PC TempsFollow

It depends on your cooling system. If you are concerned, download the free Speedfan utility from here: http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

Install and run it, then find the option to switch to Fahrenheit temperatures.

The ideal temperature range will vary by computer processor, so we need to know what hardware, specifically processor and video card, you have before we can tell you if you need to be concerned or not.

If you have an Intel processor in the Core 2 Duo or Core i7 family, your average operating temperature range under full gaming load will be around 135 degrees. Anything less than that is great. Anything much more than 145 is cause for concern. Sometimes motherboards do show inaccurate temperatures, so if something seems off and you think you have a good cooling setup, a bios update of the motherboard sometimes fixes those issues.

Video cards on the other hand are often designed to run at higher temperatures than CPU's. You should not be too alarmed if you see your video card operating in the 150 degree range at full gaming load if it is a newer one.

Your computer will let you know if it is getting unhappy. if you start locking up in game and have to wait a while before you can get back in, thats a heat issue. Wierd video colors and lines, also usually heat.

Your case plays a big role too. If you have a fairly new case with at least two 120MM fans, you should be fine to game up to 90 degrees or so, maybe more. If its an older case witha single small 80mm fan, you might have issues.

Also check your case for dust. dust acts as an insulating barrier and doesn't allow heat to dissipate from the motherboard and video card. if you see any dust, blow it out with one of those $5 computer air cans. Also check your case for any dust filters. sometimes they get clogged. You should check your computer for dust at least once a year.

If you find you do have a heat issue, until you get your air conditioner fixed you can set up a workaround, Pull the side panel off of your case and buy a $15 box fan. Aim it so air is blowing into the case and set it on medium or high and check your internal temperatures again. A bit noisy, but it does the trick. You want a fan box about the same size as the side of your computer.

The Q6600 is about one of the warmest processors Intel ever made. It's an older Core 2 Quad processor made using the older, less efficient 62 nanometer CPU process. Newer 45 or even 32 NM processes use much less electricity and are much more efficient, so they generate a huge amount less heat. 160f at idle is a bit higher even than is ideal for that one, but generally that particular CPU had a normal operating temperature of around 145 under load. So 160f on the processor is not a happy computer. Should be safe with the large fan on it until your temperature drops though. Of course, the bios for that motherboard might also be off on the temperature values. they sometimes are, but better to play it safe.

This is the internal layout of your case. Its not the same exact motherboard, but same family of cases.
http://support.gateway.com/s/CASES/GERSHWIN/3507057Riv.shtml

Basically you have what look like 2 92MM case fans and a modified shrouded CPU cooler. The CPU cooler was probably intended to draw cold air from the side of the case, but I've never really liked those duct inlet styles because they end up actually preventing some of the primary fan air from reaching the processor, especially if that side of the case is up against a wall of any sort. It's not an ideal case layout coolingwise, but since the motherboard is probably proprietary, you're probably stuck with that case until you decide to upgrade the motherboard.

The video card is probably a bit warm at 169, but they can handle higher temperatures. for the 9800 gt 174f is about the highest safe temperature it will take and even that would be a bit warmer than I would want to run it.

If you do alot of gaming, you may want to consider upgrading to a cooler running case and a faster CPU/motherboard combo. Will save you money on electricity if nothing else

edit: Also, though your chipset "should" support going with a newer core 2 socket 775 processor, assume it doesn't. Gateway corporate went bankrupt about the time that PC was released, and they got bought by MPC, which also went bankrupt. Gateway consumor survived, but they don't really do much bios updating to the older computers at all.

Edited, Sep 12th 2010 3:58pm by Kaolian

You're welcome, any time!