Hi, my system is--AMD64 3500500w PSUATI X800xtpe1g RamASUS A8V deluxe mobo.It has stock CPU fan, 80mm case exhaust fan + stock PSU fan and one on X800. Normally it runs around 50/55c under load. During this hot spell it's going up to 60/62c, so I thought it a good idea to upgrade one or more of the fans and nipped to the comp. shop for advise. He looked at me as tho' I was crackers ( maybe I am) and said you just can't do that as the airflow is balanced and adding or altering the size of any of the fans would do more harm than good. Now, for other reasons, I don't have much faith in this guy, so any other opinions would be greatly appreciated. He says 60/62c is nothing to worry about, but I think it's too high, FS starts to slow down above about 58c. I bring it back down with a big external fan, but was looking for something more permanent. Thanks.Russell.PS. It has all been cleaned thoroughly.

Stock fans usually do a pretty good job under normal circumstances keeping your CPU cool. 60c is not a life-threatening temperature for your CPU, but it is on the upper limit. If you want to upgrade, I could recommend a Thermaltake or Zalman CPU cooler. They're usually in the $30 price range and keep you CPU below 40c.Hope this helps,Pat

Agree with Pat. Higher quality CPU fan is not only a smart move, it's so obvious to any `computer guy` I can't believe you got that BS from the guy in the store. `Balanced` what? :)Allcott

Just something to add when you get an aftermarket cooler. Many types you can choose Alu, Alu/Cu, Cu. Make sure its a copper based cooler, Cu is the best conductor thus very good getting rid of the heat produced :) The zalmans do a great job getting the temps down.

Thanks very much for the advice, I'll go shopping for a Zalman tomorrow. And thanks for confirming what I've suspected for some time, my ( ex.) computer guy is FULL of BS.Russell.

I'm looking at doing the same, but I was wonder what people though of liquid cooling. The guy at the computer shop (who is pretty good), said he himself is a little scared when it comes to water (or gel) and a computer. Are they worth the cooling if I don't overclock or over clock just 5%.Kittie

I had a HOT AMD with a 6800gt. Replaced the stock fan with a better quality. I also took off one of the side panels and have a small fan I bought from Walmart that blows into the case right on the card and mother board.. Solved my problem and also saved a bunch of money.

Water cooling is not worth it, nor is it necessary, unless you're a serious overclocker. Good watercooling systems start around $200 and the sky's the limit. You can invest that money more wisely somewhere else IMHO.Pat

Ditto on what Pat said, unless you are really going to open up your wallet stick with Aircooled, ofcourse watercool setups will have the "bling-bling" look..those cheap a$$ waterset kits are not worth it cost vs performance.

I have been through a couple of different liquid cooling set-ups...I currently have a 4000+(OC 2.8g) that is on Liquid... I've got about $450 in DangerDen blocks and pump ect...I'm cooling my CPU as well as my GPU(Single..XFX7800GTX OC)...My CPU temps are not much better than with the ThermalTake cooler I had on it before switching over to liquid...It's pretty darn impressive on the GPU though...The 7800 Never Sees 50c...Maxed out I may get up to 47c on the GPU with ambient temp of 80F...If your just cooling the CPU...I think you can do just as good with one of the nicer Cu coolers avaliable these days...Unless your really *Extreme* Overclocking...For instance..I wouldn't hesitate to run my 2.8 Overclock on Air if I didn't have the liquid set-up...2.8 is a decent little Overclock but I would not call it Extreme per se...I've got the FX-57 system in my sig on Air...I'm gonna bump it up modestly...Probably go to about 3.0g or + - a bit...As far as "Liquid" being in your computer...I suppose some people could understandibly be concerned...I'm personally not(as long as it's not leaking..he he)...I feel pretty confident in my plumbing work and the quality of components I chose...I suppose *IF* something did fail..I could risk loosing allot...I guess everyone would have to decide on their own how they feel about that...I would definatly choose Good Quality Stuff!! As usual..The Good Stuff is gonna cost you...I have seen some pretty sketchy economy oriented liquid systems which I would personally avoid...My liquid systems have all been somewhat noisy too(ie: Water Trickling noise)...You can definatly hear it...I have my pumps running High...I have heard of Silent liquid systems..(Well if it's silent then it's not pumping..he he)...I'd call mine anything but that...In a nutshell...I really think spending some money on some Good case fans and a Nice CPU Cooler is realistically the way to go...Even if you did decide to Overclock some...Allot less hassle in setting up...No Trickling noise to deal with...And most importantly very good cooling performance...Just My Opinions..Have Fun!!

On "balanced" cooling. My experience with design of custom conputer equipment is that designing the heat flow is important and also expensive. However, I really doubt that any PC designs are really doing more than a cursory heat flow design. In our design environment, chill water cooling was the standard. This kind of cooling is not like your home system -- conductivity of the water was carefully monitored for example. We were working on an air-cooled system, and man all those fans put out some noise. Not so bad in the hardware racks, but the operator consoles were in manned space and the noise was a factor.Not sure liquid cooling is quite there yet for typical home system, but I think we are getting closer. But if the liquid cooling is also noisy, that kills its advantage in the non-O/C application. scott s..

Hi Folks,Can someone tell me how to check the temperature of my cpu? Also, what do you folks feel is the upper limit you should run at.Thanks in advance,

Not positive this will help you?? CPU Temp monitoring is a function of some sensors located in the design of the perticular Motherboard...I'm not sure what motherboard's HP uses?? You should be able to find out using Cpuz: (Download Latest Version..Upper left corner of page..ver 1.35)Cpuz:http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.phpThere is a really nice Overclocking Tool called SysTool...It is newer and still under development...It can be used to monitor temps, fan speeds as well as all of the other overclocking features...Your motherboard may or may not be supported??SysTool:http://www.techpowerup.com/systool/There are some other tools out there as well..SpeedFan and MotherBoard Monitor...They are a bit older...They may be worth looking into??Oh BTW...RivaTuner is a great tool for your GPU as well...All of this stuff is primilarily designed for overclocking...That is ok...you can only utilize the monitoring aspects on any of these...Have Fun!!

http://www.almico.com/speedfan.phpSpeedFan is a freeware program that monitors voltages, fan speeds and temperatures in computers with hardware monitor chips. SpeedFan monitors temperatures, through available hardware monitor chips which expose their temperature sensors connected to different places inside your computer, and, according to your setup, does its best to keep them at your desired value.

Sorry...I have no idea why I forgot about this handy web page?? I'm a slipping..he hehttp://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/Techni...71_9706,00.htmlHave Fun!!