Does the system temp greatly affect the CPU temp if a good HSF is fitted. If so does anyone have any real life scenarios to give examples of this happening - Thanks in advance - DEL

"Remember that after great thought, things are always bought from the lowest bider"

Hi Del,

System temp when quoted is usually an indicator of the motherboard temperature. The mobo can heat itself up some, but is generally an indicator of the temperature of your case air.

If you have a high system temp, you will likely get higher cpu temps.

The colder the air in your case, the colder the air blown over your heatsink....

So, yes, if your system temp is high (30 degrees C is usually the limit for a cool to warm room) then you are either in a very hot environment, or your case and case fans are not doing a good job of getting air into your case, around your cpu then out again.

Typically you'll look to try and keep your system temp within 5 degrees of your ambient (room) temperature and your CPU temp within 15 degrees of your system temp.

These figures largely depend on the CPU, voltage, heatsinks you use. Many people run cooler due to good airflow, superior heatsinks, superior case fans etc.

Often it is a trade off from system flexibility, noise and heat.

Small cases get full and cluttered, have less room for fans and may get hotter. Big cases have room for airflow, lots of fans but those fans may be noisy. In the middle is a happy medium, where you can bear the noise, fit the case and not cook the components.

Something many people forget too - system temps do not just affect your cpu, think about the life of your HDD, CD-ROM and Vid Cards etc.

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Thanks for the very informative reply-cheers

"Remember that after great thought, things are always bought from the lowest bider"