[taru]

The computer is open, as I have always treated my desktops since high school. I regularly blow dust away using air canisters (or, more recently an air compressor).

This psu that I'm using now doesn't have a fan facing inside... the other one does, but it's 100w stronger than this one. Though I do have an electric fan that's always on whenever I'm using the computer. It helps circulate the air in the room when the AC is not turned on—although I don't think that's what The Skeptic meant.

Thanks stettybet0, I might actually just try that out. I'll go ahead and measure the dimensions of the case to see if it will fit. Oh, and I used Arctic Silver thermal compound with this one... would that work with the heatsink you mentioned? Or would OCZ Freeze work best?

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Arctic Silver 5 (AS5) is a good thermal compound, but stuff like OCZ Freeze and MX-2 will outperform it by a few degrees. They also have the benefit of being non-electrically conductive, while AS5 is electrically conductive. So, if you spill a little AS5 on your motherboard and don't completely wipe it all up, you could short out your motherboard and kill it. That's why I always recommend OCZ Freeze and MX-2. However, unless you really want those few degrees, you should probably save your money and stick with AS5, as long as you're very careful with it.

[stettybet0]

Arctic Silver 5 (AS5) is a good thermal compound, but stuff like OCZ Freeze and MX-2 will outperform it by a few degrees. They also have the benefit of being non-electrically conductive, while AS5 is electrically conductive. So, if you spill a little AS5 on your motherboard and don't completely wipe it all up, you could short out your motherboard and kill it. That's why I always recommend OCZ Freeze and MX-2. However, unless you really want those few degrees, you should probably save your money and stick with AS5, as long as you're very careful with it.