So for various reasons I upgraded my motherboard, CPU cooler and added another hard drive. When it was all said and done I started taking note of the CPU temps and they seem to be higher with the aftermarket cooler than the stock (even with a crack across the middle of the block right where the CPU/Cooler interface is). When I look at the contact point, I can see that the cooler does not mount up perfectly on top of the CPU. There is about 1/8" of the CPU visible on two opposite sides of the cooler. Before you ask, yes I used plenty of Arctic Silver and got great coverage across the contact. Also, I'm confident there is solid contact across the surfaces. I felt like I was going to break the lock down mechanism when I put it on. Here are the specs-

Cooler Master Hyper TX3

AMD Phenom II X4

Idle Temp - 38 degrees C (previously in the low 30's)

Load Temp - 50 degrees C (under Prime95 Small FFT)

The 50 degree load temp is a solid 12-15 degrees cooler than the stock cooler. Any ideas why the Cooler Master would run hotter at idle?

Thanks for any insight.

Grass