Hot and Cold + USB?

Question

I know this subject has seen a lot of mileage, but I would like to offer my views on the CPU temperature problem / Cold boot
I have just purchased a KT600 Delta FISR Mobo, having had a very good experience with my KT4 Ultra.
To say it runs hot is an over-statement, my set-up is
AMD Athlon 2400
512mb 2700 DDR [266]
2 x 80gb HDD [ Maxtor & IBM ]
Now I must start by saying, that I like small cases as I have a nice desk and it has to sit inside a cupboad. So I like cases where the power supply sits to the side of the CPU and not above. Also the depth of the cabinet is much less with the CDRom almost touching the Mobo. On the KT600 with the power connecter where it is I cannot use that bay!!.
Also I like HDD caddies so all my PC's have always had HDD caddies and these have there own fans
The cases have two front fans [ Un-obstructed - no floppy ]  drawing air in and the PSU draws air out of the back.
In addition to that I have fitted to the KT6 Delta a Exhaust Fan that also draws air out. So I think I have a good air flow.
Now before you say, what do you expect, well I have two of these cases the other one houses my KT4 Ultra and it is exactly the same config except that the power socket is at the back behind the connectivity outlets.
This PC runs at 21c in idle [ 2100 Palimino Athlon ] and 30c when working hard.
[ Qtec 450w PSU ]
So I have been experimenting and with the case open and the power supply lifeted out the temperature is 54c idle. Case closed and power supply in situ it rises to 64c idle.
Now I did have a Q-Tec 550w PSU and I have read your comments so I changed it for a 400watt with actual power ratings [ not peak ] and it made vey little difference. I measured the voltages straight out of the power supplies I have tried and the 12v and 5volt vary very little from PSU to PSU and very little on load
Also measuring the on board regulators I can not detect any variance in voltage that is in sympathy with the changes shown by MSI Core Centre
So looking at the MSI Core Centre,  
VCore = 1.65
3.3 = 3.45
+5v = 5.03
+12v = 11.70 to 11.82
If I install CPUIdle the  MSI Core Centre now reads
VCore = 1.65
3.3 = 3.45
+5v = 5.00
+12v = 11.94 [ Rock Steady]
CPU Temperature 49/50c idle [ whether the case is open or not ]
So what is CPUIdle doing?  My guess it is making up for fluctuations in the voltage regulation [ It would seem that a more acurate 12volts gives to a lower CPU temperature ]
It is certainly making the Mobo stable, which suggest un-aided it is not as stable as it could be.
Something else I have noticed the CPU heatsink does not feel unduly hot.
USB
Something else I noticed, I have a external USB 2.0 HDD enclosure, housing a 40gb 3.5 Maxtor HDD.
When pluggged in the temperature will rise by 10 degrees
[ I use to leave it on all the time on my KT4 Ultra ]
[ But in fairness it also raises the temperature on the KT4 ]
The load must be having an affect on the power in some way
The enclosure has its own power supply but uses the 5v available via USB
All this leaves me wondering how to proceed. I am not an overclocker or a gamer I simply use my PC as a work tool. The most I ever do is to log in to my works router to administrate the network from home.
Cold Boot
Yes my Mobo also hangs on starting Windows when cold.
All in all I am not a happy bunny, and would like to know what MSI views are on this.  
Finally Although PC Alert will install on my PC [ Windows XP Pro ] XP Cooler will not work. It keeps throwing up a HM_Driver load error. Any ideas?
Kind Regards to you all

Answer 1

Hi Guys
Thanks for your thoughts,
First  osnavi
My mistake the memory is 333mhz CAS 2.5 All Ok here Sorry if I mislead you.
Fredrik Åsenius & osnavi
Yes I agree I do not have the ideal situation here, but I have had many PC's right from the IBM Blue Lightning and Dell 25mhz and my ex PC KT4 ran just fine in the same situation and same case [ and still does and it does not have an exhaust fan other than the fan in the PSU]
Incidently when the PC is in use the door of the desk/cupboard is open, but not ideal I agree.  I draw cold air in the front and exhaust it out the back
The problem of temperature rise is the same whether the PC is in situ or sat outside on floor.
However the point is this, why does CPUidle regulate the 12 volt rail and as such, bring the temperature down?
Why does USB hardware cause the 12 volt rail to fall and as such the temperature rise
My guess is poor voltage regulation on the Mobo.
No amount of cooling hardware will cure this.
In short I think the regulatiion on the Mobo is poor, which is a shame as the Mobo has a lot going for it at the price.
Matkel
I would be interested to know what your temperature was before and after, and what BIOS version you updated from?
I have updated from 5.4 to 5.5 but I did not notice any improvement.
ALL
Surely the point here is,  if there were no concerns on temperature then people like ourselves would not be talking and writing about it.
As I see it there is a temperature control problem and the focus should be on cause. As I said at the beginning, my observations led me to beleive that the temperature is directly linked to the 12volts supply.
What I would like to know is what 12 volt supply is Core Centre / PC Alert monitoring.
I think that those of you who have opted for a Top Quality PSU have cured the symptons because the PSU has better power regulation, but not the cause.
It is arguable that a PC should have a good quality power supply, but their are a lot os PC's out there that have a bulk standard 350w / 400w PSU of no particular brand and they don't have a temperature problem.
Kind regards
Paul