My cpu at idle runs at 42-45c, when i play games it gets to 50-53c. Are these normal temps? If not any tips to cool it off some more. Raidmax Cobra 822w case ECS 848p-a mobo p4 3.0 ghz 2 80 gig hard drives 2 sticks 512 pc3200 ati radeon 9600 xt xp-90 heatsink, factory fan 1 side fan blowing in 2 back case fans blowing out no fans fan in the front but room for 4 any tips would be apreciated
Since your running a P4 3.0GHz it's most likely going to be a Prescott core, these run very hot as it is, with the stock (default heatsink & fan you'd be looking at 60-70C Load) Unfortunately this is just because it's a very hot core in general, so unless you feel like getting a new processor, there isn't much you can do except go for watercooling or phase change. I personally don't think that watercooling gives you the grunt cooling you should get for the amount your paying, however with a Prescott this would be a good investment, as it's a naturally hot core. None the less, your temperatures are fine You might want to clean your CPU of any thermal paste and apply some Artic Silver thermal compound - at first your cpu will either have the same temperatures or be slightly hotter, but once you've gone through a certain "burn in" period your temperatures will drop 5-10C.
Oh and i would seriously consider putting some fans in at the front. You may have slightly hotter temperatures than you should be getting (with an XP90 anyway), because your Case has no air flow. Your Intake of Air has to be equal to the power of the Exhaust. Example: Your case has 2 fans @ the back set on Exhaust (blowing air OUT), the side fan is Blowing IN, you have 2 fans, blowing out, and 1 blowing in, that means that your system is starved of fresh air, as the back fans are just sucking all the air sstraight out. You really should have an equal number of fans (intake & exhaust) & they should ideally ALL be the same make/model/speed.
