CPU temperature 74 degrees C?!

You can use your fingers if you apply a thin even layer. But guysmy says he “could literally see his fingerprint crevices in the paste”. I’m not so sure that’s good (even for normal thermal paste).

Anyway, that stuff’s a little icky - if I were to use my figners, I’d make pretty sure that there’s a running tap nearby. :slight_smile:

Your CPU will have a temperature rating in its specifications. Mine is rated at 90 degrees C. Some, I believe, are about 70.

If you run the CPU higher than this temperature, then it’ll probably be fine but it will increase the likelihood that:
a) Your CPU won’t last as long
b) Rate of errors will increase.
This will be only after long periods of time above that temperature.

This means that I should be able to run it at 90 degrees, and it will lead a long and happy life - or at least as long as the warranty.

However, to preserve the life of your CPU you really should leave at least 10 degrees threshold. IE, I wouldn’t want my CPU to run more than 80 degrees. Actually, it usually runs at between 48 and 58 so I’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about. Anything below 60, even for big old Intel chips, is absolutely fine.

[of course, the motherboard temperature is usually 10 degrees or so less than the CPU temperature. If your system doesn’t have an actual CPU temperature reading, you need to add about 10 degrees to the motherboard temp, and that’s if your heatsink is installed correctly]

If your CPU temperature is about 74 during normal use, and you have the right fan and heatsink, maybe the heatsink is not properly installed.

Do as others have said above.

Mine is running at 47 and mine is just about the same as yours except its a 2.0 but its a MSI Mobo and a P4. You didn’t by chance overclock the processor. What I did a few months ago when it was running at 52 (C), I just installed a new fan and it lowerd it back down to the current 47. Since it is a P4 it will get hot, more than a Athlon. It is a lot more powerful than a Athlon. My main suggestion is just add a few fans to it that should help it.