CPU temps/cooling?

Question

So, I finally have gotten my system running, but to say it's unstable would be an understatement.  It gives a BSOD on a regular basis.  I've downloaded memtest, and it sees no errors in the RAM.  I made sure to buy the tested and approved memory for my K8T Master2 FAR.  I'm wondering if my CPUs are overheating.  After the last BSOD, I went into the BIOS and looked over the temp readings.  They were showing about 45 C.  Now, this was in the BIOS after a brief cooling off from a memory dump.  I wonder what the temp actually is under load.  I can't get the system to stay up long enough to actually install the Core monitoring software.  I took the side of the case off, and the CPU temps dropped immediately by about 5-6 degrees C (about 10 degrees Farenheit).  
So what is a normal idle temp for these processors?  Can anyone recommend a good hs/fan replacement for what came with the mobo?  At the moment I'm pretty frustrated with the instability.  I'm thinking it's heat related, since I've done several clean installs of the OS, with new RAM.  I've swapped out vid cards, and disabled all the onboard hardware.  It's more than a little annoying at this point.  If anyone thinks the problem might be something other than heat, let me know.  I'm powering the board with a 380 Watt Antec power supply.

Answer 1

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Originally posted by geerten
The antec 380 may be insufficient. This board takes quite a lot of power, especially on the 12V line. This could explain the instability.
Two thoughts about the temps.
First: with current BIOS'es (up to 1.3b5) and newer revisions of the opteron CPU's you will suffer from "Newcastle syndrome". BIOS and monitoring utilities will show temperatures that are way too high (I've heard 20 deg celsius). To check this feel the heatsink immediately after the system shuts down. If its not very hot than this may be your problem. Because of this the system may initiate shutdown if you have that option enabled in the BIOS. You should disable that option, or configure the shutdown temperature as high as it will accept. .
The system isn't initiating the shutdown.  It simply crashes out to a memory error (IRQL, PFL, Thread Release).  But about the power supply... I have a Raidmax 400W that I will try on it next.  I was wondering if the PSU was sufficient.
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Second: you describe that the temperature drops fast after opening the case. This could be an indication that airflow in the closed case is insufficient. Try running it with the case open for a while and check the temperatures. (not too long, because the cooling of other components may suffer..) If this is your problem the usual fixes are: check the directions of the case fans, remove cables out of the way, make sure th CPU fans are not obstructed.
Good luck.
As of yet, it hasn't crashed while running with the case open....  not that I recall anyway.