I just bought a new AMD Duron 1.6GHz processor. I�m having a hard time keeping it cool. I have a copper heat sink and the fan pushes 24 cfm of air. The chip is running anywhere from 52 to 54C while the computer is idling. If I start to do anything, that uses the processor, the temp jumps up to 57 to 60C. I haven�t tried to play a game or anything like that because I�m afraid to burn up the chip. How do I get this chip cooler? Can I shave down the stoppers on the corners of the chip, or remove them completely? I believe that AMD says not to remove them. Any help would be appreciated.

not sure what heatsink u have otherthan its copper. but if its not installed correctly theres prolems. also what did u use on the heatsink? thermal pad , artic silver , or? and something else is the fan cfm. 24 is not much. im getting 84 cfm with a vantec tornado. well hope that helped or give u a idea. good luck

1. Make sure your temps are accurate, my guess is they are. Your processor isn't getting too hot, but you should be able to lower the temp with a higher cfm fan(TT Smart Fan 2 is an excellent choice). 2. The rubber pads on the chip wafer are there to distribute the pressure of the sink (evenly) when clamping it down. They also provide a little insurance for your cpu core, that is the chances of crushing the core during heatsink clamping are smaller when the pads are present. You can remove them if you want (i did), do so at your own risk, just peel them off. However, you should take extra care when installing (clamping) the heatsink if the pads are removed.

Plyduster When you removed the 4 pads, did you get lower temps, if so, by how much, am curious

One thing you will get is a void warranty and if that heatsink rocks on the core you will get to buy another chip.

I removed the pads, because my heatsink(slk-800) was not seating properly. SkipCox is correct about the warranty and risk of chipping the core. Do not remove the pads unless you need to.