I just checked the temperatures of my cpu and mainboard on the bios and the cpu hovers around 63.5 degrees Celsius (146.3 degrees Farenheit) and mainboard around 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Farenheit). I think this is a bit high especially considering it's a Northwood core and no dust buildup near the cpu or mainboard. Is this heating problem related to insufficient case airflow? If so, then can anyone please recommend good case(s) that's low on cost but is capable of keeping the inside of the computer cool? Also would be nice if I can put a case fan somewhere. Right now, I have a very generic case, has some tiny air holes on the sides, that's about it. P4 - 3.0Ghz/800Mhz 1M 1.0 Gb of RAM, WinXP pro SP2 40 gb HDD ASUS P5GD1-VM-UAY0Z, 420 W PSU BFG Geforce 6600 GT OC PCI-E x16 Realtek Onboard Audio HP CD R/RW LG DVD burner

Too hot - burnout on the way. Antec case for you right away. You can avoid many of these Windows problems with Linux. Linspire eases the transition for new users

Check your power supply. Make sure a good amount of air is blowing out. Check the input vents on it to make sure they aren't plugged up with dust.

Just so you knwo i have the same thing p4 3.0 530 lga775 system. And the cpu runs hot to begin with i had the heating issue ended up being my motherboard. Right now im at 120 - 144F and my case is around 85 - 98F i woulnd't worry or throw a brick at it. I also installed 2 extra fans and its a good idea you get some copper heatsink.

I upgraded my computer from an old AMD K6 450MHz to a P4 3.06GHZ processor, mobo, HDD'S, etc. I used the old case. I modded it where it has 3 80mm fans in addition to the 2 fans on the 500w PSU, processor fan & heat sink, and 3 40mm cooling fans on each of the HDD's. I also enlarged the intake vent holes on the front of the case and cut off the old steel grill that was over the old fan. I truely like this case and my temps are like: mobo 28*C, Processor 42*C at normal work load and 120gig and 80 gig HD average 89*C. There are side vent holes and I probably will add a 80mm fan inside the case on to suck in more air. If you find you're going 'round in circles, perhaps you're cutting corners.