Is my computer running to hot?

[unclet]

I have the following computer system:

- ASUS MOtherboard P5GDC-VDeluxe INtel 915G 800FSB
- Intel Pentium 4 630 3.0GHZ 775 (came with heatsink and fan)
- DDR2 533MHZ 1GB Memory RAM
- 350 Watt ATX20
- Fan1:  Built into the power supply (of course)
- Fan2: Fan I attached on the back of the case to suck hot air out the case (I forget what type)
- Fan 3: Fan I attched on the side of the case to suck air into the case (same fan as Fan2)

The motherboard came with the "ASUS  PC Probe" software which monitors temperature realtime of the CPU.   

When I first got my computer the computer was running very hot (ie: the top of the computer case next to the power supply was very hot to the touch).   As a result, the ASUS PC Probe was producing CPU temp level warnings (since it's threshold was set at 69Celsius) and the CPU fan was extremely loud due to it trying to cool the CPU.  To get the temperature down to a constant 62Celsius level, I resorted to taking off the side panel of my computer case so heat could not build up so fast.

However, anytime I am really using the CPU alot (ie: compiling, a lot programs running at the same time, etc..) then the case still heats up alot and the ASUS PC Probe still gives warnings.

Anyway I am really getting tired of worrying about how hot my computer is getting and really have no idea what to do about it.  I do not like having to keep the side of the computer case disconnected and I really can not stand how loud the fan sounds.

I looked online for the maximum temperature of my CPU and if I found it correctly I believe the maximum temperature is 69Celsius.

Any ideas on what I should do?  Would a better heatsink and CPU fan installed do the trick?  Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[FrizzleFried]

The key to success here son is AIRFLOW.  Since, when you remove the side,  all is dandy,  it seems to me that when the side is on,  you are choking the airflow to your CPU.

This is what I would do:

Install at least a single fan sucking air IN to the case.  2 would be better.   I have a fan at the front of my case and a fan on the door itself blowing directly at my motherboard.

Install at least a single fan exhausting air out of the case (again,  I have two,  I have one at the back of my case and another blowing air out of the TOP of the case (since heat rises...and you say the top of your case is getting hot...this exhaust fan would REALLY help)

DUST your computer.  Blow out all of the dust particals especially from your heatsinks with caned air.

Remove your CPU heatsink,  remove the thermal interface material (the goop or pad between your CPU and your heatsink.  Purchase some Arctic Silver or Arctic Ceramique thermal interface material...and apply a THIN layer of TIM between your heatsink and CPU (take note of proper TIM application at arcticsilver.com I believe...and prior to applying the TIM make sure to clean both your heatsink and your CPU with rubbing alcohol or something designed to clean electronics parts.

You do that and you will likely find your heat issues have gone away.

[pointdablame]

Is the fan on your CPU heatsink on backwards?  ie. pushing air INTO the CPU.  I've "fixed" a few computers that have had this problem.

69 (or 62) is way too hot.  Even with the case off, 62 is too hot.  You need to get some fans in that thing quick, and dust it as mentioned.  One intake in the front of the case and one in the rear (not including the PSU fan) is the absolute minimum.. and get some decent CFM fans.  If you can use larger fans (92mm instead of 80mm or 120mm instead of 92mm) do it.

[unclet]

I forgot to mention I do have a third fan.    One fan comes built into the power supply (of course), the second fan I installed was at the back on the computer sucking air out of the computer and the third fan I installed was on the side panel which blows air into the computer.   In order to get the third fan mounted, I need to cut through the side panel and make the circle hole.  My computer ATX case does not come with any other place to mount a fan into.

When I place my hand on top of the CPU fan, I do not feel air blowing on my hand, so I guess the heatsink fan is mounted correctly (ie: air must be blowing in the other direction).

I am not familiar with removing heatsinks and CPU fans and applying gel or stuff between the heatsink and CPU.  It kinds of scares me a bit since I remember reading that if you do it wrong then the CPU will burn up.   Also, I also seem to remember that breaking the heatsink clips (or something) is a possibility as well.

Anyway, the heatsink/fan and CPU all cam together as a package so I would assume I have the correct heatsink/fan combination for my type of CPU.  Perhaps the person who put this together for me did not use the correct gel stuff between the heatsink and CPU?

[leapinlew]

a long time ago, when I was taking certification exams. They would always have a question about an overheating computer. They would say that removing the slot covers and working with the case open was bad for a computer as it disrupted the air flow. I've never seen this to be the case with normal computers in real life. Working with 1U rack servers, I suppose it could be an issue.

