I just installed a Gigabyte GA-7ZX motherboard and Athlon 800 Mhz chip to build a new system. Bought a new case/350-W power supply. When I get into the BIOS, my temp. readings get up to 70 degrees celcius and rising for the CPU before I turn it off quickly. I have one side of the case open, so the case reads at 20-23 celcius. I'm real new to this and haven't had a problem like this before. I had to put the heatsink/fan onto the processor, so I followed instructions very closely using Arctic Silver. Did I just do a bad job putting the heatsink on (it seems like a decent sized one, with a Cooler Master ball bearing fan reading at 4800 RPM)? Or could it be something with the power supply or jumper settings? It's not overclocked, I checked that twice already.

It's only WAY TOO HOT if your temp is being reported accurately....but if the temp jumps quickly, you probably don't have your HSF installed correctly. Either it's not properly seated, or you didn't use thermal material...or you used WAY too much thermal material...

CPU temp starts at around 30, then climbs quickly to around 60, then slowly keeps creeping up. Case starts at around 20 and stays within 3 or 4 degrees, which I've read is around normal, so it seems to me that the temperatures are reported normally. I used Arctic Silver II on the top of the CPU die when I put the heatsink on. Is it better to use too much or too little? Looking at pictures of other people's installation, I used a little less than they did but still covered the entire die, just not as thickly. Also, when I got the chip, the guy who I bought it from had no idea what he was doing and had spread thermal compound all over the entire chip. I cleaned it all off as best I could and cleaned the die as well, and then started again. Could this have some effect on overheating?

If you go to the Arctic Silver website, they have a detailed explanation of how to properly apply paste...complete with pics. Basically, you apply a small amonut on the core...about the size of a grain of rice...then spread it as evenly as possible...it should be a layer no thicker than a piece of paper. Then it suggests you apply a small amount on the bottom of the heatsink & rub it in with your finger placed in a plastic baggie (fingerprints & oil from your skin can actually affect the efficiency of the thermal transfer)....then wipe the excess off the heatsink & install it. http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm Have you tried the "touch method" to check your CPU temp? Get your system up to temp, shutdown & carefully touch the heatsink...it's not accurate, but you'll know whether it's scorching hot or only just warm.

I took it apart and again followed the instructions on the Arctic Silver website. I also put a little bit more compound on the die, and did the technique of rubbing into the heatsink and then wiping the excess off. Now my case temp (with one side open) gets up to 28-30 degrees, and my CPU temp starts at 30, keeps rising to around 50, and then slowly keeps going up 1 degree at a time. The highest I've seen it at since checking now is 63 degrees. This still seems way too hot from what I read of other people's temperatures. I also haven't even put the processor under any heavy load yet either, like a game or anything.

There's always the possibiltiy that your temps aren't being reported accurately...that's where the "touch method" can help. If it's reported as say, 65C, & you touch it & it's only slightly warm but not hot, then you have temp reporting error. It's possible that a BIOS update will correct it....

After seeing the BIOS list the temp at about 56 degrees, I turned it off and touched the heatsink, and it didn't feel very warm at all. I updated to the newest BIOS also, and this didn't change anything. My POST screen still looks real garbled and unreadable though...