Prime95 version 28.9 Safe for 5960x on stock speed?

smaltese · 2016-04-30, 04:51

Hello everyone, newbie here.
I used the search on forums and I couldn't find a definite answer.
I have used version 28.9 for blend tests only, but I read about how Prime95 could damage Haswell-E cpu? Or I should use older versions?
I ran a blend test for like 7 hours on stock speed so far.

If I can't use Prime95 on my cpu, any recommendations on any other test programs?

Thanks in advance.

S485122 · 2016-04-30, 06:44

An ordinary program will not damage your CPU (one could craft a program to damage the hardware but that is another discussion.) Prime95 is a bit special in the sense that it is a highly optimised program and that it try to use the full capacities of a CPU. In over-clocker circles there are people who will use the older versions of Prime95 because using the AVX2/FMA3 aware versions of Prime95 will expose the instability of their over-clock settings. They want a stable system but define stable as not using all the features of their system.

What can happen though, is that Prime95 will stop with a message that there is hardware problem or the whole system could crash or the CPU could overheat and start throttling. This means that the system is unstable or the cooling insufficient, Prime95 will have exposed the problem, Prime95 will not have caused it.

Jacob

PS : It is possible though, that running Prime95 24/7 for MANY years could contribute to the failure of a system by Electromigration But then you can extend the life of any appliance by not using it :-)

Dubslow · 2016-04-30, 09:22

To reiterate: Prime95 can not and will not damage your hardware.

Overclocking, or not using sufficient cooling (thermal paste, good airflow, etc) *may* cause damage to your hardware. (You can even cause damage at stock frequencies by removing the "default sufficient cooling" that comes included with the processor.)

If you're not overclocking and Prime95 detects a hardware error, then some part of your computer is defective. It may be the CPU, or the memory, or maybe even the motherboard (highly unlikely), but one of them is defective: Prime95 can not damage your computer, it will only report on already-defective hardware.

VBCurtis · 2016-05-01, 04:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by S485122

PS : It is possible though, that running Prime95 24/7 for MANY years could contribute to the failure of a system by Electromigration But then you can extend the life of any appliance by not using it :-)

I can confirm the shortened life: I had a Celeron-566 which I ran at 920mhz 24/7 on LLR or Prime95. After 8 years, that overclock became unstable, and I had to back off to 850. By year 10, only 733 was possible.

So, if you plan to use your machine for 10+ years 24/7 computation on every core, it may not overclock well by the end of the decade. And if you plan to use your machine for over ten years, the coolness factor of having something like this happen trumps by far the possible damage in the second decade!

henryzz · 2016-05-01, 06:26

The chance of any PC becoming unstable after 10 years is fairly high. It will also be quite inefficient compared with new CPUs that have come out.
IMO once that sort of think happens it is time to replace the PC anyway.

ATH · 2016-05-01, 12:17

I'm running Prime95 on a 5960X on 3500Mhz.

At first I was running my RAM XMP profile at 3000Mhz and I started to get round off errors and strange results and 1 bad test, but after I lowered to the XMP profile at 2666 Mhz, I haven't had a single round off error or other error.

Keep an eye on cpu temperature though, specially if you have a stock cpu cooler.

smaltese · 2016-05-01, 18:02

Thanks everyone for the responses.
I am running Prime95 only on blend on stock speeds.
So far my cpu temp does not exceed 61C after 7 hours on air.

2016-04-30, 04:51	#1
smaltese Apr 2016 10₂ Posts	Prime95 version 28.9 Safe for 5960x on stock speed? Hello everyone, newbie here. I used the search on forums and I couldn't find a definite answer. I have used version 28.9 for blend tests only, but I read about how Prime95 could damage Haswell-E cpu? Or I should use older versions? I ran a blend test for like 7 hours on stock speed so far. If I can't use Prime95 on my cpu, any recommendations on any other test programs? Thanks in advance.

2016-04-30, 06:44	#2
S485122 "Jacob" Sep 2006 Brussels, Belgium 3557₈ Posts	don't shoot the messenger An ordinary program will not damage your CPU (one could craft a program to damage the hardware but that is another discussion.) Prime95 is a bit special in the sense that it is a highly optimised program and that it try to use the full capacities of a CPU. In over-clocker circles there are people who will use the older versions of Prime95 because using the AVX2/FMA3 aware versions of Prime95 will expose the instability of their over-clock settings. They want a stable system but define stable as not using all the features of their system. What can happen though, is that Prime95 will stop with a message that there is hardware problem or the whole system could crash or the CPU could overheat and start throttling. This means that the system is unstable or the cooling insufficient, Prime95 will have exposed the problem, Prime95 will not have caused it. Jacob PS : It is possible though, that running Prime95 24/7 for MANY years could contribute to the failure of a system by Electromigration But then you can extend the life of any appliance by not using it :-)

2016-05-01, 12:17	#6
ATH Einyen Dec 2003 Denmark 2·17·101 Posts	I'm running Prime95 on a 5960X on 3500Mhz. At first I was running my RAM XMP profile at 3000Mhz and I started to get round off errors and strange results and 1 bad test, but after I lowered to the XMP profile at 2666 Mhz, I haven't had a single round off error or other error. Keep an eye on cpu temperature though, specially if you have a stock cpu cooler. Last fiddled with by ATH on 2016-05-01 at 12:20

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2016-04-30, 09:22	#3
Dubslow Basketry That Evening! "Bunslow the Bold" Jun 2011 40<A<43 -89<O<-88 3×29×83 Posts	To reiterate: Prime95 can not and will not damage your hardware. Overclocking, or not using sufficient cooling (thermal paste, good airflow, etc) may cause damage to your hardware. (You can even cause damage at stock frequencies by removing the "default sufficient cooling" that comes included with the processor.) If you're not overclocking and Prime95 detects a hardware error, then some part of your computer is defective. It may be the CPU, or the memory, or maybe even the motherboard (highly unlikely), but one of them is defective: Prime95 can not damage your computer, it will only report on already-defective hardware.

2016-05-01, 06:26	#5
henryzz Just call me Henry "David" Sep 2007 Liverpool (GMT/BST) 37·163 Posts	The chance of any PC becoming unstable after 10 years is fairly high. It will also be quite inefficient compared with new CPUs that have come out. IMO once that sort of think happens it is time to replace the PC anyway.

2016-05-01, 18:02	#7
smaltese Apr 2016 2 Posts	Thanks everyone for the responses. I am running Prime95 only on blend on stock speeds. So far my cpu temp does not exceed 61C after 7 hours on air.