SiSoftware Sandra says that my

mainboard temp is 32 degrees celsius
cpu temp is 69 degrees celsius

are these too high or is the sisoftware sandra program lying and if it isn't are these temperatures nowmal if not how do i lower them

Yeah, that CPU temp is def. too high. Get a new heatsink on that sucker, or you can try and increase the airflow in your case. Make sure that you're pushin air all in the pretty much same direction (front to back) and see if your cables are blocking airflow at all. If your IDE cables are, you can do what I did and fold them into a W shape and then wrap it up in tape: viola, DIY rounded cables. But I think the main problem might be your heatsink/fan. What have you got on that sucker?

what is the hsf?

i have recently just vacumed all the dust out of my comp about 2 weeks ago.

you say that my fan may be failing.  if i get a new fan do i need a new heatsink aswell?

i have tried removing my heatsink about 10 mins ago to see if there was any dust uder it but it wouldnt come out seemed stuck.

how do i unstick it.  also wud it need to be stack back down afterwards.

could you recomend another program for checking temeprature before i go and buy a new heatsink and fan.

also how easy is it to replace a heatsink and fan.

i have only got 2 fans one on my cpu and 1 in my psu.

heatsink/fan

i have just tried running my pc with side of and temp has gone down by about 5 degrees celsius.

im gonna try geting a fan and blowing air into it.

also i have a modem in my bottom pci slot then a soundcard above it then a network card above that then finally above that i have a gfx card.  i cant rally move the cards around as i have no spare expansion slots

I've been looking at the new SwiftTech MCX4000.  I have my pent4 2.0 @2.64.  I have a lian li w/7 fans/round cables.. you name it.

But it has a global win on it now and the cpu temp runs 42c at idle and 50-51c maxed out.  I also think I got too much Artic Silver on it.

I have never read exactly what temp is okay for a pent4.  I just do not think that I should be running around the 50c range.

I could always use the SwiftTech on my next upgrade.

motherboard monitor 5

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if i get a new fan do i need a new heatsink aswell?

yes, its usualy a combination heatsink fan.

u could replace the fan sepratly, some times it is possibly to unscrew it, but there is usualy no point.

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i have tried removing my heatsink about 10 mins ago to see if there was any dust uder it but it wouldnt come out seemed stuck. how do i unstick it.  also wud it need to be stack back down afterwards.

it will either be attached by a thrermal pad or thermal compound, both are a one time use, if u remove it do not put it back down again.

u will need to scrape off what is left of the thremal stuf from the cpu die, a rasor blade is good for this, but be carefull not to scratch it

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I have a lian li w/7 fans/round cables

me 2, lian li aluminium cases disipate heat really well, and look realy nice 2

SwiftTech MCX4000 is a heatsink fan desinged exclusively for the p4

mcx4000

Whoa yeah, way too high. i have SiSoftware Sandra too. On my PC, although it is a PIII.

My Mainboard temp is 30c, CPU is 38.5c and the fan RPM is higher too at 4561rpm.

when you buy a new fan and heatsink you should get some special paste that goes on the cpu too to help with the cooling i think

Spike,

Sorry I can't post a pick but I have the pc-12 black with a plexi-side panel (2 fans mounted on the panel)... and a Blow hole in the top.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm
These are good instructions for installing a new cpu cooler (heatsink w/ fan).

You should use Artic silver anyway:  here is the main page:
http://www.arcticsilver.com/default.htm