I'm posting here because I see some good input from you guys. I currently have a 400W system with a Dragon Soyo Platinum MB, and a Athlon XP 2200+ 1.8ghz.

I've been running applications, and on a cold day outside, it runs at about 47C idling. On a warmer day, it gets up to about 53C. If I don't put a big fan next to it (and i'm talkin household fan) it can get all the way up to almost 60C. When I run applications, it gets even hotter. Next thing you know, I can't play games because it shuts off or restarts. I know it's the temp problems, because when its cold outside I don't tend to have ANY probs.

I have a heatsink/fan combo. It's a Volcano, I'm not sure what model. People have told me it's real good, but so far I'm not having much luck.

What do you reccomend? I don't want to go out and get a new case/mb/processor/cooling setup because the comp I have now suits me pretty well. But I think it's gettin too hot, and I'm having trouble playing some of my favorite games (FFXI most importantly).

Help!

`Knight

Is the CPU fan the only fan in all the system & can that fan be manually adjusted ? Maybe you've set the fan on the lowest RPM setting & it's insufficient to cool the CPU effectively.

Are there any emplacements inside the case for extra fans ? Preferably in the front & the back of the case.

PS. Welcome to TechSpot. Hope you enjoy your stay.

Didou's right. The best HSF (heat-sink/fan) combination is useless without adequate ventilation. You can pull the heat from the chip but if it's all going to stagnate in the case you've done no good at all. Make sure you area surrounding the case itself is clear of debris and obstacles and keep in mind when positioning case fans that it's a general rule of thumb to intake at the lower front and exhaust from the upper rear or just the rear.

Good luck!

I definitely agree with Didou and Masque. I have a Athlon XP 2500+ and it used to idle anywhere from 43-50*C depending on the temp of the room. This was with the stock Heatsink/fan combo and only 1 case fan. I recently dropped in 3 more fans, 2 intakes in front, 2 exhausts in back and now it idles around 35-40*C and rarely hits 50 with a full load. Case fans can make all the difference. If you can, add more to your case. It will make a huge improvement.

Oh man... this isn't good, at least I don't think it is.

I took off the tower side, and began fooling around with the fan. That volcano fan, I don't know, either it's the fact that I am extremely unexperienced with taking those fans off or what, but it was pretty difficult.

When I finally got the Heatsink/Fan off, I saw my processor. Thermal paste ALL over it....when I built my computer, my friend did that and assured me he knew what he was doing. And from what I've been reading here, it's only suppose to go on the core (and from what I've seen the paste on the core was half-assed).

So now I'm in a bind, I'm not sure what I should do. I'm gettin the feeling that it's real messed up now. Over the past couple days, it's been shutting off at will, freezing/ locking up randomly, and been getting hotter in temperature.

Should I try cleaning it? It's been this way for over a year now... and has endured probably a lot of crap, wondering if I should just save up and invest in a new CPU and tower that can hold plenty of fans.

If so - whats a good tower that I can put MULTIPLE fans in (I have one case fan on the side window, thats it right now - whats a good one with 3-5 places?)

Help!

`Knight

If it has worked over a year like that, save a couple of days, I wouldn't blame the thermal paste / heatsink.

One thing that could cause it though is that the heatsink and its fan are full of dust.

[SIZE=1]Owner of a dual-cpu machine with two fans - one for CPUs, one in the PSU[/SIZE]

If your system hasn't been dusted in awhile, high-performance heatsinks can be seriously hampered by dust.

This didn't used to be a problem because the heat fins were further apart, but manufacturers have started cramming the fins very close together and it is very easy for the fins to become clogged with dust.

This in itself could shave off about 10* C from your temperature.

I'll have to agree with what everyone has said so far. Clean your CPU of the paste a reapply it correctly. (see photo: credit to Didou) Clean all dust from your heatsink fan and the heatsink itself, and finally look into extra case cooling wether it be an intake in the front, exhaust in the upper rear, or both. Also be sure to ground yourself well while working inside the case. If you don't have a strap, just touch the metal part of the case.

Attached Images

thermal paste.jpg (8.5 KB, 18 views)