stuck processor

[x88x]

Wait...you're getting 36-38C at load with a single 120mm rad...and you're complaining that it's too hot? ...I suppose again it depends what CPU you have...my Q9450 on my cooling setup sits in the mid 50's under load (granted I'm pretty sure the heatspreader wasn't quite flat, but still).

[StormRider]

well, I'm complaining because it was actually cooler with my old air cooler. And it's 39 degrees WITHOUT a load. at 0% usage(if my G15 is correct).
If I were pushing it at 90% or above and got those temps, I'd be VERY happy with it. but as it sits right now, my stock air cooler worked better.
anyway, my system info has been updated, so you should be able to see it now

[x88x]

Ok, that is a rather lower power draw CPU than mine (95W vs 125W), but that's still a pretty good temp. What is it at load? I know with my setup, even though my CPU idles at ~54-55C, it maxes out at ~56C. ...granted you won't see that level of temperature stability without a fair amount of coolant (~1.75L in mine) and a lot of rad space, but generally the difference between idle and load tends to be a lot less in liquid-cooled systems than air-cooled (except maybe the very top end air coolers).

EDIT:
OOC, what air cooler were you using before?

[StormRider]

it was pretty low end. I'm not even sure what it is.
and right now, the temp hasn't gone below 38 degrees. just stays at 38-39
It was 36 the first time I plugged it in

[slaveofconvention]

I'd be more concerned if you didn't get an improvement with load temps. The main advantage of a quality aftermarket cooler is how it handles things when it's really being put to work. I've seen coolers in the past with the same or higher idle temps which seem poor at the time, until you stress the system. Then, the improvements really start to shine - I reviewed the Thermaltake Frio a little while ago - it's idle temps were slightly higher than the Zalman unit I was replacing which had me wondering. Under stress, all 4 cores at 100% for 30 mins, it was nearly 30 degrees cooler....

Don't write the cooler off yet, not until you've really let it stretch it's legs....

[StormRider]

I'm not writing it off at all. It's still much quieter than my old cooler, and more stylish to boot.
I'm just going to keep experimenting with different setups until I find the best one
edit: I'm trying it outside the case just for a comparison. not helping much, I'm afraid

[StormRider]

ok, it's definitely as good as the old cooler. without the ridiculous California summer heat, it performs just as well as my old aircooler did. now to try it inside my case again

[x88x]

That's good. Yeah, even the best cooler can't bring itself below ambient.

[Konrad]

That's good. Yeah, even the best cooler can't bring itself below ambient.

Excluding phase-change/refrigeration, liquid-cooling (or immersion) with overkill peltiers ... and crazy exotic stuff like LN2, etc.

I'm not sure, but -
If you've got a bunch of heatpipes on your CPU block, and they're all fed into a large enough radiator surface with lots of fans moving lots of air ... isn't it possible for the "cold" end to dip below ambient? (I mean really excessive fans/radiators, not normal setups, lol.)

[x88x]

If you've got a bunch of heatpipes on your CPU block, and they're all fed into a large enough radiator surface with lots of fans moving lots of air ... isn't it possible for the "cold" end to dip below ambient? (I mean really excessive fans/radiators, not normal setups, lol.)

Actually this has come up in a few other threads a while ago, and, nope, not unless you have air colder than ambient flowing over the radiator surface (stick it over an AC register or something). Moving air over a surface can make it feel cooler than ambient, since you're removing the additional heat faster, but you can never make it colder (well, without some exotic heat-changing system like you mentioned).