Anyone ever see the computer actually get warmer when opening the case?

[ark_ader]

a long time ago, when I was taking certification exams. They would always have a question about an overheating computer. They would say that removing the slot covers and working with the case open was bad for a computer as it disrupted the air flow. I've never seen this to be the case with normal computers in real life. Working with 1U rack servers, I suppose it could be an issue.

Anyone ever see the computer actually get warmer when opening the case?

No,  and yes I remember a question on my A+ about airflow.

I'm a big believer in room in a case.  Nice when you have a small case and more room in the bottom of your cab or you have a cocktail and space is a premium, but it has its price.

I like to use the rolled IDE cables, single hard drive and a passive video card.  Fan controlled graphic cards just run hot by default.  A passive ATI 9550 should be enough for any setup.

Two fans - one situated in the lower front drawing air in, and another reversed near the I/O panel blowing it out.  The CPU fan should circulate air around all your parts and I recommend duct tape on all grills on the chasis.

I bought a PSU that actually monitors the heat in the PC and ups the fan accordingly and when it shuts off - the fan is still spinning cooling everything after power off.

To be honest my cabinet PC is like a fridge, and the cost of running it is quite cheap - and it powers my fans in the cab and the marquee light (cold cathode).

So airflow is important, airspace in the back with adequate venting should prevent resets and melting of cables (yes been there too).  Got a cab with cramp space? Get an Epia.  Those are passive and quite quick with linux.

Stay away from 120+ GB drives - they run hot too, with Maxtor and WD being the main culprits.  Samsung drives are cool in operation but fail a lot.

There is nothing worse then building a cab and installing all those games for the PC to reset or catch on fire, and causing so much grief.

[divemaster127]

Something you might consider, a 350 watt power supply is way to small for that kind of computer i would get bigger once right away, esp. if you have a nice pci video, this could cause you major issues
dm

[Kremmit]

Something you might consider, a 350 watt power supply is way to small for that kind of computer i would get bigger once right away, esp. if you have a nice pci video, this could cause you major issues
dm

Not true.  The "you need a bigger PSU" myth has been growing like crazy the last few years, but the fact is, all but the gnarliest overclocked SLI gaming rigs are fine with a small PSU.  There's a good article here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article28-page3.html.  They ran a system roughly comparable to Unclet's with:

# Intel Pentium 670 (Prescott, 3.8GHz)
# Intel D915PBL motherboard
# 2 x 512MB Corsair DDR2 RAM
# AOpen Aeolus 6800GT PCIe VGA
# 2 x 250 GB Western Digital Caviar SE HDD
# Seasonic S12-430W PSU
# Creative SB Audigy-2 ZS Platinum
# 3 x 120mm fans

... and it used 264 watts AC and output 214 watts DC when put under a benchmarking processor load. 

In all fairness, though, a generic, no-name PSU labeled as "350w" might not really be 350 watts, the sticker could easily be lying.  But since UncleT's not complaining about random reboots or shutdowns, he probably doesn't have a power capacity issue.  If it's a very inefficient PSU, he may have an excess heat creation issue, though.  An efficiency upgrade on the PSU is always a good idea.  The Seasonic line of PSUs is efficient, accurate in their power ratings, and considerably cheaper than most of the brands that aim for the hardcore gamer market.

Unclet, I'll echo the above comments about airflow.  If you're getting a 7 degree temp drop by opening the case, you either don't have enough airflow, or it's not being directed properly.  A (very) well controlled airflow path will actually cool your computer better than an open case.  Consider upgrading your fans, and maybe re-thinking their placement.  Bigger fans are your friend, both from a noise and airflow standpoint.

However, if you're only getting down to 62 with the case open, then there's more to it than that.  Just because the heatsink came with the computer doesn't mean it's any good, or that it's installed right.  If it were me, I'd pull the heatsink, and replace it with the best one I could find that will fit on the mobo.  Your mobo uses socket 778; the Thermalright Ultra-120 is one of the finest heatsinks on the market and can be mounted most all socket 778 motherboards.  You'll also need to buy a 120mm fan to go on it as it comes without one.

[rdowdy95]

Also remember when you remove the cheapo adhesive pad goop, use the highest ISOPHORL Alcohol.  I can't spell it, but that removes the compound good.  Then get some artic silver and apply a thin layer over the cpu.  Use a razor to get the best thin-est.

