Dear Friends,
I borrowed 2 photos from this Intel webpage,
where a THIRD SEQUENCE for installing HSF
fasteners is described here:
Notice how both photos show the fastener flush to the
motherboard:
http://www.supremelaw.org/systems/hsf.fastener.flush.1.jpg
http://www.supremelaw.org/systems/hsf.fastener.flush.2.jpg
This is NOT what we see in the ASUS P5WD2 Premium User Manuals;
that chrome metal "foot" is not flush against that white plastic
bushing,
for all 4 fasteners.
So, here's what I just did:
I combined all the advice I received from you folks today,
and did the following:
(1)
pressed hard with my thumb on the fan housing
immediately above each fastener, confirming visually
that the upward pressure on each fastener was relieved;
(2)
with the pressure relieved on each fastener (thumb pressure ON),
I used a screwdriver to turn one quarter turn counter-clockwise;
(3)
then I put a
little downward pressure on the screwdriver,
and turned the other way -- one quarter turn clockwise --
to "lock" the fastener into final position.
Results: TERRIFIC!!
Now, my idle CPU temp has fallen from 120-122 F. to 100-102 F.
and the motherboard temperature is right at 78 F., which is
exactly the same as my P4C800-E Deluxe (most of the time).
SpeedStep is activated, and CPU Q-Fan is set
to "optimal" in the BIOS,
instead of "performance" because "optimal"
appears to exhibit a faster
profile at lower CPU temperatures (which I prefer, for a cooling margin
of safety).
If you compare my "worst case" -- when the seating was the loosest
--
that idle temp was hovering around 140 F.
So, after two successive attempts at "fine tuning"
the seating of the stock Intel heatsink/fan assembly
(“HSF”),
I've reduced the CPU temperature from idling at 140 F.
to 100 F. (those re-seating attempts were the ONLY changes!!)
This confirms to me that the main problem with the stock Intel HSF
on the ASUS P5WD2 Premium is the seating as determined
by the manner, and sequence, in which the fasteners are installed.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul
A. Mitchell, Inventor and
Systems Development Consultant
Email: mrfsys@gmail.com
Friends,
I applied the best of your suggestions
to another round of fastener "locking"
and I posted the excellent
results
in a separate thread here entitled:
"new HSF steps
reduce 120 to 100 F." [this thread]
Here's my "take" on this whole situation:
(1) the LGA socket is populated
with
775 "spring-loaded" pins:
see detailed
photos from Intel's website at the URL
in the thread above;
(2) if you will notice, the
"load plate"
requires a fair amount of pressure
to secure it in place; this
pressure
is required to overcome the aggregate
resistance of those 775 individual "springs";
(3) even with the load plate
installed,
these 775 individual "springs" still have
a certain amount of flex in them;
(4) the amount of pressure which
the
heatsink makes against the
top surface
of the CPU DIRECTLY affects the
amount of heat dissipation it can perform;
(5) the extra thickness caused
by the
Stack Cool 2 layer is doing something
to interfere with the design for the male
ends of the 4 fasteners; I can't
see it
up close
without removing my motherboard
(which I don't want to do, just yet:
I will
have
to remove it, if/when I switch to a
Zalman CNPS9500 or Thermalright XP-90c
-- to secure the required backing plate);
(6) in 3 different sessions, I
have succeeded
in securing the fasteners better each time, where
"better" means greater downward pressure
from the heatsink contact with the CPU;
PC Probe II
reported improvements from
140 F. to 120 F. to ~100 F. now, with nothing
else except re-locking the 4
fasteners while
pressing down firmly on the fan housing;
(7) if you read my other thread,
you'll find
that I am not removing the heatsink now;
I am merely pressing down with my thumb
at a place on the fan housing that is
immediately above each push pin;
then,
I use a screwdriver to turn the fastener head
1/4 turn counter-clockwise (to unlock it),
and then I press down on the screwdriver
before turning back 1/4 turn clockwise (to lock it);
finally, I release the pressure from my thumb;
(8) IF my diagnosis is
correct, one
solution
which ASUS should
consider is to refrain
from adding the Stack
Cool 2 layer in
a radius of small
circles on the underside
of the 4 motherboard
holes for these fasteners
(creating shallow
"cylinder" shapes,
so the male ends meet a
PCB that
has a standard, expected
thickness there).
I hope this helps.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul
A. Mitchell, Inventor and
Systems Development Consultant
Email: mrfsys@gmail.com