CPU overheating

[UhOh]

Hi all. It seems that my systems are running way too hot. I have 2 computers and they both need cooling help. My first one is an:
AthlonXP 1900+
ECS K7S5A
384MB PC133 RAM (gonna buy a 512MB DDR 266 stick tomorrow)
Hercules GeForce2 Ti64MB
On-board sound
WindowsXP Pro

Board temperature is at 42C and CPU is at 55C when at 0-5% cpu usage. Power/Aux temperature: 5C. Under load (like when playing a game) the system will often crash cause the cpu reaches a temperature of 65+.

My second system:
AthlonXP 2000+
MSI KT4V
Asus GeForce4 Ti4200 64MB
512MB DDR 333Mhz
Creative Labs Soundblaster live 5.1 Dolby
WindowsXP Pro

Board temperature is at 38C and CPU is at 62C when at 0-5% cpu usage. I popped the left case panel open. So the board temperature dropped from 45ish to that 38C, but the CPU is insanely hot.

I was just wondering if you guys could help me out cool my computers down. Should I buy a couple of 80mm case fans? Or do I need to buy a new CPU heatsink and fan, with some new thermal paste. My XP200 (the one running at 62C) currently has a Thermaltake Volcano 6cu fan....

Thanks

 

[slvr_phoenix]

The fact that your temps dropped that much when you opened the case says a lot. Throw in an extra exhaust fan. If you can, throw in an extra intake fan. Something, <i>anything</i> to get the air moving inside of that case. (If you're worried about noise, there are some nice quiet fans out there such as Vantec's Stealth line or low-RPM Panaflows.)

A heatsink is only good for moving the heat from the processor into the air inside of the case. If the hot air inside of the case isn't getting shunted out and replaced with nice cool air, then all a heatsink will be doing is making the air inside of the case hotter and hotter and hotter until finally the air reaches the same temperature as the CPU. It's called a thermal battery, because basically all you are doing is storing the thermal energy instead of dispelling it. Luckily most computers will crash long before the air gets <i>that</i> hot though. 😉

I'd also suggest taking off the CPU heatsinks from both systems, cleaning off all of the thermal interface material (probably grease), and then remounting them with a new application of thermal grease. It never hurts to be absolutely sure that your heat sinks are mounted correctly and that your TIM hasn't gone and dried out/burned up.

"<i>Yeah, if you treat them like equals, it'll only encourage them to think they <b>ARE</b> your equals.</i>" - Thief from <A HREF="http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=030603" target="_new">8-Bit Theater</A>