I installed a new heatsink & fan today -only stock, but good enough for my needs. It has a higher fan RPM and seems to work very well. My full load temp has now dropped from around 55 to 44 C - so a good improvement! Whether it's my imagination or not, the PC seems far more responsive - particularly when I’m multi-tasking. Basically, do lower processor temperatures generally result in better PC performance? Cheers, Dave.
If they're not excessively high, no. If they get to a certain point, then the CPU will throttle back down on the clock speed. Over time, excessive heat build up can lead to a premature end to a CPU. In the short term, if a CPU gets too hot, you can start getting errors, which is a much bigger concern.