Be VERY careful in what you look at. The newer Intel Core2 products are not showing the true core temp and are typically 13c+ what you are reading. You need a software program called TAT or RMCLOCK to read the true Intel temp with Core2, and THEN plug in the +/- variance to Speedfan so it displays the correct value. I think some of the P4's are also like that but it has been so long since I played around with them, I do not remember for sure.
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/39 ... _Tool.htmlhttp://cpu.rightmark.org/products/rmclock.shtmlbe careful with the RMCLOCK applications because there are ways to change the processors code within it for custom setups. Just use them to read temp but do not make code changes.
TAT is used to test Intel processors by applying a HUGE load to the cores and monitoring the exact core diode, bypassing the motherboard sensor.
My air cooled X6700's run 3.6 gig at about 55c in FSX reading SpeedFan and other tools but that translates to about 65-67c in true temp. If I was not overclocking that would probably be more about 45c with a true temp of 57c
Even AMD 64 is the same although it does not have as high of an offset as newer Intel. AMD typically reads about 5-7c lower than the true temp.
All modern processors have a thermal shutdown system based on TAT. It differs from processor to processor.
Make sure you are aware of the processors true specs and how to set the variance in SpeedFan to show the right core temp with newer Intel CPUs. SpeedFan added direct K8 support some time ago so there are 2 readings it may display... the MB CPU sensor and the true K8 temp, which are different and as I recall requires you enable the K8 reading over the MB sensor in Speedfan.
You are running an older P4 my friend so what you see should be correct, however, the older P4's have a much lower TDW point, somewhere around 70c if I recall, and the newer Intel's run from anywhere between 80-110. There are a few that are 65c too. You would probably start to see problems around 68c and with the heatsink issue you had, you see now that just because the readings are within spec does not mean they are... you were overheating because the motherboard sensor on your rig is not reading the true core temp, which is why you had such a hard time figuring out what was going on