high temp problem

[cechols]

my computer is a p4 2.8 ghz and the temp it constantly runs at is 177-181 degrees farenheit i have tried putting more thermal compound on my heatsink and i have also tried opening the case and using a house fan to blow air in the case but when i do this the cpu fan slows down but the temp doesny go down can someone help me please

[flanzig1]

If you put too much thermal compound on; it will act as an insulator to the heatsink. Best thing to do is clean all the old heat sink compound off the cpu and heatsink then apply a small dab(size of a rice grain) to the cpu and spread it evenly over the cpu face with something plastic(finger rapped in Saranrap). Then install the HSU, making sure all four corners are latched.

[mrmister1]

Don't add more thermal paste. As flanzig said it acts as an insulator if you add too much.

How many fans do you have in the case?

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by cechols my computer is a p4 2.8 ghz and the temp it constantly runs at is 177-181 degrees farenheit i have tried putting more thermal compound on my heatsink and i have also tried opening the case and using a house fan to blow air in the case but when i do this the cpu fan slows down but the temp doesny go down can someone help me please

Can you tell us what core your Processor is (ie. Northwood or Prescott Core)

Thanks,
kram

[Cricket]

177 to 181 F is 80 to 82 C...if your CPU was really running that hot, your computer would either be locking up or freezing all the time or the P4 would automatically throttle itself slower to reduce temps and run more like a Pentium than a Pentium 4. I don't think you're getting accurate temp readings.

What motherboard are you using?

Where are you getting the temps from? If you're using a Windows based temp monitor, which one are you using and did you double check the temps with the BIOS temps?

Is your computer running stable or is it locking up all the time?

Cricket