BleepingComputer.com: How Hot Is 2 Hot

I have an Athlon 3000+++ processor. When I bought my un branded PC about 2 years ago it came with MSI Core Center which showed the temperature of the Athlon chip. As I remember, it stayed between 32 - 34 degrees C. Lately it has been steadily rising to as much as 46 C. I took off the fan over the processor (very dirty) and cleaned out all the black dust I could.
I then open up the heat sync and put some compound on top of the chip and reassembled the fan. For the first few hours it was in the mid 30's C but now it's back into the low 40's.

#1 Any suggestions as to how to treat this problem?
#2. What is a normal temperature and when should I really start getting worried?


Thanks

First of all, it is the load temperature which matters, rather than the idle temperature. How hot does the processor get when it is under 100% load? I've had several Athlon XP processor get hotter as they get older.

If the temperature starts hitting 60° you can start worrying. Another thing to mention is that the temperature sensor isn't calibrated so it can be of a certain amount, so the only true test of the computer temperature is stability. If the computer is stable the temps are fine.

Also, keep in mind that many temperature sensors are far from accurate. For instance, my HDD's are hot, usually 50 to 54 degrees C which is just barely within the ranges for my Western Digital SATA drives. I have a case fan blowing on them and I can touch them and they feel cool. I second what Mr Alpha said, if the computer is stable the temps are fine.

A REALLY easy temporary solution would be to place a fan by it while keeping the fan running.
When my CPU fan broke, I put it right next to the air conditioner until I got a new one. XD
Also, if it's heating up so much that it makes threatens the computer, do an overclock, and set it a tad bit lower. I don't think you can with an AMD Athlon + though...Cuz' my 2200+ won't overclock. D=

Why would you overclock a cpu if it's overheating. I think that would make the cpu even hotter.

I said set it a tad bit lower. XD
I don't know the term for lowering the CPU speed. >.>

Sorry, I missed that Underclock?

Sure, that'll do. XD