# APU Temps - What is normal?



## dom99 (Feb 12, 2014)

Hi,

I have just built the following HTPC:

Case - Streacom F1C Evo
PSU - 160W PicoPSU with 150W Brick
CPU - AMD A10 7850K
MB - Asrock FM2+ A88X ITX
CPU Cooler - Noctua L9a
RAM - 4GB (stuff from old PC)
SSD - Samsung 830 256gb

I havent tested it thoroughly yet as at 2 in the morning the wife was nagging about WTF I was doing when I had to be up for work at 6 

But I noticed when I enetered the Bios the temperature readings were idling at around 49 - 50 Degrees!

In comparison my Intel i5 4670K @1.239V Idles at around 30-35 Degrees.

This was all done with the lid off the case so in an open air environment.

My question is, what are the normal temperatures (idle and gaming load) of an APU? I have searched the internet but cant seemto find any reviews of the A10 7850K with temperature tests.

Thanks for your help!


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## dom99 (Feb 12, 2014)

dom99 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have just built the following HTPC:
> 
> ...


 

EDIT: on a side note, I had loads of trouble with my windows 8 instal on this machine. I think it was becasue I didnt format or secure erase the SSD from the previous build before installing. It was spitting out kernal errors, thread exception errors and just every BSOD error you can think of. Next time I will not just delete the partitions and think that is enough!


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## RCoon (Feb 12, 2014)

I believe max operating temps of AMD chips of 65 degrees, so idling at 50 degrees is not normal. I have a HTPC at work running a 6800K and at full load (encoding videos) it maxes out at around 55 degrees. Check your thermal paste, check your heatsink contact etc.


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## dom99 (Feb 12, 2014)

RCoon said:


> I believe max operating temps of AMD chips of 65 degrees, so idling at 50 degrees is not normal. I have a HTPC at work running a 6800K and at full load (encoding videos) it maxes out at around 55 degrees. Check your thermal paste, check your heatsink contact etc.


 
My motherboard temperature also read as 50 Degrees, my motherboard is the Asrock A88X ITX.

If it was a problem with the CPU cooler being seated incorrectly or thermal paste, why is the motherboard that hot too?

I feel a complete novice when it comes to APUs


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## RCoon (Feb 12, 2014)

dom99 said:


> My motherboard temperature also read as 50 Degrees, my motherboard is the Asrock A88X ITX.
> 
> If it was a problem with the CPU cooler being seated incorrectly or thermal paste, why is the motherboard that hot too?
> 
> I feel a complete novice when it comes to APUs


 
Treat an APU no differently than a normal CPU. What's the airflow like in that case? Does all the air coming out of the case feel quite hot?
Is your CPU cooler plugged into the CPU FAN pin header?


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## dom99 (Feb 12, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Treat an APU no differently than a normal CPU. What's the airflow like in that case? Does all the air coming out of the case feel quite hot?
> Is your CPU cooler plugged into the CPU FAN pin header?


 
I have the case totally open at the moment and no the air does not feel hot from what I can tell, the CPU cooler is working just fine.

Hmm I will test it further when I get back tonight, but where did you get the 65 Degree maximum figure fro? I'm just curious?

I do still have to update the motherboard bios to the latest version so that might chnage somehting I suppose. I will report back later this evening


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## RCoon (Feb 12, 2014)

dom99 said:


> where did you get the 65 Degree maximum figure fro?


 
It's been a common AMD chip figure for a couple of years, as far as I'm aware it hasn't changed. I've known it from AMD spec sheets since the first FX chips came out. Updating the motherboard BIOS would be a great idea. Also if you can get windows to be stable, I recommend installing HWinfo and running it with sensors only. That should give you accurate readings of volts and temperatures for your CPU, I use it for both work and home workstations.
Do note that AMD's on-chip temperature sensor is not so great.

