How can I tell if my CPU has been damaged by heat?

[pkomma]

My computer is about 1 years old now, and in that time about 80% of the time my fans have not been working. The guy who built my computer put some really cheap fans in and I keep taking them back to be replaced and they constantly break down. I finally got sick of it and sprung for some decent fans. During the times my fans weren't running, when I felt the chip (its an AMD Slot 1) my fingers got synged. These fans run now, but I'm met with some strange errors. My main complaint is that I get many random freezeups when generally operating in windows but especially in 3d intensive games. Could this be correlated to heat damage? If no, what kinda symptoms would a computer have if the chip has been damaged by heating too much.

Some system specifics:
CPU: AMD 600 Mhz Slot-1
Mainboard: FIC SD11
Video: Geforce 2 MX (creative)

Anyway, if somebody could just tell me what a computer acts like after the chip has been damaged by heat, it would help me a lot.

 

[MrThompson]

The die on an AMD CPU will discharge an oil that turns to a brown solid around the die. It looks like flux from a soldered joint. You may need a magnifying glass to see it.

 

[GundamF91]

Might not be the CPU....could be the AGP slot, the board, or the card itself.

Can you run CPU INTENSIVE appz w/o crashing? Not just 3D intensive stuff. Try SETI or others...if it can survive that for an hour or two...the CPU should be fine.

 

[jere01]

What's SETI? What are some other programs that you can use to test your CPU to see if it's running fine (stable) after you overclock it?

 

[ukDave]

what heatsink/fan do you have on your Athlon 600?

dave.

oh, and SETI is a program that helps to detect Extra Terrestrial life (ET), or something. Many people in these forums do it, it uses your CPU power and ... i cant be arsed to expalin it any more. soz! :Q