possibly overheating computer

[honor man]

hi, i have a xps 400, and i just got a new desk. anyway, there is a space underneath for a tower to sit, that has a door in front of it to close. the back and sides are closed off except for a hole in the rear about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide to put wires through.this is good because the xps can be noisy. but when i open the door after a while it feels like a sauna in there and the fan is on and the top and sides of the tower are hot. but it cools down a bit after a while with the door open and the comp cools down and the fans slow down. i talked to a dell guy online today and he said it was ok. so do you think my comp is in danger of overheating? how can i check the computer's temperature? should i keep a thermometer in there? and if so what temp is too high for the computer to be subjected to? if it is getting too hot i can take the back part off to add ventilation. here are a couple pics and thank you for your time and help.

 

[MMH]

download speedfan,, just search for it on google. That will allow you to monitor the temps. Also get baseline temps to compare to, i don't know what the normal temps are for your processor.

my experience is that closed in cabinets are bad.. a computer needs circulation to survive, without it, you are only recycling the hot air, and not the ambient temperature of the room.

what i would do if you really want it in that cabinet is to mod in some fans in the door and rear if you have the know how. large, low rpm fans would be practically noiseless and would give you a bit better circulation

 

[honor man]

it seems like it would be a pain to put them into the door, it's solid wood. how about taking the back off and putting a couple in there? i think i could attach a few to the desk no problem.

 

[honor man]

i removed the back and put a small window fan there. it seems to be keeping it pretty cool in there and my hd temp is reading 100f

is that an alright temp?