CPU/Motherboard Overheating constantly

My CPU and Motherboard have been constantly overheating. The temperatures when I turn on my computer are:

By jeromesquires at 2008-01-06

The CPU can heat up to about 65°C while surfing internet etc, and to 73°C while playing games. The motherboard gets to about 50°C. The room temperature is rather hot some days, since it is summer in Australia.

My system specs are:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8Ghz, over clocked to 2.52Ghz.
Asus P5B Deluxe Wi-Fi Ap Edition
Geforce 7950Gx2
2GB DDR2 667 RAM
Coolermaster Centurion case

• 2 Case fans, 1 is always below 1000RPM

1 THERMALTAKE BEETLE Fan. It is controlled by a thingy at the back. I have it running on max, which you can see in the picture is about 3800RPM.
250GB SATA Western Digital Hard Drive

All I have done so far is open up the case. It appears the Thermaltake Beetle fan is pointed towards the video card and therefore is not cooling the CPU. However, I would like the opinions of others. I cannot understand why the "CPU fan" would be pointed at the video card.



The program used for the temperature readouts is PC Probe II V1.04.05 which is made by Asus.

Your cpu is overclocked by 40%, thats rather large....
Maybe your system cooling just cant handle such an overclock?

On another note, cpu coolers work by directing the heat through a heatsink with a fan to cool that off, rarely will a cpu cooler have a fan directly pointed at the cpu, and even then, it will most likely suck air through, not blow it through. So most likely it appears to be blowing at the video card, however that is just the hot air being pushed away from the cpu.

Turn the system on and monitor the airflow.

But seriously, your cpu is overclocked, obviously it will run hotter.

That OCing is huge to be honest, and you don't have the cooling to deal with it. You should either buy some better cooling on your processor and a case with some better airflow or turn down the OCing.

Yeah, they are both right. An OC like that should have the help of water cooling. Most people OC by 10% or so.

When I bought the computer, the CPU was overclocked to 3.2Ghz. I thought that was too much and lowered it, resulting in system failure. The motherboard's technology changed it to 2.52Ghz (first boot after failure) for some reason.

How do I safely change the over clocking, and how will this affect game performance?

And, btw, would the CPU running at 3.2Ghz for a couple of months be bad for it (considering I had the same cooling)?

I'm sorry, but that's a load of bollocks! That overclocking is easily done on air alone!

Looking at your setup the CPU fan, PSU fan and the rear exhaust fan are all pulling air from a very small part of the case. They're fighting against each other for airflow so that will have some impact. The cooler is also directing hot air onto other components in your case which is going to heat them up. Also the general convention with cases is that the air is drawn in from the front, and blown out the back. You've got a crap load of messy cables in the way which are going to impede airflow to some extent. You also have a very large overclock. Each thing in itself shouldn't be a problem but all 4 together seems to be causing issues.

First thing i'd do is tidy up those cables. Try and get them together in a loom style, binding them with cable ties or something similar. Secondly, make sure your case has a lot of free space behind it so the air can get out properly, and seeing as you're in summer try to keep it out of direct sunlight. Might sound a bit daft but you know how hot car bodywork gets in direct sunlight? Same for your case. I'd also consider getting a new cooler for your CPU but you'll have to do some research on this to see if it can be done safely without damage. One that draws air from another direction so that it's not fighting with your PSU for airflow. One last thing, use an air duster regularly to blast the dust off fans/heatsinks. Dust build-up is a major cause of overheating. Just a quick 30sec blast around the case every week or two should keep it all clear.