Overheating a PC will reduce the lifespan of your computer and computer parts dramatically.

A huge issue with computers and laptop's is cooling and keeping them cool -- usually one of the highest priorities as an overheating computer will leave your computer running sluggish, shutting down randomly or completely destroying your computer components if its gets to the extreme's.

It is very easy to monitor and diagnose your PC these days with many software programs out there to monitor the health of your PC, and the number one free piece of software you should be using to monitor your PC health and CPU and motherboard temperature are your BIOS.

The bios can give you an easy way to check your CPU temperature, as your computer boots up simply enter setup or BIOS and check your PC health. You can also set alerts when your CPU starts to run to hot to avoid damage or even set your fans to keep your computer running between a certain temperature range. Using the BIOS to check your temperature is not the most convenient way to do it so there are many programs you can use inside windows to check your CPU temperature.

For example ASUS have many PC health programs to help you monitor your PC temperature , there are even widgets that let you incorporate little reminders on your Desktop.

Fixing an overheating CPU can be very simple and doesn't mean spending lots of money on new fans and heat sinks and can usually be solved by either giving your CPU a good clean out with a can of compressed air ( never a vacuum static electricity !!), or reapplying thermal paste to the CPU block.

The safe temperature ranges for CPU's differ greatly depending on the make and model, as Intel's will usually run a lot hotter than AMD cpu's. For more information on checking CPU temperature and fixing an overheating PC you can check out the CPU temperature Guide.