Advice on Graphics Cards

[Abriael]

On the 965 BE, the CPU performance is good, the TDP isn't. It has a max specified temperature of 60°C and is running at 70+ with the boxed cooler once you put enough load on it (e.g. running 1.0). I had to buy a (large) aftermarket cooler to get it to barely under 60°C under load. High temps decrease component lifetime, and overclocking would push the temps even further. I don't think it's a good upgrade choice, better go for the X6 series because I heard the later models got the temps under control.

My 965 BE runs at 45C under full load with a quite cheap Schythe cooler while overclocked at 3.8 ghz with the vcore upped at 1.5375V. On idle it sits cutely at 29.5C.

There's a reason why the 965BE is still one of the most loved processors between overclockers. It runs pretty cool and it's one of the most durable chips ever made by AMD.

If not overclocked it will run without a hitch for years even with the stock cooler, that, by the way, is *very* good.

I'm sorry, but your temperatures are way over spec, and you probably should have returned it as soon as you noticed they were that high.