Computer odesy, I went for broke.

[Angrboda]

I have been monitoring the CPU in the task manager. It seems to be handling it. This gutted fan seems to be more powerful than the old one. I did the same thing with an old tower. I jerry rigged a bigger fan to that too and it worked for years after.

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I have 4 wepages open and an audio feed running and my CPU is fluxing between 50% and 95, rarely hitting 100%

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I just had 4 pages open and AND an ABBA video playing and the CPU was averaging 75 to 85 percent usage the entire time barely breaking 90. It seems that it hits 100% morso on an initial search but only briefly.

Heatsinks are cheap. Get a $10 one off newegg.com. (Zalman is popular; look for one with a lot of reviews, that's usually a safe bet. Other suggestions, Coolermaster -- inexpensive and fair performers - you don't need top notch).

I got started doing hardware in a similar way. In about 1998, after owning a Packard Bell for a year, I decided that I wasn't satisfied with the "OEM" compromises that you get with an all-in-one box, and decided to teach myself about hardware, so that my next main machine would be custom built. I would go to surplus stores and thrift shops and buy old, junk hardware pieces, bring them home, and figure out how to make them work, building computers from assemblies of second-hand parts. To this day, building and taking apart computers is something I do just because it's easy and a good stress reliever for me. Learning rocks.

I'm not extending this offer to anyone but you, and there's only so much handholding that can be done remotely, but if you need help with specific things, feel free to PM me. I've got a great deal of experience, and a lot of experience helping people with their computer problems. We can even chat via IRC or shoutbox if you like. (My hours are generally from 10 am till midnight, central time.)