An Asus board should come with some form of temperature monitoring software.
See if you can locate the original CD that came with the board.  Mine (for a
DFI board) tells me cpu fan speed, chassis fan speed, cpu temp, etc.

Make sure you have at least two fans in your case, one in, one out.  Also,
see if you can find something like a GoldenOrb to cool that chip down.
50Mhz isnt much, but it will definatly run the chip a bit hotter.

Cheers.



> > a/    Is it likely that my chip has been damaged?  Does it have a
> > thermal cutout or has it just temporariliy failed?
>
>      That would depend on what chip you have. Most modern CPUs have some
> form of thermal shutdown. However, if your CPU was too hot to touch it is
> very likely that some other components on your board were very hot. Not
all
> of them have thermal shutdown and it is possible that you damaged
something.
> I doubt it, but the possibility is certainly there.
>
> > b/    Is a fairly light layer of dust on the heatsink likely to be the
> > only cause of this overheating? (seems unlikely to me)
>
>         It could be. Dust is an amazingly good thermal insulator, that and
a lack
> of proper contact between the CPU and the sink could easily have
contributed
> to it getting that hot.
>
> > c/    If the CPU fan is running underspeed  How do I know ?(other than
> > an overheating chip)
>
>         You don't, but it wouldn't without some very physical signs. If
the fan
> very dirty? Does it spin freely? If it doesn't spin freely then it is
> probably toast, I recommend replacing. You may try cleaning it but CPU
fans
> are not designed to be taken apart. You may try lubricating it but again
CPU
> fans are not designed for this, you will most likely have to pry a cover
off
> to get to the bearing.
>
> > d/    The CPU fan is only 8 mths old, If it is the problem as I suspect,
> > where do I get a decent one, and how do I know? (they all look the same)
>
>         They are all pretty much the same. Unless you spring for a $40+
fan I don't
> think there is much difference. Have you considered installing a SECOND
fan?
> I have a big one (about 4 inches across) at the front of my case blowing
> along the whole board. In fact my system has four fans in it (and it still
> gets warm, damn 7200RPM drives, they cook).
>
> > e/    What other likely causes for this problem? (until I felt the
> > temprature of the CPU, I was suspecting the power supply or mainboard,
> > or chip)
>
>         Well I was going to ask you if you are overclocking but...
>
> > The CPU is an AMD K6-2 400 Overclocked to 450 (The system has been
> > stable for the last 8 mths)
> > 96meg ram,
> > asus sp97v mainboard
> > Running win98
>
>      Overclocking a CPU is always a risky venture. It doesn't matter if it
> has been stable for the past 8 months. When overclocking the CPU produces
> more heat, even more on that if you have to increase the core voltage to
get
> it working. I recommend getting an oversized heat sink, a GOOD fan or a
> normal fan with an additional fan in the front of the case. Also, see if
you
> can get a temperature probe on the CPU, anything above about 50 degrees C
> isn't optimal. Hope this helped, TTYL

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