[divemaster127]

I agree with what your saying about the power supply if you are using GOOD 350 then you are ok, a lot of these stock cheapies do not deliver what they promise, below are a few good notes about the power supply & how it affects cooling from the article you pointed out above, my opinion i still prefer a higher wattage quality power supply.
"As long as there is adequate power, higher efficiency is the key to cooler, quieter PSU operation. "

If all other things are equal, a higher rated PSU may be a better choice in such an application because its parts are generally rated for higher current and heat than a lower rated model

These parameters are the keys to good PSU performance:

Stable power delivery under load
High efficiency
Good cooling
Low noise operation
Long term reliability
dm

[unclet]

My computer case only has one place to mount a fan.  This is on the back of the case.  I decided to cut a hole in the side of the case to attach a second fan, but it sucked hacking through the metal to try to come up with a nice circle, but I finally did it.


I know absolutely nothing about computer hardware, so please help me:

1) To give me an idea .... what temperature should my CPU being running at .... I have no idea what CPUs run at normally.

2) How can I determine whether the heatsink fan is attached correctly?  I previously assumed the fan should be send air into the CPU, not taking in away.   If I put my palm very close and above the heatsink fan, then should I feel a lot of air blowing on my palm?

3) If I upgrade to a 400Watt Seasonic power supply, then are they all standard sizes so it will fit in my computer's PSU bay?  Will you please recommend a model (provide link possibly) to the Seasonic 400Watt which you recommend?  Seasonic's seem to be a quite expensive power supply.   I was assuming a new 400W power supply would run around $45 .....

4) How can I be sure whether a Thermalight Ultra-120 heatsink will mount to my motherboard? 

5) Is the Thermalight Ultra-120 heatsink one type of heatsink or are there many different varieties of the Ultra-120 heatsinks?

6) Does "one of the finest heatsinks on the market" mean it is extremely expensive?  Are there alternatives?   The computer I am using does not get intensive use.   The wife uses it to scan the internet, get email.  I use it to compile infrequently, log into work to check stuff, minor stuff.   In other words, I do not think I would need top-of-the-line if you are thinking my computer was a super busy high-end computer, but I am not sure.

7) Which 120mm fan should I purchase for the heatsink?

8 ) I went to the Artic silver website and they list "Artic Silver 5", "Ceramique" and "Artic Alumina" thermal compounds.   Would any of these 3 work for me?  Where do you purchase Artic Silver?

9) Is applying Artic silver easy enough so I can not make an error?  People can indicating that I should have a very think layer of it only (even use a razor blade to apply it).   What happens if I apply it to thick, or there is a bubble in it somewhere?

10) Perhaps all hardware could be purchased from the same place?  Maybe someone can provide me links to all this stuff?

[divemaster127]

I will email you some more later, it dinner time, artic silver is good, use a razor blade & run a fine thin grease across the cpu, a lot of people make a mistake & put way to much on, if you wish send me a pm & i can see where you live maybe i can help you tweak out your system
dm

[unclet]

Maybe I should do the following first:

1) Find out whether my heatsink fan is attached correctly
2) Upgrade the power supply, since the outside top of the computer case (directly above the power supply) is the place where it gets real hot).

Maybe this will lower the temperature .... so please provide a link to a power supply I should use for my computer.   Possibly from newegg or tigerdirect ... but I guess this does not matter really.

[unclet]

Here is a picture of the inside of my computer (notice the one fan attached on the back of the system) and a heatsink fan picture as well.

[unclet]

Here are two more pictures of the heatsink fan:

[davieboynj]

One important rule i've learned:

For the processor: Disable any of that smart fan BS.  That stuff is a guaranteed disater.  If you want quieter fans, buy better or bigger fans, don't slow down smaller ones.  If your fans are not made for it (and sometimes even if they are) you run the risk of blowing out the fan connection on your motherboard. 

I haven't found that systems will overheat by taking off panels, but i have found that hard drives will.  Cases are vented in places where they want incoming air flow.  Especially for mini systems it is important to keep the case covers on or have the HD in a place that it can "breathe". 

Your fan is retail from intel, which is generally a very good fan.  The size is most definitely adequate.  You may have poorly installed it (doubt it), but i wouldn't even take a look at it until you replcae your power supply.  My guess is replace the PS - all your problems go away. 

