I am concerned about the temperature of my CPU. I don't play games or do anything more intensive than graphic editing or watching a dvd, but I have an old case which is not really approved for this CPU according to material on Intel web site(P4 2.8 ghtz).(Doesn't have side or front vents.) The monitoring programs I have been running say the cpu temp is about 51c when idle, going up to 56c or 58c when I try to play a dvd and an mp3 and open photoshop and my scanning program and a spyware scanning program. (I don't do all these things at once in real life.) I understand the P4 will shut off before it is allowed to fry, but I am concerned that running hotter than optimal will cause a shorter life span as I've read that even a few degrees can make a big difference in the life of the CPU. Should I: a: buy a new case b: buy a slot fan for the rear bottom of the chassis c: buy a drive bay fan d: get a life and find something else to worry about e: other Thanks for any suggestions. Roberta

Anything to improve airflow. I run a P4 2.8 and have stock retail heatsink/fan. plus an extra casefan at the rear, in a well ventilated case. Runs at 25 degC idle and no higher than 35 under load. If that means replacing your case then do it. Of course your ambient temps will have some effect and ventilation around the case as well. Try the "static" options first and if still concerned then investigate extra fans, drivebay coolers etc but you should be able to achieve a good result without to much extra fan noise/powerdrain Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and his wife will never forgive you.

Or just take the side off your PC... ;-) Are there any unfilled spots for case fans? I'd fill those with fans. Lower front fans should be intake, while higher and rear fans should be exhaust. "...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"

I wish you guys would give your ambient or room temperature when you give your motherboard and cpu temperatures and your idle and load temperatures. I don't have airconditioning and and my room temp is about 30C. and with the sun shining on the case about 2 or 3 more. My idle temp is usually just under 50C, motherboard 34C. This is a minitower with one additional intake fan at the bottom front. Celeron 466MHz Temps from BIOS. I think Roberta temps are fine.

The room temp is probably around 22c this time of year (winter) as the heat really pumps. (Rental building - we don't control it.) In summer it may go up to 32c but I do have an AC in here which I could run at all times when running the computer. Unfortunately these are no spaces for case fans. This is a cheap older case. That's why I thought maybe a slot fan might be in order. Of course it would be towards the bottom, but it would also be in back, so I wouldn't get the ideal front to back airflow going. I guess the question is whether additional cooling would lengthen the life of my CPU and whether the slot fan would cause additional cooling. Roberta

My overclocked P4 (1.6 -> 2.1) is currently running at 29C at which it normally idles. Room temp is 22C (normal here). The P4 gets up to 53C with heavy floating point use, such as games like Quake or a torture test. It's an older case, the one I used for my 533 P3, with a retail CPU fan, one rear case fan and front and side vents. So I think Roberta's temps are a little high and a better ventilated case should fix things. Bryan

Your processor is designed to take advantage of the modern ATX form factor,(and cases) plenty of cooling is essential and is inherent in the form factor, which places the processor to the back and close to the case vents. If you can,use a high quality case with a high quality fan with ball bearings.