Noob ? about cooling and a new case

Hey all,

Im a noob at building computers, but I like to play video games. I recently bought SC 2 and was wondering why it kept crashing. I dl'ed HWMonitor and the results shocked me. I now know why it kept crashing...the Video Card Temp was at 117 CELSIUS

Here is a read out of HWMonitor on Idle, the only thing open right now is Firefox:


Hardware monitor Fintek F8000
Voltage 0 1.70 Volts [0xD5] (VIN0)
Voltage 1 1.72 Volts [0xD7] (VIN1)
Voltage 2 1.66 Volts [0xCF] (VIN2)
Temperature 0 52°C (125°F) [0x34] (TMPIN0)
Temperature 2 35°C (94°F) [0x23] (TMPIN2)
Fan 0 1574 RPM [0x3B9] (FANIN0)
Fan 1 1157 RPM [0x511] (FANIN1)
Register space LPC, base address = 0x0290

Hardware monitor ACPI
Temperature 0 35°C (94°F) [0xC0A] (THRM)

Hardware monitor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Temperature 0 56°C (132°F) [0x2C] (Core #0)
Temperature 1 52°C (125°F) [0x30] (Core #1)
Temperature 3 51°C (123°F) [0x31] (Core #3)
Temperature 2 52°C (125°F) [0x30] (Core #2)

Hardware monitor NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Temperature 0 108°C (226°F) (GPU Core)

Hardware monitor WDC WD80 0JD-75MSA3
Temperature 0 40°C (103°F) [0x28] (Assembly)
Temperature 2 40°C (103°F) [0x28] (Air Flow)

This is running way too hot I can imagine based on my limited knowledge/research.

What would be the best course of action from here on out?

My machine is an HP m8120n I bought beginning of 2008.

Ive done research into cases, looking at the Cooling Master HAF 922 and 933, would switching to a case like this help me? Or do I need more?

Currently, my computer is so damn jam packed how they sent it it's ridiculous, and I'm sure that is causing part of the problem.

Would a new case be a good enough fix? Or do I need to go to liquid cooling?

Any help is greatly appreciated, help a noob out!!

In you case a good case would make a huge difference. The HAF 922 is a good choice.
Is the motherboard original or have you upgraded?
If upgraded do you plan on overclocking? If so I would recommend an aftermarket cooler.

the motherboard is original. i do not plan on overclocking...the only game i would play on this pc is SC2...i also do photoshop work, which I do not think would be a problem.

my main concern is that my videocard is 107degrees C while IDLING.. that is ridiculously high is it not?

in response to ct: i do know about that fix, but my main concern is the fact of my videocard idling so high...it makes me think i need to do a lot more work than just punch in some script.

also ct, why is moving an HP harder than building a new PC? propieratry issues? would you please elaborate further? i will google it now as well.

thanks guys

again, i am an extreme noob with computer building..but let me try to decipher what you mean...

when hp builds a computer they make it so it "links" to the case they ship it in. in other words, they make it a pain in the ass to transfer to another 3rd party case maker.

here is my motherboard:

I open CPU-Z and click on the "Mainboard Tab"

Manufacturer: ASUSTek Computer INC.
Model: Basswood 3g 1.05
Chipset: Intel P965/G965

does this help you at all in determining whether or not I can successfully transfer to a new 3rd party case?

I found this is this what the motherboard looks like. Post some pics so we can compare
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc [...] 85416#N962
If it is you shouldnt have any problem with installing it in the HAF 922.

Remove the cover and it may help to remove the video card so we can get a good look at all the connections on the board. If I dont respond back I went to bed but someone else can give you a hand if not I will post first thing in the morning. Also if you can get a picture of the back of the all drives to make sure they arent proprietary, they probably arent but better to make sure. I know Dell had alot of proprietary drives but im not sure about HP.

do you think if i get a new case it will drop my Video Card temp? Like I said its running 107-108 C idle! that is ridiculously high! would a new case w. good fans cure the problem?

You should se improvement in temps on your Videocard as well as your CPU.
Did you get any pics.

will the temps drop? sure

first i would take a side panel off your case and stick a desk fan next to your PC and see how that does, if your GPU does not drop to a reasonable temp then you have a more serious issue with it then case airflow.