Why is my computer overheating? How do i change my fan speeds and temp

[NBAPwns13]

Im using FanSpeed. And my Temps are high! how do i put them lower? I just downloaded Speefan and for some reason its not showing my RPM speeds iunno what to do. Is this good or bad? and how do i make it so that my temps go lower?

Also how do i make it so that my computer won't overheat? i heard something about thermal paste but it looks dangerous listening to it.

Please help im a newbie and i want to learn from the experts!

 

[NBAPwns13]

Help help!

 

[marsmimar]

This is one of the better tutorials I've seen on how to use SpeedFan.

Using SpeedFan to automatically control your PC’s fan speeds » unitstep.net

As far as keeping your temps down, it would help to know more about your computer. At the top of any Forum page click on "User CP" and then in the left column click on "Edit System Spec". Fill in as much info about your computer as you can. A free tool called Speccy can help, as well as give you real time monitoring of temps just to double check against SpeedFan's readings.

Speccy - System Information - Free Download

Thermal paste is a very high heat conductive paste that is used between two objects (usually a heatsink and a CPU/GPU) to get better heat conduction. It fills in all those microscopic imperfections on the heatsink and CPU/GPU that can trap air in them and cause a loss in the heatsink’s performance. Air is a very poor conductor of heat. Thermal Interface Materials (TIM) can be up to a 100 times greater conductor of heat than air and is extremely critical when trying to draw heat away from a component. If your computer was manufactured you probably don't have to worry about replacing the thermal paste. But if it was home built it's possible the paste wasn't applied correctly (too little or too much can both cause cooling problems.)

If you're using a laptop a cooling pad can drop temps by several degrees. Also never put a laptop on your lap or any other soft surface like a pillow, bedspread, etc. The cooling vents and fan will certainly be blocked. Compressed air can be used to blow dust out from the vents and fan. If a desktop make sure the case has ventilation around all sides and the vents/fans are free from dust. It can also help to have a small portable fan directed at the case for additional air flow.