AMD CPUs self-destruct very dramatically at about 85c or 90c. While 70c presents no immediate danger, beyond burned fingers... What you loose with higher temperatures are your safety margins. It is also possible the higher temperatures may adversely affect nearby components, some of which are right inside the CPU socket, possibly causing the shutdowns you encountered with the original thermal pad.
I strongly suggest you get off the "generic" heatsinks and look to getting a much better heatsink and fan assembly. Expect to pay $30 to $50us for a good one...
1) In terms of coolers what you need is a good hybrid (copper bottom with aluminum fins) with a thermal resistence less than .6 An example is here:
<A HREF="http://www.spirecooler.com/asp/fcc.asp?ProdID=95" target="_new">http://www.spirecooler.com/asp/fcc.asp?ProdID=95</A>
2) You need to get a good quality thermal grease. Artic Silver is very popular and Radio Shack has a good one too. The correct application method for heat sink grease is here:
<A HREF="http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm" target="_new">http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm</A>
(the brand doesn't matter, use the same procedure for all)
3) The correct cooler mounting technique is also shown on the website for the cooler above.
Here's what to look for, and why...
Right up front, be sure the cooler is rated for your CPU. Do not use any cooler that is not, you might end up worse off than you are now.
Thermal resistence is an important heatsink specification. It's a measure of how much temperature rise will occur with a given amount of thermal energy. It's measured in degrees per watt... Obviously the smaller the number --in fractions of a degree-- the better. The example above is a good cooler and I've used several of them, but there are lots of others in the same style from other companies you can also use. For xp2000 and above the TR spec should be 0.6 or less. (As a cautionary note, don't get caught up in fancy, stay with the basics, like the example. There is a reason so many look alike... that's what works.)
The important mechanical feature is that copper slug in the bottom. It is used as a "heat spreader", something AMD should include on the chip itself but doesn't. Copper absorbs heat very nicely but tends to hold on to it. Aluminum, ratiates heat better than it absorbs it so a larger contact area is needed for it to be effective. The copper cools the CPU and creates a larger surface area contact with the aluminum which then cools the copper. Together the two metals provide a far better heatsink than either can alone.
Fan wise, look for 70 or 80mm fans running at medium speeds. Airflow, which is measured in Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) should be in the mid teens or or higher. Smaller fans can be used but they have to spin faster to do the job, which makes a lot of noise,
For mounting clips, look for the ones that grab all 3 of the mounting lugs on each side of the CPU socket. There have been problems with the single lug ones breaking the socket and falling off... Poof! CPU and motherboard right up in smoke. If you do end up with a single clip, make sure the heatsink weighs less than 12 ounces.
Hope this helps...
--->It ain't better if it don't work<---
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