I rebuilt my system recently replaced all the good stuff system is now: Asus a7v8x mother board AMD 2000+XP at 1.6 ghz 512 mb Samsung DDR ram ati radeon 9700 pro V Card ThermalTake Volcano 9 + HS originally before rebuild I had idle temps of 114F now after rebuild I get idle of 118F. So I'm like WTF did I apply to much arctic silver 3 when I put the HS and fan on, I used to have stock HS + Fan so I now have a biffer better fan and HS and my temps went up. Also the 118F idle temp is with the case totally open. I used to get 114F with it shut before rebuild. I'm sure I have some air flow problems but still the temperature increase is huge so there must be something wrong, could to much of the thermal compound cause this problem? Thanks.

Just to add the cpu is the same I never changed that just listed it for reference.

According to the makers, AS3 generally has a burn in period of at least 72 hours. Supposedly, the temperature should drop during the break in period. Anyway, you might also want to check your hsf installation. If it is not installed correctly or if there is something preventing from making full contact with the core, you should make sure the it is on there right as to make allow better heat exchange. Also, make sure that the vcore is what is used to be or at its default. The more power it consumes, the more heat/energy it has to give off. Just be careful with the AS3. Too much can make it run over the other contacts and it is a little electrically conductive. The hsf should apply enough pressure as to make sure that there isn't too much AS3 between the hsf and the core. Hope this helps.

I also have a thermaltake copper shim between the HS and cpu so as to not crack the medalion, think that might be effecting the seating of the HS to the CPU ?

Theoretically, the amount of thermal paste you apply should be sufficient only to fill in the microscopic irregularities on the cpu and heat sink surfaces so that there are no air spaces (which are very poor heat conductors) in the contact between them. Thermal paste is NOT as good a heat conductor as the metal to metal contact, so you therefore need to be careful that a VERY thin layer is spread (as the manufacture's directions indicate). Too much will make it impossible for the pressure of the heatsink onto the cpu to bring the two metal surfaces into contact with each other.

shims sometimes are slightly too thick and prevent proper contact if you're carefull, you won't crack the cpu core when you put on the heatsink