If the hottest spot on your case is your power supply, you have a serious problem.  If you bought a brand X computer - - very high chance you have a crap power supply.  I wouldn't run it hard again until you try a replacement.  Of all the parts i replace to fix a computer, 95% of them are power supplies. 

In answer to your question:  I replace in bulk, so i use rosewill - - I think they're great.  and cheap. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182006

for a serious application where you REALLY don't want it frying your equipment you may want to step it up a bit.  This one appears to be very well reviewed:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153023

[Kremmit]

Your pictures show two big problems right off:

You've got cable spaghetti completely blocking all airflow from the front of the case.  Tidy up the cable routing with airflow in mind.

Your stock Intel heatsink is totally clogged with dust.  The fan can't cool the processor if the air can't get in between the fins on the heatsink.  A can of compressed air will blow that gunk out. 

To answer your questions:

What's the "right" temperature?  Hard to say on a P4- they will throttle themselves down if they get too hot, in an attempt to produce less heat.  So it's hard to actually get it too hot, as far as burning the processor is concerned.  But you obviously don't want it to get hot enough to slow itself down, either.  Unfortunately, the magic temperature that throttling kicks in at seems to be different for different individual processors.  I'd want to get it at least under 60 even during heavy use, and cooler is obviously better.

Your heatsink fan is attached correctly.  Intel ships those stock coolers exactly the way it looks in your photo.  There's a lot of debate about whether they ought to blow into or out of the heatsink, but every stock cooler and most aftermarket ones I've ever had were installed so it blew in.  I've seen tests online that showed no difference either way.  A better question is:  Was the heatsink mounted well?  If the thermal interface material got botched when the processor was mounted, that can keep heat from being properly transferred from the chip into the heatsink.

Most power supplies are standard, but not all.  I can't see yours in those pics.  If your computer uses an ATX power supply, it's standard.  But SFX power supplies are out there too, as well as some more exotic proprietary designs.  Is this a name brand computer, or one put together by a local shop or "some guy"?  Generallyl, you find the oddballs in name brand machines.  A pic would nail it down, or even just measurements of the size of the PSU.

Here's one of Seasonic's most efficient 400w units, for $99.00 - Here.
Here's a less efficient model at $76.00:  Here.
Here's a 350w for $57: Here.

But, Hey!  I just found a killer deal at Newegg on this Antec 400w unit, $54.99 now, but only $24.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103935
There's a review on it's 450watt brother here:  http://www.silentpcreview.com/article260-page1.html

The Ultra-120 is just one heatsink, although it can be ordered with different mounting brackets to fit different CPU sockets.  It is top of the line, and the price reflects that, it's $46  if you order it here.  If you want to go cheaper, the Ultra-90 is only $25 and ought to be perfectly adequate.  Either one ought to fit your motherboard, although of course I can't guarantee it.  But they're designed to have a very small base so as not to conflict with any motherboard components.

The store linked above has fans and thermal paste as well.  I use the Actic Silver 5, and the Nexus and Scythe fans are very good and very quiet.  It's not really hard to apply the thermal paste, and you'll get a tube with enough to do it about a zillion times, so if you think you've screwed it up, just wipe it off and do it again.  Basically, the idea is to spread the thinnest smooth, even layer you can manage. 

If I were you, I'd start by cleaning up that cable mess and blowing all the dust out of the heatsink.  Next, I'd try removing the heatsink, cleaning it and the processor base off with Isopropyl alcohol, and then re-attaching it with some Arctic Silver- if you've got a good PC shop in town, they may carry it.  Next step would be the PSU, since you say that's where the case is so hot, and because the rebate ends Jan. 15.  I'd replace the heatsink last, because truthfully, in a properly ventilated, non-overclocked system, a stock cooler is adequate. 

You might also post a pic of where your side fan is mounted.  That may shed some light on any airflow issues- ie, is the air from that fan going where it needs to, and is everything in the case getting adequate airflow?  Also a pic of the PSU to verify it's ATX.

[HaRuMaN]

Personally, I would recommend upgrading to a CPU cooler like this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118118

I'm running a 2.2 Ghz Athlon 64 3200+ overclocked to about 2.6 Ghz.  I also have a 400 Watt PSU.  Normal operating temp (while overclocked) is 36 degrees C.  While stress testing the CPU, the temp only rises to 39 degrees C.

If you do upgrade your CPU cooler, make sure you clean off the top of the CPU with 97% or higher Isopropyl Alcohol.  Also, use a good quality thermal paste and follow the instructions on how much to use and how to apply.

