Has anyone used an IR temp gun .......

[Mars]

Hey. I was wondering if anyone here uses an Infared Temperature Gun to test the temp of their systems. I've used it many times on vehicles and found it pretty reliable. Mind you, it's just for quick measurements and obviously accuracy poses a question or two.

[bigben2k]

Ok, this is going to get ignored, for lack of thought: where would you point the gun at? Or more specifically, how could you point it at the CPU core if it's covered by an HSF or water block?

Answer that one, and we'll tackle the innacuracies... ;)

[Mars]

Yeah, I know. You wouldn't be able to point the laser at the core obviously, only the base of the waterblock or the heatsink. You could also check the inlet and outlet temp of the rad, inlet and outlet on the w/b, the hard drive, on some cases behind the mobo, the pump etc. I think it's useful to give you a quick reading, in case your diagnosing a coooling problem with your system.
I answered that one for you BigBen. You can tackle the inaccuracies now. ;)

[bigben2k]

Hum... ok, you've done your part... :D

http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=OS530-DM&Nav=temj04

The accuracy is ~1%, or more specifically for this unit, about 5 degrees.

Need I say more?

It's just easier to stick a thermometer inside the loop. I picked up a Cole-Parmer mercury thermometer for ~$25-$30, and it'll measure a temp within the range of 19 deg C to 27 deg C, with an accuracy of +/- 0.1 deg C. Cheaper, better...

The core temp is, and always will be an issue.

[scooterfl]

Joe reviewed one here http://www.procooling.com/reviews/html/raytek_-_mini_temp_gun.php