Overheating

[marlock]

Greetings

I'm having a problem with overheating on my system, and I'd like some opinions on what I can do to fix it. First, some info:

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000+ (2.16 GHz) NOT overclocked
CPU Heatsink/Fan: AMD brand, came with CPU
Power supply: 450 Watt steel case, 2 ball bearing fans
Cheap case fan mounted in front (tower case)

First off, I've always been told that your PC should run cooler with the case closed up. Mine runs hotter, so hot that I have to keep the sides off or it will overheat to the point of shutting down. On the subject of shutting down, I have that feature disabled in the BIOS setup, but it still does it when the (CPU)temp (according to a monitoring program that came with the MB) reaches 85 deg C.

On the case fan: It's currently mounted so the air blows in. Is that correct, or should it blow out?

My powersupply is fairly high quality (cost over $90), so I would assume that's not the problem, but I don't know.

The only thing I can think of is maybe the CPU fan/heatsink just isn't up to the job, but why would AMD include a heatsink/fan that wasn't good enough to cool the CPU?

Lately, it's been running a bit hotter than it did in the past, but it's ALWAYS been pretty hot.

So, any ideas? should I be looking for a new CPU heatsink/fan? What would you recommend? Is my problem somewhere else?

I'm a software guy, and I know just enough about hardware to be dangerous, so I'm asking here.

 

[OrenSam]

Well, sadly, the HSFs supplied w/ the AMD CPUs aren't very good - but they're more than enough to keep your CPU in a normal operating temperature in most cases.
I'd say the reason for your PC shutting down is one of 3:
1 (less likely)- the heatSink isn't placed propperly.
2- the sensor and/or software give false temps, making your computer shut down when it's actually just fine... (try downloading MBM5 and check if it shows high temps. as well)
3- The cooling in your case is very bad, making your chipset and CPU temperature rise significantly and making your PC shut down. For that, again, download MBM5 and check your motherboard's temp... if it's high as well - you probably have an airflow issue, which can only be solved by getting more fans into your case (at least 2 -one in the front bringing air in and one in the back taking air out). to improve airflow you should also try arranging all the cables lying arround in your case.

AMD AthlonXP 2500+ w/Spire Fridgerock
Abit NF7-SL v2.0 nForce2
Sapphire Radeon 9600XT 128MB
512MB Kingamx PC3200 DDR400

 

[B_Man]

What is MBM5 ? And where would you find it?

 

[OrenSam]

MBM5 = MotherBoard Monitor 5,
and you can download it <A HREF="http://mbm.livewiredev.com" target="_new"> here</A>

_____________________________________
AMD AthlonXP 2500+ w/Spire Fridgerock
Abit NF7-SL v2.0
Sapphire Radeon 9600XT 128MB
512MB Kingamx PC3200 DDR400