[unclet]

Thanks for the replys.  Yes, the computer was pieced together by "some guy"  .... I think this was my lesson to be learned.

1) Can I use compressed canned air to blow the dust out of the heatsink while the heatsink is still attached?   I would rather do this than take it off just yet.

2) I attached a picture showing the front of my computer.  Notice there is no place for a fan mount on the front panel.  That grate looking thing on the front is just decorative.  If you look at the other pictures of the computer I posted earlier (with the side panel off) you will be able to see that the harddrive bays are right behind this grate.

3) I attached a picture showing the power supply.  The PSU is an EnerMax Whisper 350Watt.  If you click on the picture you can open it for viewing and then you possibly can click on it again to zoom in a bit to read it better.

4) I attached a picture of the side panel.  You can see where I hacked a fan mount to it.  I positioned the side fan to be blowing air onto my harddrives.   It did not have any effect of cooling down the computer since when I put the side panel on the computer, then the temperatur go way to high.

[Hoopz]

You can use the compressed air to clean it off without taking the fan off the heatsink.  Take it out in the garage first though!

You probably can install a fan on the front panel.  It looks like the "grill" area towards the bottom is designed so it lets air in.  I can't tell for sure, but most do that.  Do you know how to take the front panel off?

[unclet]

See my previous post .... I think I posted just before you posted you reply.   Anyway, I stated that the front grill (ie: grate) looks to be decorative only. 

[pointdablame]

That grill may not be decorative.  Take a look behind your Hard drive drive cages.  A lot of PC cases allow a fan to put clipped on the front to carry cool air right over your hard drives.  Many cases have this either built into the front of the case or onto the drive cage itself.

Even relatively cheap cases have these nowadays, and with those fins in the front, I'm betting yours has one.

[unclet]

Ok, good to know about the fan grill in the front .... I will look when I get home from work tonight.

Questions (of course):

1) I have one fan mounted on the side of the case, a second fan mounted in the back and lets say I mount a third fan on the front of the case.   Now, which direction should each fan direct the air?   Should all fans be blowing "into" the case.  Keep in mind that the computer is located in a computer desk so the computer slides into the rectangular box area of the desk located to the left of my chair.    Perhaps the back fan should then be blowing air out of the computer, while the side/front fans blow air into the computer.

2) If you reference my earlier pictures I posted you will notice that the side computer panel has little slits in it.  Should these be blocked up with duck tape so all the fresh air I am blowing into the computer does not go out of these vents and be wasted?

[Hoopz]

1.  The fan in front (if you can do it) should bring air INTO the case.  The fan in back should take air OUT of the case.  The side panel probably needs to blow air OUT of the case also.

2.  I wouldn't worry about taping up any vents.  You actually want air moving in and out. 

Do you know if the fan on the back is bringing air in or pushing it out?

[RayB]

Is the heat sink on the right way?

Is there a proper layer of thermal paste between the cpu and heatsink?

[pointdablame]

1.  The fan in front (if you can do it) should bring air INTO the case.  The fan in back should take air OUT of the case.  The side panel probably needs to blow air OUT of the case also.

2.  I wouldn't worry about taping up any vents.  You actually want air moving in and out. 

Do you know if the fan on the back is bringing air in or pushing it out?

I've found it more useful for side panel fans to blow cool air into the case across the PCI cards and hard drives, but you can do it either way I suppose.

The front fan definitely needs to be an intake however, and the rear fan an exhaust.

[Kremmit]

Nothing wrong with a SomeGuy^tm brand computer, as long as SomeGuy knows what he's doing.  Heck, around here, I'm SomeGuy, and I imagine most of the other chiming in on this thread are SomeGuy, too. 

Enermax is a good PSU manufacturer, so maybe you don't have to go there after all.  The more I see, the more I think your problem is mostly airflow.

If you can add a front fan, that would be good.  It blows in, and the fan in back blows out.  I disagree with the earlier poster that suggested the side fan blow out, it should blow in, just like you've got it.  If you've got air going out the rear fan and out the power supply and out the side fan and in the front fan, then you're likely not going to get enough fresh air supplied through that front intake to feed all three exhausts.  Especially since the front intake is going to have a bunch of hard drives, cables, and a fairly restrictive plastic bezel to push air through.

