TCase vs TJ. Max
I have a core 2 quad q9650. According to intel's specs the max TCase is 71.4 Celcius. (Which is the surface of the chip as seen here:
However, according to core temp my TJ Max (im assuming the internal core) is 100 Celcius. On full load my cpu core goes to about 71 C easily.
I understand that going above the tj max (which I am not) is not good and throttling will ensue. My question is what is the difference in temperature between the core temp (tjunction ) and the tcase temp. If I am at 71 C in the tj or core temp, is my tcase much less than 71 c (as it is attatched to the heatsink)? Is this a safe temperature?
11 Answer
TCase is a temperature sensor that's near the heatspreader. It's usually 10-20 C lower than the cores.
Your temps seem pretty high, though I'm not an expert on what a core2 quad would normally run at. I would recommend getting a bigger/better heatsink and new thermal paste, artic silver is always good!
