My friends think my computer is running to hot. I would also like to know if this is going to be okay for the next 2-3 years or so (especially the hard drives because I have all my stuff on my Seagate 500GB Hard drive ST350030AS) until I get a new computer. I got Everest and checked the temps in the computer. Here they are: This is the state when nothing but Everest, Daemon Tools, and only necessary Windows processes are running. Which means, I'm really running only Everest to check my temperatures right now and the measurements above are the results. My friends say that these measurements are absolutely horrible! Also, nothing is overclocked. Every single parts in the PC are at stock speed, have stock cooling etc. Well, it's generally Sony Vaio VGC-RB30 (I know it's gross, but please restrain yourself), with ATI Radeon X700 Pro 256MB and a Kingston 512MB RAM stick added in (not sure the model name is though, since the whole family share it and I'm not allowed to open it or anything). There are only two fans: One on the CPU Heatsink and one on the back. This computer is so small that I don't have any space to put a new fan in or anything... My specs are: CPU: Intel Pentium 4 530J (3.00Ghz) Motherboard: Intel Augsburg D915GAG Memory: I know it's DDR PC3200, but not sure about the brands and all that. Video Card: ATI Radeon X700 Pro 256MB Power Supply: 300W OS: Windows XP Home SP2 on the first drive and Windows Vista x86 Ultimate (with newest updates) on secondary drive on dual-boot. The temperature readings are same in both OS. As I said above, it's Sony Vaio VGC-RB30 with ATI Radeon X700 Pro 256MB and a stick of Kingston 512MB RAM added in. So yeah, I think that's all. I'll be waiting for your responses. Thanks!
Everything looks to be a bit on the warm side, but all within safe limits. The processor more than anything else is warmer than it should be, but those are hot processors anyway, and as long as everything's stable you're not getting close to cooking anything. If the cooler is the stock cooler and has never been removed, you might pull it off, clean it with rubbing alcohol, and reapply it with some good thermal compound, but it's not really as big a deal as a lot of people will probably make it out to be. Running a processor that warm will shorten its lifespan somewhat, but as long as the computer is still running stable the processor will still live well into obsolescence.
DO you know what your temps are when the system is loaded up? Why not run a program in windows that will load up the system so you can keep an eye on the temps. Heat will kill a hard drive. I should know...
Thanks for your comments guys. @ chrisb2e9: Those measurements were taken when the system was just booted up and went into Windows. The most I'm curious about, is the safety of the hard disk ST3500630AS (500GB hard drive with all my stuff backed up on it), which had the reading of 46 degrees Celsius when the computer just finished booting up.
Hard drives are perfectly safe up to about 60C. That's not to say you shouldn't keep backups of the really important stuff, but 46C is perfectly normal.
Um it varies... when that was taken it was around 29 degrees Celsius in the room, which was same as the temperature outside. This is because my parents are cheapskates and won't turn on the A/C if it's not too hot (they won't turn it on unless it's over 30 degrees Celsius). We bought this computer two years ago after using P1 for 7 years, which was HORRIBLE, from 1998 to 2005. And there's only one computer for FIVE people in the family (we don't have our own computers, which is very sad in this very day and age). Well, it's good to know that things are within safe temperature range. Thanks for your comments guys!
i'm still curious to know what the temps are when its loaded up. Sure it may be fine right now, but remember this is right after booting it up with nothing running.
Ho hum. Making a number of wild oversimplifications and assumptions, having that PC in a more normal temperature room (20c) might bring all the temps down by a similar amount i.e. 9-10 degrees which would put them well within normal temperatures, rather than up at the warm end of normal, and that in turn might prolong the life of some components. But the additional cost of running the aircon would cost way more than the possible saving of getting an extra year out of a PC. So if there is a cooler room or a better-ventilated spot in that room, try to move the PC there. But otherwise don't sweat it - plenty of people have been running PC's way hotter than that for years. However, take chrisb2e9's advice and run Everest right after you have finished playing the most system-hungry game or app you have for an hour or so. If the temperatures are hitting 60 across the board or any component is getting up toward 70c, then its worrying time.
As someone on the AMD forums used to say "If your system is stable, then it's not too hot!" If you are worried, check out the manufacturers' sites to see what the safe temperature for your components is and then design your cooling to be at least 10 deg below that. Andy
