Thanks Dalo, I'm away for a week so I'll get the info when I return and let you know. I cant remember those details at hand, all I remember is it was a mid to high spec ASUS motherboard at the time and I bought a separate heat sink/fan for the CPU to get better cooling, which is why I think the thermal paste is possibly the issue, do you think this may have caused permenant damage? I'll be back with the info ASAP. In the mean time thanks again for your help and support, I apprieciate it?