Best of luck


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## Jetster (Feb 12, 2014)

Just make sure the Heat sink is seated properly and you have airflow. APU have issues with temp sensors. Run the ASRock Extreme tuner that came with your motherboard and see what it says.

Do not use HWinfo. Its not updated for AMD APUs and its not a FX chip


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## RCoon (Feb 12, 2014)

Jetster said:


> Its not updated for AMD APUs



Both my 6800K and 750K seem to report temperatures perfectly accurately on HWinfo?


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## Jetster (Feb 12, 2014)

I dont know. It wouldn't work on my ASRock board at all <<disregard I was thinking of HW monitor


Max temp 72.4

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/479/AMD_A10-Series_A10-6800K_vs_AMD_A10-Series_A10-7850K.html


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## RCoon (Feb 12, 2014)

Jetster said:


> I dont know. It wouldn't work on my ASRock board at all <<disregard I was thinking of HW monitor
> 
> 
> Max temp 72.4
> ...


 
I've also just discovered the 5600K mule in the corner of my office running 24/7 idles at around 45 degrees (it sits and records things off of internet TV). It's sat in a Fractal Node with stock cooling. OP is only 5 degrees ahead of that in terms of idle temps. I'm not sure how much better the L9a is supposed to be at cooling than the stock APU cooler.


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## dom99 (Feb 13, 2014)

Hi,

Windows is now stable, needed to update the bios I think becuase it didnt fully support the new processor. I was also getting kernal BSODs before entering windows so re-seated my RAM too.

I dont know whther temps are an issue or not, the temperature in the bios is still reading as around 50 degrees, but I cant find a good temperature monitor to check it with. I have tried CoreTemp and HWInfo. CoreTemp was saying my temps were 0 - 18 degrees idle, which I find hard to believe, and HWMonitor couldnt get a temperature readout.

Are there any more recommendations?

I dont want to stress the CPU before making sure its idle temps aren't genuinly at 50 degrees because if they are something must be wrong. When I touch the heatsink or feel for warm air, I can only feel it being warm from the PicoPSU and not the CPU.


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## Jetster (Feb 13, 2014)

Your motherboard came with temp monitoring software. ASRock Extreme tuner


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## dom99 (Feb 13, 2014)

Jetster said:


> Your motherboard came with temp monitoring software. ASRock Extreme tuner


 
Would that be the A-Tunning software? Ill try that when I get in back this eve


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## GreiverBlade (Feb 13, 2014)

dom99 said:


> Would that be the A-Tunning software? Ill try that when I get in back this eve


yes A-Tunning is kinda the new AxTu (ASRock Extreme Tuner)

my configuration is a ASRock FM2A88M Extreme 4+ but i have a Athlon X4 760K instead of the 7850K atm so my idle temps of 26° MB 30° CPU (oh well idle ... not that much: video playback internet browsing and some other joyful things is what i call "idle") are not too relevant for a APU but my A10-5800K rarely(aka : never) hit 50° in idle, no stock HSF ... NEVER! the A10 : minimal CM Hyper Tx3 Evo (thanks the Node 304 and the comfortable height for the HSF) the X4 is under a Katana 4... for a limited height case i would recommend something like a AXP-100 (Thermalright) or another "low profile" with good review, the L9a is good but it's not what you can call a performer... all review i read about it was on the conclusion "better than stock but not that much" basically : more silent but not better on the temps.


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## Pill Monster (Feb 13, 2014)

RCoon said:


> It's been a common AMD chip figure for a couple of years, as far as I'm aware it hasn't changed. *I've known it from AMD spec sheets since the first FX chips came out.*


That's an interesting comment, because AMD have never publicly released thermal design specs for Bulldozer based processors.  HTC limit is 90c.


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## RCoon (Feb 13, 2014)

Pill Monster said:


> That's an interesting comment, because AMD have never publicly released thermal design specs for Bulldozer based processors.  HTC limit is 90c.


