Prescott 2.0 temp inconsistency

I am not really sure how to check the temperature accurately on my new main board. It is a Soyo P4I865PE Plus Dragon 2 v1.0 with a Prescott at 3G, 800 FSB. I am using the stock heatsink for now, the one that comes with a preapplied "pad" -- not a tube of themal compound. Cables are not blocking and the case fans are new.

During the boot process (not from cold, after the system has been operating) the BIOS monitor typically shows a temp (I think it is CPU1) of about 55C. After Windows is loaded but with nothing else happening, HMonitor (http://www.hmonitor.com/) shows case at 26C, CPU1 at 71C, and CPU2 at 65C.

Is the difference from 55C to 71C reflect a real jump of 16 degrees in processor temperature, or different algorithms used by HMonitor vs. the BIOS?

26 degrees seems fine for the case. Is 55 (or 71) normal for the Intel heatsink or should I be expecting lower? If it's too high what (other than the stock heatsink) might be causing it?

Re fan speeds, I see (in hmonitor) "Power" at ~1750 RPM, "CPU" at 0 (not true), and "N/A" at ~2600RPM. Should I assume the "N/A" is the CPU fan?

Suggestions other than HMonitor to monitor temps? I don't think Soyo provides anything.

Thanks,

Tom

55c is ok but not great, 71c at rest is high. Could be due to differences in how temp is measured. Try MotherBoardMonitor (if there is a version for your mobo). I'd recommend removing the thermal pad and cleaning the heatsink and cpu, then reattaching with thermal paste. The fan speeds might just be a mix up with the software and the fan sockets you've plugged in to.