Rendering AVCHD files and CPU Temps

LivingTheDream wrote on 4/9/2010, 7:59 PM

I was dealing with a pc overheating issue during this past week when rendering AVCHD files and I want to share what I found.

Rendering a project full of AVCHD files seems to be very demanding on the cpu. With the stock Core i7 fan/hs the cpu would hit the shut-down temp, which I had set to 75C, and the pc would of course shut down. That was after about 6-7 mins of rendering a project that is 27 mins long to mpeg2. Nothing too fancy in the project, just some color correction, levels adjustments, and basic cross-disolves. Room temp was 68F-70F and the heatsink fins were free of dust. So I upped the shut-down temp to 80C and it also maxed out and shut down after rendering for about 10 mins.

But when rendering the same project using all mxf files it completed successfully and the highest temp reached was 60C. That's much more acceptable.

But just to be sure I added a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 fan/hs the other day and now cpu temps range from 46C-50C when rendering that same AVCHD project to mpeg2. I highly recommend the Hyper 212 cooler or something similar. They are big and take up a lot of space but really get the job done. The Hyper 212 fit just fine in my Antec Sonata case (after tossing the plastic baffles).

Happy editing!
Steve

Comments

xberk wrote on 4/9/2010, 8:07 PM

I haven't had this problem rendering AVCHD with my i5-750 .. I think i7-920's do run hotter and, as you seem to be saying, require something beyond the stock cooling -- but Vegas certainly needs the fastest CPU you can afford.

Interesting point about using MXF files too. That extra step might be well worth it for those having problems with AVCHD.

Does the Hyper 212 make much noise? ..

musicvid10 wrote on 4/9/2010, 8:12 PM

You need a bigger CPU cooler in order to render video.

Not surprising. My first experience was with a 120 MHz processor.

farss wrote on 4/9/2010, 8:23 PM

One thing to watch for is actually getting the heat out of the case. The best CPU cooler only moves the heat from the CPU to inside the case. If for some reason that heat is not being removed then any cooler will loose efficiency. I have the Antec twelve hundred case which has quite a number of smallish fans blowing air into the case and one monster that sucks the heat out the top
So far I've never had the CPU fan speed up using the stock Intel cooler.
The other aspect of CPU cooling that caught me by surprise was how poor the thermal contact between the CPU and the cooler can be. I had to replace the CPU in someone else's PC and was a bit taken aback to find that there was under 20% of the area of the CPU contacting the heatsink.

Thanks for the post, it did serve to remind me that my office PC is long overdue for an internal dusting. Those darn dust bunnies.

Bob.

xberk wrote on 4/9/2010, 9:00 PM

A few years back I had a PC that was shutting down (nothing to do with Vegas) .. I realized it was overheating. I was going to upgrade the stock cooling fan and noticed the same as Bob -- thermal grease was nearly GONE .. I regreased with something called Arctic Silver 5 -- It felt really heavy duty --- and it was .. I put the stock fan back on and temp dropped like a bomb. No need for anything beyond the stock cooler.

Stay greased. Stay cool. - Paul

FilmingPhotoGuy wrote on 4/9/2010, 10:02 PM

I too had the same problem with the i7 920. The feeble stock cooler is a joke. The round copper heat sink doesn't cover the huge square i7 CPU surface. The Coolermaster Hyper TX with the huge 120mm fan does the job nicely.

srode wrote on 4/10/2010, 6:38 AM

I've always tested core Temps while using a monitoring software and openning the Windows calculator set to scientific - 4 of them. Run n! 999999999 on all 4 of them at the same time - it will peg the CPU 100% and test cooling sufficiency. Have to also remember the temp of the CPU with the cooler depends on the room ambient temp so test with the room temp on the upper side of normal for the room to make sure it's a accurate test of the cooling capacity with a fully loaded CPU.

Like was said, the stock paste is often not very good, I use Arctic Silver 5 on mine too.

musicvid10 wrote on 4/10/2010, 7:48 AM

Regarding thermal grease -- too much can be worse than not enough.

--Make sure both surfaces are exceptionally clean and shiny, and free of scratches.
--Apply a thin, even layer.
--When you clamp down the cooler heatsink, make sure pressure is applied evenly across the top of the cpu heatsink.
--It's a good idea to remove the cooler and clean the blade and fins, and re-apply the paste every couple of years, depending on usage, or whenever rendering temps start to rise above what you're used to.

That Arctic Silver 5 is one of the best I have used. Seems to hold up better over time than the others. And one syringe of the stuff should last you a lifetime.

LivingTheDream wrote on 4/10/2010, 9:37 AM

xberk - The Hyper 212 is quiet with its big 120mm fan. Max fan speed is 2000rpm but so far it's doing a great job at only 750-850rpm. Even when it was running at its full 2000rpm (before I got the fan speed control enabled in bios) it was not very loud. One other thing I like about it is it's very reasonably priced for a big cooler. And yes I believe you're correct about the i7 920 running hotter than the i5 750.

Steve

LivingTheDream wrote on 4/10/2010, 9:52 AM

"One thing to watch for is actually getting the heat out of the case."

Bob - I definitely agree with that point. The Antec Sonata case I have is not the best as far as number of fans goes. But when I was having the cpu overheating problem I did note that the case temp was staying at only 42C-44C while the cpu temp climbed to 80C.

One thing that I think helps with a case like the Sonata is the upright design of the large heatsink. This makes it so its fan blows through the heatsink toward the back of the case and is in line with the 120mm case fan. So all of that hot air gets pushed right out the back of the case. Now if someone could only do this for politicians.

Steve

TheHappyFriar wrote on 4/10/2010, 9:59 AM

your CPU should never overheat with any cooler that's designed for it unless something wrong. I used to use the thermal grease Radio Shack sold under their name. Never had any problems & it was a resealable tube, similar to what Neosporin comes in.

What used to be said, and is still valid now, is to sand down the bottom of the heatsink, regardless of where it comes from. Shiny = flatter, dull = rougher (that's why wood stoves are dull & you shouldn't sand them: rougher = more surface area to disperse heat). The reason you want it as shiny as possible is because, even though when it's dull there's more surface area, that father for the heat to transfer & that little distance makes a difference.

If you're overheating while rendering, first check the CPU temps, then check your air flow, then check your fan, then your paste. My Phenom overheated when I first got it (average 75c, shutdown my comp above 90 or so) because I didn't actually clamp the heatsink down to the CPU. :D But it was a good test: it ran for about a month almost 2x hotter then normal operating temp! :D I just *ASSUMED* I didn't make a mistake. I took a look inside the case because I was replacing RAM & saw I forgot to clamp the heatsink down.

LivingTheDream wrote on 4/10/2010, 9:59 AM

musicvid - What you said about needing more cooling for rendering video has also been my experience and even more so when working with HD material, it now appears.

Artic Silver 5 is very good. When I got the new cooler I went to my box of computer stuff to get my tube of Artic Silver and it was nowhere to be found. Don't know what happened to it. Luckily Coolermaster provided a small tube of a gray thermal grease that apears to be very similar to Artic Silver. I'm going to search again for the Artic SIlver though. It's got to be around here somewhere, dang it.

Steve