 
Most of us who watercooled and OC'd the FX chips are well aware of a common maximum temperature being the area of 65 degrees (centigrade). That being said the APU's have a higher maximum operating temp after some research which has already been mentioned.


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## Pill Monster (Feb 13, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Most of us who watercooled and OC'd the FX chips are well aware of a *common maximum temperature being the area of 65 degrees *(centigrade). That being said the APU's have a higher maximum operating temp after some research which has already been mentioned.


Based on what?


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## RCoon (Feb 13, 2014)

Pill Monster said:


> Based on what?


 
The internet

@d1nky

shutdown temps are 70C

*Source*


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## dom99 (Feb 13, 2014)

GreiverBlade said:


> yes A-Tunning is kinda the new AxTu (ASRock Extreme Tuner)
> 
> my configuration is a ASRock FM2A88M Extreme 4+ but i have a Athlon X4 760K instead of the 7850K atm so my idle temps of 26° MB 30° CPU (oh well idle ... not that much: video playback internet browsing and some other joyful things is what i call "idle") are not too relevant for a APU but my A10-5800K rarely(aka : never) hit 50° in idle, no stock HSF ... NEVER! the A10 : minimal CM Hyper Tx3 Evo (thanks the Node 304 and the comfortable height for the HSF) the X4 is under a Katana 4... for a limited height case i would recommend something like a AXP-100 (Thermalright) or another "low profile" with good review, the L9a is good but it's not what you can call a performer... all review i read about it was on the conclusion "better than stock but not that much" basically : more silent but not better on the temps.


Thanks for the input, I chose the noctua cooler because it has such a low profile. I know it's not the best but at only 37mm tall it was the perfect fit for the case, I saw a review of the intel version (l9i) on an i7 2600k and at stock in a SFF case and it was better than the stock cooler by a margin, but admittedly not much, as I say the appeal for me is in the height


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## Pill Monster (Feb 13, 2014)

RCoon said:


> The internet
> 
> @d1nky
> 
> ...


Don't believe it.  That info applies to A64 and Phenom architecture *only*, not Bulldozer.
I hate to dis other sites but ocn is not what it used to be....it's way too big now and is a breeding ground for misinformation.  (Majority of members there seem to be registered for 1yr at most if that's anything to go by).


BD/PD has a HTC (hardware thermal control) limit of 90c and that's really the only number that means anything. This is the temp at which the processor will shut down *before* it is damaged.

There is no 62c or 65c or 70c limit for BD/PD as has been mentioned on various sites around the interwebs....it's urban legend.  62c was for Phenom II.

Naturally running your FX at 80c all day long is not ideal, and I'm not saying it is.  Just want to clarify that the 60/70c thing is hearsay.
A CPU is ASIC similar to GPU, so they are comparable when it comes to thermal design....and no GPU has a 60c ceiling...if u see what I mean. 

.


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## RCoon (Feb 13, 2014)

dom99 said:


> Thanks for the input, I chose the noctua cooler because it has such a low profile. I know it's not the best but at only 37mm tall it was the perfect fit for the case, I saw a review of the intel version (l9i) on an i7 2600k and at stock in a SFF case and it was better than the stock cooler by a margin, but admittedly not much, as I say the appeal for me is in the height


 
the L9i is a really nice cooler for that purpose, and even though it's quite small, it's still better quality than the stock cooler. Just done another quick check, and this 5600K is idling at around 36 degrees on the stock cooler at the moment.



Pill Monster said:


> Don't believe it. That info applies to A64 and Phenom architecture *only*, not Bulldozer. I hate to dis other sites but ocn is not what it used to be....it's way to big now and seems to be a breeding ground for misinformation. (Majority of members there seem to have been registered for 1yr at most if that's anything to go by) and they hate me.
> BD/PD has a HTC (hardware thermal control) limit of 90c and that's really the only number that means anything. This is the temp at which the processor will shut down *before* it is damaged. There is no 62c or 65c or 70c limit as has been mentioned on various sites around the interwebs....it's urban legend. 62c was for Phenom II.
> Obviously running your FX at 80c all day long is not ideal, and I'm not saying it is. Just want to clarify that the 60/70c thing is hearsay.
> A CPU is ASIC similar to GPU, so they are comparable when it comes to thermal design....and no GPU has a 60c ceiling...if u see what I mean.
> .


