Computer Cooling

Are there any effective ways of seeing what the CPU temperature is? I have a digital thermometer which came witht he case and when i place the temperature measuring bit behind the motherboard (next to where the processor is on the other side) it says its about 28C (with all case fans on lowest speed) but in the BIOS it says the CPU is 40 (i realise that the digital thermometer is going to be off because it isnt actually touching the proccessor). Which is the most reliable, are there any better ways of doing it?

Also if my fans are all blowing outwards (two on back, one of side) is that ok?

Also I have a round hole on the top of the case (where another fan would have gone if the PSU didnt get in the way). Als if i remove the fan on the side i am left witht another hole. Would these effetc the cooling?

I know i am asking alot of questions and some bits may not make sense but when im in a writing mode it just seems to pour out like a bullet from a gun!

Thanks
Matt

It depends. Your fans should be arranged in such a way that they suck cold air in at the bottom, and blow hot air out the top.

The one in the BIOS (or SpeedFan) is most accurate. Most CPU thermometers will be lower than the actual CPU temperature, since they're mounted underneath the CPU, in the center of the socket, and not actually touching the CPU core.

I always use SpeedFan too.
Just ensure there is adequate ventilation which allows the air to circulate.

Mind you, my P4 3.6Ghz processor typically ranges from 66c to 78c. Not sure if that's healthy.

I feel relieved that my comp could survive higher but i think the shutdown temperature on my computer was set lower than that :S

Doesn't the Bios read the temps from the diode inside the actual CPU core?

My shutdown temp is 60 degrees celcius. The max temp is probably around 38 degrees which is while doing something intensive. Its using one large 12cm fan for the intake, one 8cm fan blowing directly onto CPU. And two 8cm rear fans as the outtake.

My cpu averages around 44c.
The biggest improvement i've seen in case temps was after installing a dual fan power supply, it sucks heat away from the cpu.

Many motherboard manufacturers have some utilities available on their website for download which can show you your temperatures from Windows.

There's also a generic freeware utility, MotherBoard Monitor, which works with most motherboards. It sits in your systemtray and displays your current CPU temperature. It works with most motherboards, and can be downloaded (among others) from http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=311

Mine did that too, until I bought a decent 3rd party heatsink (Zalmann). Intel stock heatsinks suck.

ISTR that quite a few motherboards have their own diode which is a little springy thingy undearneath the CPU (so that it contacts the underside of the CPU).

Readings from that will be fairly high because of the nicely insulated space between the underside of the CPU and the motherboard.

If modern stuff takes readings from the actual CPU, you may have to question the accuracy of the sensor. They aren't designed to be accurate to 1 degree, they are designed to (help) stop runaway thermal overload.

Same here. I kicked out both the supplied heatsink and noisy fan and replaced them with a Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU. The average temperatures only a little lower but at least the PC no longer sounds like a lawn mower.

So that Zalman fan is also a heatsink? I was thinking of replacing the heatsink on mine, I guess thats what its going to be now!