First check that all the fans in the case are functioning correctly and are clean from dust. If there are several make sure they are working together and not pushing air in opposite directions. If case temperatures are reasonable but processor temperatures are high, purchase some good quality thermal paste and spread this between the processor and the cooler, instead of using the thermal pads that cheaper coolers generally have. Artic silver is the best known brand. Also consider fitting a better quality processor cooler and remember that copper heat sinks usually offer better performance.
Software is available that will slow down the processor when it is idle, thus keeping it running cooler. Windows NT family of operating systems are supposed to do this themselves but many users have found that CpuIdle from www.cpuidle.de improves cooling.
The best way to measure temperature is to let the computer run for a while and then restart it and go into BIOS. Somewhere in the BIOS should be a hardware monitoring page that shows current temperatures. Some systems have a power supply temperature sensor as well. Usually the alarm temperature is set on the same screen, so you can see which temperatures look high.
After checking temperature in BIOS, check temperature within windows. Software can be downloaded from the motherboard manufacturer or a generic program such as Hmonitor can be obtained from www.hmonitor.com.
Software is available that will slow down the processor when it is idle, thus keeping it running cooler. Windows NT family of operating systems are supposed to do this themselves but many users have found that CpuIdle from www.cpuidle.de improves cooling.
The best way to measure temperature is to let the computer run for a while and then restart it and go into BIOS. Somewhere in the BIOS should be a hardware monitoring page that shows current temperatures. Some systems have a power supply temperature sensor as well. Usually the alarm temperature is set on the same screen, so you can see which temperatures look high.
After checking temperature in BIOS, check temperature within windows. Software can be downloaded from the motherboard manufacturer or a generic program such as Hmonitor can be obtained from www.hmonitor.com.