 
Dude, go take it up with a question to AMD support, and stay on topic for the OP. I'm just stating what me and other members follow as rule of thumb, feel free to PM me when an AMD rep gets back to you on thermal limits. Until then, stay on topic and help out the OP.


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## Pill Monster (Feb 13, 2014)

RCoon said:


> the L9i is a really nice cooler for that purpose, and even though it's quite small, it's still better quality than the stock cooler. Just done another quick check, and this 5600K is idling at around 36 degrees on the stock cooler at the moment.
> 
> 
> 
> Dude, go take it up with a question to AMD support, and stay on topic for the OP. I'm just stating what me and other members follow as rule of thumb, feel free to PM me when an AMD rep gets back to you on thermal limits. Until then, stay on topic and help out the OP.


I am helping out the OP by correcting misinfo you're giving him. You stated you had seen the data sheets for FX, which was a lie, and I knew it was a lie. Don't say things that aren't true.  

You're just butthurt because I called u out.


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## dom99 (Feb 13, 2014)

I've just decided to do some case modding, get rid of the original top to the F1C Evo, and replace it with some quality mesh, and attach a silverstone 180mm air penetrator = Cooling Overkill 

Edit: although that means I wouldnt have room for the Optical drive, which is why I got the low profile cooler in the first place


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## RCoon (Feb 13, 2014)

dom99 said:


> 180mm air penetrator = Cooling Overkill



I have myself an air penetrator 180mm in my case, and it is truly a glorious cooling machine.


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## dom99 (Feb 13, 2014)

RCoon said:


> I have myself an air penetrator 180mm in my case, and it is truly a glorious cooling machine.


 I have one in my Silverstone SG10B case for my Intel Build


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## RCoon (Feb 13, 2014)

dom99 said:


> I have one in my Silverstone SG10B case for my Intel Build


 
Ah I have an SG08  But I put the fan in my Aerocool main rig.


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## GreiverBlade (Feb 13, 2014)

RCoon said:


> I have myself an air penetrator 180mm in my case, and it is truly a glorious cooling machine.



my SG09B has a AP181 as main intake fan i second that  also have 2 AP121 but only 1 in intake for gpu the 2nd one is for exhaust, and i know a AP in exhaust is pointless but i dislike unmatched pair 

i just wish they did 80/90mm version (afaik they didn't or none that i know of) so i could get rid of the 2 80mm 2k rpm Be Quiet Shadow wings i have, not that they are bad or whatever but i like "all of the same brand" ofc i could find some SST 80/90mm but i had those BQ under the hand at the moment i did my build.

now you make me want to get 2 of those ...
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?scase=&pid=136&area=en


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## RCoon (Feb 13, 2014)

GreiverBlade said:


> and i know a AP in exhaust is pointless but i dislike unmatched pair



I'm the same, can't stand having a case filled with unmatched fans!


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## GreiverBlade (Feb 13, 2014)

derp... the FM83 is available nowhere in switzerland


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## Pill Monster (Feb 13, 2014)

dom99 said:


> My question is, what are the normal temperatures (idle and gaming load) of an APU? I have searched the internet but cant seemto find any reviews of the A10 7850K with temperature tests.
> 
> Thanks for your help!


Max operating temp for the A10-7850k is 73c.  I forgot to mention it earlier, sorry.


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## xorbe (Feb 13, 2014)

dom99 said:


> MB - Asrock FM2+ A88X ITX ... But I noticed when I enetered the Bios the temperature readings were idling at around 49 - 50 Degrees!