Anyway, I'd do as much as I could to open up the airflow in there first.  Clean out that heatsink, and clean up your cable spaghetti.  I can barely even see the side fan through those few little tiny holes- which means air probably has trouble getting in there as well.  And how big is that side fan, anyway?  Bigger is better. Your ideal fan intake is an open hole.  That's not practical if you're worried about kids or cats cutting their paws off on the fan blades, though.  The metal wire fan grills fix that problem and provide the least resistance to airflow.  Fancy laser-cut grills block a little more air, but they do look nice.  At least drill some more holes- Less Metal, More Air.  On the front intake, the plastic vent on the front panel is your grill, so don't feel bad about cutting a nice big hole in the metal behind it.  Rear exhaust fan - again, Bigger is Better, Less Metal, More Air.

If that doesn't chill things out, then move on to remounting and/or replacing the heatsink, and the power supply if it still seems too hot.  (Say, have you verified that the power supply fan is working?  Just in case.)  That Zalman cooler linked above is a good cooler, and it comes with a fan at that price.  It's really wide, though, so do some serious measuring before you go with it.  (I still lean towards the Thermalright.)

Once you get everything cooled down, you might want to experiment with taping off those holes in the side panel.  You want your fresh air to be pushed all the way through the case, past the vid card, processor, mobo chipset, and power supply.  You don't want it to be leaking out the sides.  Of course, if your exhaust fans are pulling more air than the intake fans can deliver, then the reverse is true- you want some more fresh air to get pulled in through those holes.  The easiest way to find out is to test it both ways and see how your temps look.

[FrizzleFried]

HOLY CRAP that heatsink is crammed PACKED with dust.  Blow that out (and while you are at it,  blow out the whole friggin' case) and you will be surprised with  how much just doing that will help!

[NoOne=NBA=]

Anyone ever see the computer actually get warmer when opening the case?

Some of the early Pentiums had "routed" air that was pulled from outside the case, through a trough, and onto the CPU heatsink.
If you removed the side of the case, and the trough with it, the temp would go up on some designs.
I think the "runs hotter with the case open" warnings may be a throwback to that.

[Hoopz]

1.  The fan in front (if you can do it) should bring air INTO the case.  The fan in back should take air OUT of the case.  The side panel probably needs to blow air OUT of the case also.

2.  I wouldn't worry about taping up any vents.  You actually want air moving in and out. 

Do you know if the fan on the back is bringing air in or pushing it out?

I've found it more useful for side panel fans to blow cool air into the case across the PCI cards and hard drives, but you can do it either way I suppose.

The front fan definitely needs to be an intake however, and the rear fan an exhaust.

I can see that but as I haven't the cabbage for SATA, PCI-E or any of that stuff, I haven't had to worry about that.   I still have ISA slots... 

[unclet]

Ok, I cleaned out the heatsink with some Compressed Gas .... the guy at Office Max said it was for computers.  It blows "very" cold air out and I cleaned out the heatsink with it.

I then moved all the cables out of the way.

I made the back fan blow air OUT and the side fan blow air IN. 

It turns out there are some grill holes in the front of the case (you can see them from the inside directly in front of the harddrives), I just can not figure out how to remove the front of the case.

My computer is now running at a constant temperature of 48Celcius.   Seems like the termperature might get cooler if I can figure out how to add a front fan.

RayB
I have no idea whether the heatsink is on correctly, but I would assume it is since I got this computer assembled from a guy at work who makes computers for people as a side job.  He even hada company name.   Who knows though.


Here are a couple of pictures of the cleaned up wiring job as well as the cleaner heatsink.

[Hoopz]

Ok, I cleaned out the heatsink with some Compressed Gas .... the guy at Office Max said it was for computers.  It blows "very" cold air out and I cleaned out the heatsink with it.

I then moved all the cables out of the way.

I made the back fan blow air OUT and the side fan blow air IN. 

It turns out there are some grill holes in the front of the case (you can see them from the inside directly in front of the harddrives), I just can not figure out how to remove the front of the case.

My computer is now running at a constant temperature of 48Celcius.   Seems like the termperature might get cooler if I can figure out how to add a front fan.

RayB
I have no idea whether the heatsink is on correctly, but I would assume it is since I got this computer assembled from a guy at work who makes computers for people as a side job.  He even hada company name.   Who knows though.


Here are a couple of pictures of the cleaned up wiring job as well as the cleaner heatsink.

   Sound like you are making progress.

To take the front off, try grabbing the bottom of the panel and pulling out/up.  It may take some force but should work that way.

