X5690 temperature

[BlueBubba]

Hello,


I've just installed 2 X5690 processors in my 2012 Mac Pro. Is there anything I need to change on the Mac for them to run safely? Do I need to increass the fan speed? I have iStat Pro, what temperature readings should I be looking out for?


Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[ActionableMango]

Actually, after I installed two x5690 CPUs I found that the fans ran unreasonably high compared to temps, and so I installed MacsFanControl to manage them down a bit. I know at least a couple of others around here had the same experience.

 

[BlueBubba]

From further reading, I've seen 78.5c as the maximum temperature for the x5690, is this correct?

 

[h9826790]

From further reading, I've seen 78.5c as the maximum temperature for the x5690, is this correct?

That's the max T-case temperature, which means the surface temperature of the IHS. We have no way to monitor that in the cMP.

But in general, the core temperature can easily be 15C higher than the T-case temperature (when under stress). Therefore, unless you see 90C (T-diode) in the temperature monitoring software. The X5690 should be still quite a bit away from the official max temperature.

And even you really reach the max, the CPU will start to throttle itself. And if you have a really ineffective cooling system, the CPU will shut itself down at a predetermined temperature to avoid damage.

The native cMP fan profile should keep the CPU just few degrees away from the max with min fan speed. Therefore, you may see 85C on the CPU (T-diode), which should be few degrees below the real official max (even though the number itself is higher than 78.5).

For your reference, the official max of my W3690 is 68.5C (T-case), and my CPU can work 24/7 at 85C (T-diode) without thermal throttling.

If in doubt, you can always type

pmset -g thermlog

in terminal to check if there is any thermal warning or throttling.

 

[BlueBubba]

That's the max T-case temperature, which means the surface temperature of the IHS. We have no way to monitor that in the cMP.

But in general, the core temperature can easily be 15C higher than the T-case temperature (when under stress). Therefore, unless you see 90C (T-diode) in the temperature monitoring software. The X5690 should be still quite a bit away from the official max temperature.

And even you really reach the max, the CPU will start to throttle itself. And if you have a really ineffective cooling system, the CPU will shut itself down at a predetermined temperature to avoid damage.

The native cMP fan profile should keep the CPU just few degrees away from the max with min fan speed. Therefore, you may see 85C on the CPU (T-diode), which should be few degrees below the real official max (even though the number itself is higher than 78.5).

For your reference, the official max of my W3690 is 68.5C (T-case), and my CPU can work 24/7 at 85C (T-diode) without thermal throttling.

If in doubt, you can always type

pmset -g thermlog

in terminal to check if there is any thermal warning or throttling.

Many thanks again.