My AsRock mini-itx + 5500 + stock hsf would idle at something insane in the BIOS (65C?).   It seems to be a common complaint about AsRock and apu boards.  Also the WattMeter showed like 100W at the wall.  When in Windows it actually idles down to 25W or so.  When I pried the stock hsf off, the grey goo pad had half dried.  Installed a better hsf and paste, which knocked down the temp while burning in the BIOS.  I think you are alright at 49-50C in the bios.


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## dom99 (Feb 13, 2014)

Just an update, after installng all windows updates and latest version of Asrock A-tuning it now shows my 7850k idles at 23 degrees and the same for my motherboard. Those numbers sound much more agreeable.

I think I'm happy with the build now, no BSODs and good temps, amazing what up to date drivers/OS/MB Bios will do

EDIT: Max temp seen in gaming so far is 37 degrees, but that's on hitman absolution, I will test it with BF4 tomorrow


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## GreiverBlade (Feb 14, 2014)

dom99 said:


> Just an update, after installng all windows updates and latest version of Asrock A-tuning it now shows my 7850k idles at 23 degrees and the same for my motherboard. Those numbers sound much more agreeable.
> 
> I think I'm happy with the build now, no BSODs and good temps, amazing what up to date drivers/OS/MB Bios will do
> 
> EDIT: Max temp seen in gaming so far is 37 degrees, but that's on hitman absolution, I will test it with BF4 tomorrow



well my 1st thing when i got the board and the cpu was to pass the bios on Rev.2.0 since out of the box the FM2A88M Ex4+ doesn't handle the 7850K (even if i will use it with the X4 760K for a while) idling i am also around 23-26°


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## dom99 (Feb 14, 2014)

GreiverBlade said:


> well my 1st thing when i got the board and the cpu was to pass the bios on Rev.2.0 since out of the box the FM2A88M Ex4+ doesn't handle the 7850K (even if i will use it with the X4 760K for a while) idling i am also around 23-26°


 
The bios version I am using is Rev 2.1 now.

I read somewhere that the original bios shouldnt have an issue using the 7850k up untill the point where it is possible to install the new bios put I had such hassle with it.


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## XlmartinilX (Jul 7, 2014)

dom99 said:


> My motherboard temperature also read as 50 Degrees, my motherboard is the Asrock A88X ITX.
> 
> If it was a problem with the CPU cooler being seated incorrectly or thermal paste, why is the motherboard that hot too?
> 
> I feel a complete novice when it comes to APUs



Have you solved the problem yet?

I got mine on 25 *C idle with the 212 Hyper evo (4.3ghz).
The stockcooler is trash... =p


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## fusionblu (Jul 12, 2014)

Figured I should add some information that not everyone is aware of in regards to thermals for these systems. Sometimes temps can be higher than normal because plastic film applied to heatsink when the heatsink was produce was not removed when the APU ITX PC was built.

This has been seen in some Zotac APU ITX PCs where after removing the film temperatures were significantly lower afterwards and this is likely to be seen in similar machines from other manufacturers.

Altering a part of the machine which involves the heatsink can void the warranty and if a plastic film can be seen on the CPU cooler it would be advised to have an approved service provider for the appropriate manufacturer of the product to sort this out so warranty isn't voided. Having the product checked for thermal issues can also resolve this issue if the film on the heatsink isn't seen.

Of course if the system isn't pre-built, is custom built (by owner through purchase of individual parts) or is a pre-built system which is going to be modified this wouldn't really matter.

As is already know many third-party options with alternative heatsinks and thermal paste is often better than the standard thermal setup in standard pre-built APU ITX PCs.


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## dom99 (Jul 16, 2014)

XlmartinilX said:


> Have you solved the problem yet?
> 
> I got mine on 25 *C idle with the 212 Hyper evo (4.3ghz).
> The stockcooler is trash... =p



Hi yeh got it sorted, reapplied thermal paste a few times and found it was due to using too much, which is odd as I usually get the quantity correct. I think with the particular cooler I am using it just performs better with the tiniest amount of paste, people say a grain of rice or a pea sized blob, I think you need more like a quarter of a pea if that for optimum temps.

