CPU overheating - New Heat Sink seems only real option

[Paper Tiger]

Right, my PC is dying due to extreme heat. CPU temps go crazy, then it shuts down and dies on me.

I'm still using stock cooling on my CPU, which is clearly the problem (don't flame me about it, I know it's a foolish thing to do NOW but I didn't know that when I built it about 5-6 years ago!). I want to be able to use my PC again, so when my brother steals my laptop, I have something to use.

What would people suggest to get? I'm not looking at spending LOL amounts on it, just something that will stop the problem, so I can use my PC again for longer than about 30 minutes. It's an AMD Athlon X2 CPU, 939 socket.

[Chazlene]

You checked to see if your CPU fan has come loose? That's what caused mine to overheat a few months ago.

Also inb4 Chalex's thermal paste masturbation.

[Vicious Horizon]

First of all, have you taken the CPU Cooler off at any point?

If you have, did you remove the thermal paste entirely and re-apply it when you put it back on?

I didn't do this and had awful heat problems.

If not, a bit of dusting may be in order.

If neither of these fix/are the problem, a new cooler is in order, and you can't go wrong with a CoolerMaster imo.

[Paper Tiger]

I have removed it, but only to re-apply thermal paste. The side of the case is kept off to try keep temps down, but has no effect anymore.

Don't think dust would cause that much problem, but I cleaned it off a bit when I applied the thermal paste.

[Colonel Mitch]

have you checked what the voltage it is set to in the bios? if its overheating on the stock cooler and not overclocked then this simply shouldn't happen if its clean and has a good seat on teh processor

[ez64]

Have you checked the temperature knob on the outside,

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/4/16/1239871311962/Chips-in-a-deep-fat-fryer-001.jpg
http://files.sharenator.com/Trollface_RE_Im_a_Critic_in_Music-s462x377-206026.png

[Colonel Mitch]

Have you checked the temperature knob on the outside,

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/4/16/1239871311962/Chips-in-a-deep-fat-fryer-001.jpg
http://files.sharenator.com/Trollface_RE_Im_a_Critic_in_Music-s462x377-206026.png

lol u mad

[Calneon]

If you're sure it's the CPU overheating and you can't fix it with the stock cooler, I'd get one of these:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-035-AR

[Paper Tiger]

Well, I don't think the temps are supposed to go up to about 110deg at all! If that is normal (sarcasm), then it's something else.

[Isphera]

I say get one of these bad boys -
http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/photos/images/10-17-05BigFan_lg.jpg