Just found some helpful utilities for monitoring computer temperatures:
I install them on my debian machines like this:
apt-get install lm-sensors hddtemp
And on my newer intel machines, I use the coretemp driver:
modprobe coretemp
These command output:
# sensorscoretemp-isa-0000 Adapter: ISA adapter Core 0: +60.0°C (high = +80.0°C, crit = +100.0°C) # hddtemp /dev/sda/dev/sda: TOSHIBA MK6032GSX: 36°C
Cool, huh? I guess it depends on the temperature.