graphics?

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: TerryDon79

I don’t do any over clocking on my this PC. But I do think I’m going to apply new paste and maybe a drop of oil for the fans.
The CPU is clocked stock at 3.4ghz with a boost to 3.8ghz I think.

Those temps are perfectly fine. And the difference comes from 1 core always being used - multi core processors only use the other cores when called to, and most applications don't. So one core will be working, while the others are at rest.

But even so, depending on the ambient heat of where you are, I'd not even be worried.