Now idling at 28 degrees and 52 max when gaming.

Only thing I wish it did better was overclock the igp, can't even go one step up in the bios to 757mhz or something it just crashes during gaming.

Overal very impressed with this setup though and looking forward to Carizzo which should have new high speed memory to make gaming on it even better


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## Micah Oliver (Feb 18, 2015)

I was having similar heat issues just like you. 

A few thing that helped:

1. Called guy who sold me mobo and found out many overclock settings were turned on. When back and made sure all these were turned off (settings in bios and switched on mobo)
2. I agree with other people on here who mentioned it being diff to find a good temp program for theses APUs, the stock temp gadget that came with the mobo install cd seems to be the best bet. After I got it installed, temps were reading 32C from a previous 45C in the bios menu. So be sure to use temp monitoring sw that offered in mobo disc or on manf website.
3. Make sure that thermal paste has been applied correctly.

You mentioned multiple errors because of the way you installed windows or something???? Maybe a complete fresh Windows install, not to mention of the multiple updates, maybe chipset driver updates, and you should be completely smooth sailing. Hope something here helps.


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## bonehead123 (Mar 4, 2015)

FWIW, I have an A8-3850 on a Gigabyte board inside a Prodigy case with stock cooler & Artic 5S + 1 additional fan, a R9-270x, and 8GB of Gskill running W8.1Pro.  It idles at ~36c and occasionally jumps to ~50-60c under multi-app/full load situations....... but of course YMMV


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## GhostRyder (Mar 4, 2015)

dom99 said:


> Hi yeh got it sorted, reapplied thermal paste a few times and found it was due to using too much, which is odd as I usually get the quantity correct. I think with the particular cooler I am using it just performs better with the tiniest amount of paste, people say a grain of rice or a pea sized blob, I think you need more like a quarter of a pea if that for optimum temps.
> 
> Now idling at 28 degrees and 52 max when gaming.
> 
> ...


A few notes since I have had a few similar problems:

1: The bios makes temps shoot up on APUs especially on Asrock and Gigabyte from my experience.  Sounds stupid but I can even give an example on the fly with a 6800K and gigabyte FM2+ board that my friend uses. If I go to the bios it starts going up and shows 40-50's as idle stock settings.  Though it seems there was another issue and you have resolved it already.
2: 7850K is decent and can run on a low profile cooler as the cooler you mentioned is still better than the junky stock cooler.  I actually ran one with the FX high end stock cooler for a friend since I had a few spare so I could get a slight overclock on the GPU for him.  Just be sure to have some airflow to remove the air from the system.
3: The max operating temp of the chip from what I have understood is as stated above 72.4C.
4: You can overclock the GPU quite nicely but you need to increase the GPU voltage a little bit to achieve it.  I have hit 1gz+ on all 3 machines I have built for friends using the 7850K one even on the Cooler Master Seidon 240mm cooler achieved ~1100mhz stable without much effort (Felt I could do more).


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## PCGamerDR (Apr 14, 2015)

dom99 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have just built the following HTPC:
> 
> ...



Remember it's an APU both the CPU and iGPU part heat it up.



RCoon said:


> Both my 6800K and 750K seem to report temperatures perfectly accurately on HWinfo?



Yes, use HWInfo as it's the most accurate and it monitor iGPU temp as well also remember to monitor the motherboard sensor instead of the cpu onboard one, max reported temp for 6800k at least is 74*C and i get around 37*C to 40*C idle with overclock and ambient temp at 30*C to 34*C.



Jetster said:


> Your motherboard came with temp monitoring software. ASRock Extreme tuner



Yes and no, as they may install a lot of bloatware or task the computer too much, i uninstalled AI Tuner for the same reasons.


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