K8T Neo-FSR showing incorrect CPU temperature

Question

Hello. I recently purchased a K8T Neo-FSR, which came with BIOS v2.2 installed. For some reason, it wouldn't allow me to set my own memory timings (it always used the "safe and sane" SPD values, according to CPU-Z, regardless of any BIOS settings I tried). I wasn't about to sit back and let my expensive new memory go underclocked, so following some advice I found on an obscure German forum, I installed the v7.1 BIOS from MSI's global site. That fixed the timing issue, but now the board is reporting incorrect temperatures for my CPU. It usually fluctuates between 23-26c, but will occasionally rise to nearly 30c and then immediately drop back down again. Case temperature remains stable at 27c. When I first installed the board, the temps were right around 45c, almost 20 degrees higher, which seems a lot more accurate to me (though this was also before I upgraded the crappy heatsink).
Is this anything to be concerned about, and is the CPU temperature supposed to constantly fluctuate like that? I'm worried that if my fan fails or something else goes wrong, the sytem won't react until the temperature is 20 degrees OVER the safe limit. I have a feeling it interferes with the Cool n' Quiet functions, too, though my CPU fan (Thermaltake Venus 7) has its own built-in sensor and adjusts itself automatically anyway.
Aside from the temperature wackiness, the system is rock-solid and runs like a dream. Specs are in my signature.

Answer 1

There are 754 Venice's out there as NewEgg sold them at one point from what I gather as I was looking at what was the best 754 but settled for the Clawhammer.
I have just stopped using CoreCentre on my XP as it started to show extremely erroneous and frightening temps so I ran MBM5 in conjunction as well as used my Cases thermal probes and guess which one was wrong...?
This was after seating and reseating the cooler, CPU, memory many times and it was only on Asetek's forums that reminded me that I should maybe do some independant tests by taping probes on the cpu's board as close to the core as poss, a difference of twenty degrees no less.
CoreCentre seems to have got a bit lost and a tad annoyed as I cross checked after buying the components for a 1/2" inch custom watercooling setup.
Now this is the current temp and voltages I get:
The 45 degree high was me using Prime to "cook" the thermal paste as I had to reseat the Artic Freezer 64 as it had dropped a touch.
My ClawHammer is for some reason one of those that never had a heatspreader which of course leads to difficulties with such coolers as the Freezer 64 Pro.   Does anyone know where I can get another spreader or should I just leave it...?
I am not going to o/c this CPU to be honest, since sorting the temps out and once the watercooling is on, 3.2Ghz is plenty good for me for the moment and bearing in mind the Neo's touchyness about settings in BIOS I am very much considering now to roll back the BIOS to 1.9 as it was 2.2 that started causing the problems.
As for the memory timings, my Neo is totally ignoring any attempts to change the timings of my memory, I had to part company with my XMS Crucial sticks because the Neo had all sorts of problems and running some of the best memory at DDR200 was pointless.
AO