How Hot is Hot? CPU question

[Strider]

I know that the CPU shouldn't get TOO HOT, but I read somewhere if it becomes too hot to touch then you have a problem. Right now My 950 MHz Athlon CPU is running around 111 F, not only does the cpu have a fan, but I have a total of 4 fans in my computer. I know 111 F isn't too hot to touch, for I work for a paint company as a shader and I spray out panels and bake them at 150 F which I can comfortly pick up after baking. I guessing 170 F is the borderline for when I bake panels at the temperature it sometimes too hot to touch (Although you hands get use to it ). Does anyone know how hot a cpu can get, before you should start worrying if your going to make a toaster out of it?

[wrelax]

yo from past posts i think the normal temp for cpu is 35-45 celsius. My 1 ghz t-bird runs between 33-40 celsius.

[Xayd]

That's not too bad. They'll run upwards of 135 to 140 farenheit before you start to have problems. As long as it's under 125 it's ok.

Xayd

[ic3blink]

i just an AMD t-bird, 1gig, and my cpu runs at about 170 farenhiet !!! i thought it ran a litle hot, what can i do to cool it down, yes their is a heatsink and fan on the proc, the fan is spinning, there's another fan for the pwr sply, but that's it.....

[glc]

ic3 - make sure the heatsink is not mounted backwards and that it has proper heatsink compound on it. If all you did was slap it on, there might be a patch of heatsink "tape" on it - with a plastic protection strip that MUST be removed. The heatsink must be making full contact on the top of the processor, with compound to fill all the air gaps.

If you are showing 170 degrees, and the heatsink is not hot to the touch, you do not have proper contact.

[HAL9000]

Get some thermal grease and smear a thin layer on the CPU (not too much, in this case, less is more). If there is a thermal pad on the bottom of your heat sink, scrape it off and clean the heat sink thouroughly. Make sure you have an adequate sized heat sink, can never have too much here. Make sure you haven't installed the heat sink backwards, if so, it will be sitting on the CPU on an angle and not make proper contact. Keep all cables as neat as possible and tied up to allow good airflow through the case and around the heat sink. Throw an extra fan or two into the case to help move air in and out of the case.

[ic3blink]

Hey guys, yes i use'd thermal comound grease, heatsink was attach'd properly...and now the temperature is around 135 F.
I think there was just not enough breathing in the tower modual. I took sum time areanging the tower, to be centerd and and pull'd case forward more. thx for the support.
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all fun and games untill a rampanging robot destroy's half your city...

[fade2black]

The thermal spec for max operating temp of a T-Bird is about 90 degrees C (about 200 degrees F). I believe this refers to the actual core temperature which cannot be measured by an external probe. Therefore, a more meaningfull value to shoot for would be 60 degrees C or less (140 degrees F).