CPU temp = 89 degrees celsius!

Clearly this temperature is WAY hotter than it should be. Heat is radiating out the sides of my laptop; I even have it propped up so there's air underneath. That helps a little bit. It really only spikes like this whenever I'm doing some sort of CPU-intensive encoding task.... otherwise it hovers around 45-50 degrees. Does anybody know how detrimental it is to the processor to be overheating like this? By how much does it decrease its lifespan?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by LiquidAcid

What kind of CPU ist that?

Intel Core 2
T7200 2.00GHz

Originally Posted by Sol

I'd open it up the best you can and blast it clean with canned air.

I've actually never opened a laptop before; I've only owned one less than a year. Any sort of precautions I should take compared to opening up a desktop (which I've done dozens of times)?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Will do. Thanks a lot for your advice.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.