I have an Athlon64 3200+ processor on an ASUS K8V SE Deluxe motherboard with a 400 watt power supply. I put it together in November 2004 and have had no problems until I took out my Samsung SH-182M 18x DVD+/-R and put in a Samsung SH-202N 20x DVD+/-R last week. Now, if I play a game, burn a dvd or import too many cd's in a short period of time, my computer shuts down with no warning. When I turn it back on, it says "CPU temperature too high". ASUS PC Probe says its running at 87C/188F when idle and at 102C/215F while I was installing some software off of CD. I vacuumed a lot of the dust away when I put in the new DVD burner. The CPU/heatsink/fan came already assembled to the motherboard when I brought it. My case also has a fan on it. They are all clear and running. I even keep my case cover slightly open to let more air flow in. Someone told me I may need a power supply with more wattage. Other hardware in there include an 8x/4x32x CD-RW, 80gb hd, 200 gb hd, 1.2gb ram, older graphics card with 64 mb I believe. ASUS PC Probe also shows that my Chassis fan and Power fan are not running but I can see the blades spinning. Will a new power supply really fix it? And if so, what wattage should I get? Thank everyone in advance for your help. My games are missing me. 8-)

The worst thing you can do is use a vacuum on a the inside of a computer. Vacuums build up static and discharge it back to metal at all times they are running. You might be in need of a PSU. Normally 450W is more than ample to your system.The PSU will not cause your chip to overheat. More than likely you need to replace the fan above the CPU and heatsink. Not a hard thing to do either. As your computer is going on 4 years old now I also suggest that you remove the heatsink and chip and seperate them and clean off all old thermal compound and replace it as well. The thermal compound gets old with age and becomes brittle and hard and reduces heat transfer to the heatsink. In The Matters Of Style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, Stand Like A Rock "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."

How clean is your chipset heatsink ? http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.as...

Did you check the power supply fan? Also make sure there is good airflow through the power supply. The inside vents of power supplies can get blocked up and prevent any airflow. Make sure your case fan is blowing out. Keeping your case cover slightly open is probably not a good idea. Depending upon the location of the open area, it could be disrupting the norml airflow through the box. Normal airflow should be from the bottom front of the box to the upper rear.

I have two case fans, one blowing in and one blowing out. Should they both be blowing out for maximum airflow? Tyler Have a great day!

Don't have the one blowing in near any fan blowing out. Otherwise the cool air coming in is immediatley expelled out. The best place for a fan blowing in is in the lower front.

I bet the static electricity from the vacuum cleaner damaged the probe circuitry on the motherboard. Most people don't realize just how wonderful Jesus is. Don't miss His free Gift. The link says it all.