CPU Temps

All electronic devices, when at work, produce a lot of heat. This heat can be easily described as a necessary evil. When the electronic devices work, there is a conversion of energy and this causes the generation of the heat. It is what we know as the Joule Effect. The heat that is formed is generally very high and should be checked specifically in computers which are used for a longer time or computers that are under heavy load. The heat that is produced needs to properly dissipated. Heat has a damaging effect on the circuits of hardware and causes depreciation in the performance of the system and causes it to slow down.

One needs to understand why the heat builds up. There are many reasons that play an important role in the heating up of the system. The computers of yore needed to be placed in air conditioned rooms. The ones used today do not need air conditioning, but in spite of the fact, they need an amiable room temperature to work in. A proper heat transfer system also has to be in place. Heat transfer in the CPU is generally related to the internal workings, but even the improper placement of the CPU which might block the fan can be the cause of a less efficient heat transfer procedure. Besides this, a dusty environment also adds to the heating up of the system because the dust tends to clog up the important CPU parts and thus adding to prevention of proper heat transfer. There is a special kind of problem especially with the techies that they have a tendency to add additional software and applications (overclocking) in order to make the computer run faster than it was actually designed to run. This puts additional stress on the system.

Monitoring CPU Temperature

Heat sensors are generally added to systems that are most prone to getting heated up. For example, most CPUs, video cards, and hard drives will have heat sensors. Often times you can find the temps of your hardware in the BIOS. However, it is usually helpful to be able to see the temperatures when you are in Windows. For this, you can download a 3rd party software such as Core Temp or Real Temp. These both work well.

Lowering CPU Temperature

The easiest and cheapest thing to do is to make sure that your computer case is clean and organized. Making sure that all fans are clean and running well can solve many overheating problems and can lower temperatures even if you don't have an overheating problem. You can check out our article on cleaning a computer case for more help. Another easy tip is to turn off the computer when it is not in use. This can prevent overheating when you are not around to monitor the PC. There are many cooling techniques that are used besides the ones that the system comes inherently with. You can add fans to the computer case to increase airflow. You can also place the PC in a cooler part of your house. If you still need more cooling power, you can upgrade your computer case to a case which is better designed for cooling. Last, you can upgrade your CPU fan and heatsink to a bigger and more powerful cooler.

Maximum CPU Temperature

Below is a table from CPU-Temp.com that shows some of the top processors available in the market and the maximum temperature under which they can work efficiently. Please keep in mind that you want your processor to be running well BELOW these temperatures.

Intel CPU Model	Maximum Temp	AMD CPU Model	Maximum Temp
Core Duo Models	100 Degree Celsius	Athlon 64	65 – 71 Deg. Celsius
Core Solo Models	100 Degree Celsius	Athlon 64 FX	56 – 63 Deg. Celsius
Pentium M Models	100 Degree Celsius	Athlon 64 X2	63 – 75 Deg. Celsius
Core 2 Duo Models	60 – 72 Degree Celsius	Sempron Soquete 462	90 Degree Celsius
Core 2 Quad Models	62.2 Degree Celsius	Sempron Soquete AM2	55 – 69 Deg. Celsius
Core 2 Extreme	64 – 100 Degree Celsius	Opteron 1XX	65 – 70 Deg. Celsius
Pentium Dual Core	73 – 100 Degree Celsius	Opteron 2XX	67 – 71 Deg. Celsius

Overall, keeping an eye on processor temperature is important because a cooler processor is a faster processor. Also, if a processor heats up too much, it can be damaged.

You may be interested in our related guides talking about an overheating computer and how to fix it. Also, many times, the way to lower CPU temps and overall PC temperatures is to clean out the computer case. You can check out our guide on how to clean out the computer case for more help with this.

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-By Dominic

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