why is my computer temp. so high?

[bhome83]

When i first built my computer about 3-4months ago the temp. was around 40-45 degrees. now my temp. is constantly around 50 degrees. I haven't made any changes to my computer and i put on the arctic silver stuff on my xp1800 processor when i first built it. any ideas why my computer temp. is rising? is the arctic silver wearing off? i have no idea and a little worried about the temp.

[doctorgonzo]

Arctic silver doesn't wear off, so that's not the problem. How is your case cooling? How many case fans do you have? Have you been running more CPU-intensive software lately? Are you sure the temperature reading is right? Also, is the room where your computer is at getting warmer?

[HAL9000]

Are you running any apps that place a constant load on your system. Apps such as distributed clients will run your processor at 100% at all times.

[bhome83]

im not totatlly sure what applications are running on in my computer. as far as i know im running the same stuff as i have always ran. how do i find out what programs are running on my computer right now? I have 2 case fans (one that came standard in the back of the case that blows out and one in the front that blows in. that is interesting you bring up the topic about room temp. because it is summer now and the temp. has gone up (can't tell the difference inside though). But how can a temp. increase in the house increase the computer temp.? The computer is enclosed anyways. I just don't think that it would rise 5 degrees like this even if my room temp. is higher than normal. also, what is the optimal temp. for a computer? what is bad about having it too high? Thanks for quick replys.

[doctorgonzo]

Room temperatures often fluctuate by five degrees between summer and winter, so that might account for it. Even though the computer is enclosed, the ambient temperature inside the case will start out at room temperature and go up from there.

If you don't have any distributed clients running, then software probably isn't the problem.

I'm assuming that you have an AMD processor. 50 degrees is getting to be a bit warm, so you are right to want it lower. Higher temperatures results in shorter life and crashes.

You may want to give the inside of your case a good cleaning if you haven't done so recently, and try to orient the cables out of the way of the airflow from the front to the back of your case. That might help.

[TimPoet]

Originally posted by bhome83 When i first built my computer about 3-4months ago the temp. was around 40-45 degrees. now my temp. is constantly around 50 degrees. I haven't made any changes to my computer and i put on the arctic silver stuff on my xp1800 processor when i first built it. any ideas why my computer temp. is rising? is the arctic silver wearing off? i have no idea and a little worried about the temp.

1. It's an Athlon
2. It's summer
3. Dust and all may have accumulated in the wrong places

You can tell what applications are running in the background by looking on the bottom right of your tray at the different icons. It's best you have as few as possible. Like just your AntiVirus, firewall and a couple others.
You may want another case fan, maybe a blowhole, ask some of the folks here about that one. That's what I'd do.

EDIT: Try taking the panels off your case. If the temp drops then it means you need better cooling. Ask about the blowhole or a better hs/f.

[Cricket]

Hi bhome83,

Built 3 to 4 months ago? Have you been cleaning the insides and the fan openings on a regular basis? Dust build up can cause temperatures to go up inside the case. Make sure the heatsink isn't clogged up with dust bunnies.

Ambient room temperatures do affect the inside of the computer. The higher the room temperature, the high the temps in the computer will be. The temperatures inside the case will always be higher than the room because of all the heat generating stuff inside. Your computer is drawing room air into it so if the room air is warm, it'll only get warmer inside the case. Try using a room fan to circulate the air in the room more.

High temps can cause lock up and freezing. Hardware life expectancies can be reduced. I wouldn't worry about CPU life being shortened since most of us upgrade our systems way before the CPU has reached that point.

Cricket

[bhome83]

So how would i go about cleaning the inside of my computer? i don't want to damage anything so do i NOT use a rag? How do i clean the heatsink and other hard to get hardware pieces. Probably should have done some cleaning out before but will now do it on a more regular basis. thanks for the tips.

[Cricket]

Hi bhome83,

Get cans of compressed air to blow out the interior of your PC. You can find these at computer shops and office supply stores. I get mine from Costco.

When cleaning the insides of your PC, just try to get most of the dust out. Make sure the heatsink fins aren't clogged with dust. You can blow off the cards and drives too if you want.

Take the face plate off your case and clean the fan opening with a damp cloth.

Make sure any vents on the case are clear of accumulated dust.

Clean the fan blades with damp Q-tips.

Clean the air vents on the power supply with a damp rag.

I usually clean out my PC's once a month.

Cricket