CPU temps & cases

Hi,

I bought my system last October and it was suffering with some temperature issues. I have an AMD XP 3000+. It was sitting idle at 70 degrees. I bought a coolermaster Aero 7 and this dropped the temp by nearly 20 degrees to 51 degrees. I was happyish with that. I've now put in a Radeon 9800XT and my CPU temp is idling at 60 degrees now.

Any suggestions of how to reduce my temps? I currently have a rubbish case which i think cost £20. I was looking at the Thermaltake Xaser III V2000+ Super Tower. Is this a good choice. Also should I stick to my current cooler (coolermaster Aero 7). Do PSUs make a difference if so which psu does anyone suggest?

Oh also im currently using PC3200 memory with my AMD 3000+. My local retailer said that the memory and CPU are mis matched and this will slow my system, he said I need to upgrade to a AMD 3200+. Is this true? Is there much difference between a 3000+ and a 3200+?

Sorry for so many questions!!!

Seems to me your temp problems are video card and possibly PSU related as the 9800XT runs quite warm, hence the increase of your case temps. You might try installing additional case venting at the rear and or an add-on video card cooler that exhausts out the rear. Power supplies that are running on the edge of their ratings will heat to a greater degree than those with greater overheads. When running 3d games the power supply and video card is taxed at their greatest which also increases the overall heat buildup as a consequence of the additional watts demanded by the hardware. I would say a QUALITY PSU minimum of 350 watts for any PC today should be a strict rule of thumb. As for your CPU and memory setup...find another retailer, that Dude is only looking to sell product.

I want to die like my Grandfather...in my sleep...not screaming in terror like his passengers.