What really happens with high temps?

[trudi]

I realized today that since I built my first computer I have been obcessed with heat. And today after redoing all kinds of things all to have the same freaking temps I started to ask: What will happen if my cpu is hot? I understand that there is probably something like it will fry if its WAY too hot, but what if its just a little warmer than it should be?

So here are my temps on 1GHz AMD on Gigabyte GA-7IXE4 ...
Case: 37C
CPU: 52.5C
Load / no load, this honestly means nothing to me, I don't play games just watch TV through my ATI AIW card and DVDs.

[*]I have tried 3 different heatsinks all with about the same result. Ended with a Vantac and ASII with that terrible Delta fan. Temps averaged between 52 and 59C
[*]I have changed cases to try to get better air flow, nothing.
[*]When I needed a new PS I got the whisper quiet Enermax with the fan on the bottom, understood it would at least not make it any hotter in there.
[*] I have just recently with the new case and deal on fans replaced my tiny 60mm case fans with 80mm Panaflo, one in bottom front pulling in, one in the little slot for it in the back blowing out. Even replaced the fan on the heatsink with an 80mm (more for my sanity than heat but still) and the temp of the CPU is now around 52C

I had one of those PCI card coolers but I didn't put it back in with the new case, I don't think it ever did any good. I also had two cheap HD coolers in the last case, I took the little fans out and rigged an 80mm fan in front of my 2 HDD with the plastic grills in front, the case temp just doesn't seem to change and the CPU like i said doesn't change either.

Realizing that I am beat by an inanimate object my question is what is going to happen to my machine because its hot?

 

[Jerboy]

<< I realized today that since I built my first computer I have been obcessed with heat. And today after redoing all kinds of things all to have the same freaking temps I started to ask: What will happen if my cpu is hot? I understand that there is probably something like it will fry if its WAY too hot, but what if its just a little warmer than it should be?

So here are my temps...
Case: 37C
CPU: 52.5C
Load / no load, this honestly means nothing to me, I don't play games just watch TV through my ATI AIW card and DVDs.

[*]I have tried 3 different heatsinks all with about the same result. Ended with a Vantac and ASII with that terrible Delta fan. Temps averaged between 52 and 59C
[*]I have changed cases to try to get better air flow, nothing.
[*]When I needed a new PS I got the whisper quiet Enermax with the fan on the bottom, understood it would at least not make it any hotter in there.
[*] I have just recently with the new case and deal on fans replaced my tiny 60mm case fans with 80mm Panaflo, one in bottom front pulling in, one in the little slot for it in the back blowing out. Even replaced the fan on the heatsink with an 80mm (more for my sanity than heat but still) and the temp of the CPU is now around 52C

I had one of those PCI card coolers but I didn't put it back in with the new case, I don't think it ever did any good. I also had two cheap HD coolers in the last case, I took the little fans out and rigged an 80mm fan in front of my 2 HDD with the plastic grills in front, the case temp just doesn't seem to change and the CPU like i said doesn't change either.

Realizing that I am beat by an inanimate object my question is what is going to happen to my machine because its hot? >>



I'd stop worry about it and enjoy the computer. My system runs 50C idle, 60C full load when system temp is about 25C

The heatsink feels 40 to 50C so the problem isn't in heatsink it self. Hot heatsink is good indication of good thermal conduction between the core and the heatsink. I too find 60C somewhat scary, but it hasn't caused any problems...

If it dies, I'll just buy a new CPU... By that time it won't cost that much to get the same CPU and I can probably go for XP1900 at $100 or so.



d

 

[chizow]

If it is really hot (no fan, no heat sink, or both) it will burn in seconds. If you have a heat sink, it may just give you a warning sound and power off. If you have a heatsink and a fan and its too hot, it will either a) not boot or b) crash. Thats the beauty of overclocking, its not a hit or miss thing, so you have room to play around.

Chiz