[Kremmit]

Anyone ever see the computer actually get warmer when opening the case?

Some of the early Pentiums had "routed" air that was pulled from outside the case, through a trough, and onto the CPU heatsink.
If you removed the side of the case, and the trough with it, the temp would go up on some designs.
I think the "runs hotter with the case open" warnings may be a throwback to that.

Not just old computers; I was just working on my Sister-In-Law's P4 Dell Optiplex today, and it used that arrangement.  One single system fan, pushing air in through a duct, over a fanless heatsink, and then exhausted through the PSU.  Worked great, and it was one of the quietest computers I've had since the pre-Pentium days.

UncleT-     48 degrees! Tha's a 14 degree drop!     
Also sounds like the heatsink is mounted more or less fine, it was just the dust clog killing you. 

You may find that the front is held on with some little plastic protrusions that poke throught the metal front of the case; if that's the method being used, you may have to pry them back a little bit and push them through, one at a time.  Or it might what Hoopz said.  Or some other, third thing- there's a lot of different arrangements out there.  Spend a lot of time looking around on the bottom and on the inside of the front of the case, especially near the outter edges, look for any plastic that pokes through the metal- that's likely at least part of what's holding the front on.

[Hockeyboy]

I had a very similar problem just a few months ago and I ended up doing just about everything mentioned here on this thread...

...to repeat what others said, you have got to keep those fans cleaned out. Any can of compressed air should work fine - just DO NOT shake the can before you get started. And, the reason it gets cold or is 'blowing very cold air' is because it's basically pressurized nitrogen (or similar gas) that gets cold when it is released from the can. Keep the can as UPRIGHT as possible and use your other hand to direct the little straw nozzle around to blow away all the lint. If you 'see' the spray hitting the cards and case you're tilting the can too much. Do this outside or someplace you don't care where lint will fly because it will blow around. You should be doing this about every 2 months, more or less (you'll notice if you're seeing more or less build-up).

If you carefully observe the heatsink clamps and carefully remove them, you will not break them. One of mine broke and it turned out it was defective when installed so I got a new one and installed it easily. They should only be a few dollars at a local computer parts store (not Best Buy, try Circuit City or your local shop). Installing a good brand of thermal grease is a great idea and helped me drop my temps by 10-15 degrees Celsius. I have a P4 3.0GHz HT Prescott and it runs a little higher than average - according to specs it normally hangs out anywhere between 40-55 degrees Celsius.

If you can afford it, get rid of as many ribbon cables as you can and replace them with the new rounded IDE cables (SATA drive cables are already small and flat) and like the other guys said, tie-wrap those cables and wires out of the airflow path. I use little tiny zip-ties and keep my cable/wire management neat and tidy.

I did go out and buy a bigger power supply and have not heard an alarm since I replaced it. I was hanging around 65-70 degrees Celsius and now I rarely if ever get over 55, even when running games.

[unclet]

Although I am running at a constant 49Celsius, when I compile a VB project I am working on I notice the temperature goes up to 55Celsius.   When this occurs, the top of my computer case still gets hot (not as hot as it use to though, but still hot).   

Anyway, is true that a more efficient power supply will reduce the heat in the computer as well?

Also, does each power supply plug into the motherboard with a standardized molex plug?   I mean, do I have to worry about which type of power supply I purchase in case it can not be plugged into my specific motherboard?

I guess I would need to make sure the power supply I get is an ATX power supply ... correct?

[pointdablame]

The power supply you have is fine and a new one would not likely alter temperatures much.

[unclet]

Ok, good to know .... I will hold off purchasing one now.   So do you believe my constant temperature of 49Celsius (while doing nothing on the computer) is normal?

[pointdablame]

Ok, good to know .... I will hold off purchasing one now.   So do you believe my constant temperature of 49Celsius (while doing nothing on the computer) is normal?

Certainly can be.  I haven't had an Intel CPU for a while, but 49 at Idle is reasonable, especially with 3 hard drives.

[divemaster127]

I built myself a brand new intel 775 660 this weekend & its idles at 36 c. but im also using a very nice fan/heat sink setup, not the stock one
dm

[Kremmit]

Your current temps are probably fine, but if you want to go lower, I'd move to upgrading the heatsink next, or adding that front fan.  A really good heatsink will probably make the most difference of any of the things you can do at this point, but adding a fan is a lot cheaper, you might get more bang for the buck that way.