I am writing a script that will shut down my computer if the CPU goes above a certain temperature. I would like advice on how high I can safely let it go before I shut it down. I don't mind being conservative, but on the other hand I don't want it shutting down all the time either.
I think normal temperatures may hover around 40-50 degrees with the bulk fan.
Of course, undervolt your CPU and perhaps use a better fan and you do not have to worry at all.
Originally Posted by Adak
Well... I'd say 80 degrees C. According to the tech documents ~95 celsius is the maximum design rating.
Last edited by zacs7; 01-04-2009 at 07:15 AM. Reason: I don't need to supply a reason for editing my own post.
I have never seen a processor get even close to that.
Anything around the 60C mark is fine IMO... considering humans can withstand such temperatures :-)
Silicon begins the process of melting at about 170F - 175F which I think is 70 to 75 celsius. At this temperature the outside of chip begins to get a bit soft and gooey. My processor has gotten pretty high but after a cleaning it's back down to the 55 - 60 range. Good ranges depend on the CPU in question. AMD's usually have a much different range. I do know for a fact that AMDs are super resistant to heat as I've seen one that hit 200F when the fan died and yet still runs today.
My current CPU has gotten a bit hot in the past and I can see areas on the chip where the surface texture is extremely smooth. Also see this around the various chips on the surface and it is definitely from heat. However no issues wth the CPU and I've had it now for going on 6 years.
My GPU has hit 90C before and it still runs just fine. NVidia claims they can hit 125C before having critical failure. I thought my recent blue screens were due to this but it is definitely drivers since 168.21 drivers work perfect on my card. All 178's and up where digital vibrance is broken cause infinite loop driver errors.
The question is really not how hot but how hot for how long. Long durations of high heat will certainly lead to failure. Spikes on the other hand probably will not.
Last edited by VirtualAce; 01-04-2009 at 01:30 PM.
Sorry, but silicon doesn't melt for several hundred degrees above 175'F. Having worked at the site that handles "faulty processor returns" at AMD in Europe, I have seen a few examples of what happens when the processor gets FAR too hot - the common problem with these processors is shorts between pins - this is caused by the solder that is used to connect the actual chip to the substrate melts - this happens at around 200'C - roughly 400'F.
Athlon 64 processors all have an internal shutdown temperature sensor that shuts the processor off before it takes any damage. This will probably happen around 100-120'C.
--
Mats
Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.
My CPU can take heat upto 70C.
A slight increase and...
*KABOOM* it restarts.
[sigh]
Because of this i am never able to play high-end graphics games
[/sigh]
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
- Albert Einstein.
No programming language is perfect. There is not even a single best language; there are only languages well suited or perhaps poorly suited for particular purposes.
- Herbert Mayer
Undervolt your CPU and get a better cooling fan.
Or underclock it.
Definitely undervolt it, though, if you haven't already. Everyone should do that.
Thanks.
I'll try that.
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
- Albert Einstein.
No programming language is perfect. There is not even a single best language; there are only languages well suited or perhaps poorly suited for particular purposes.
- Herbert Mayer
I was able to undervolt my CPU from 1.35V to 1.1V. Quite the leap. Temperatures that was in the 40-50 now dropped to around 25-30 or so.
Not to mention it draws much less power now!
Also, check if there is a BIOS setting for "shut down processor above X degrees", because it may be the BIOS messing about rather than the CPU actually failing.Thanks.
I'll try that.
Getting a better heatsink should allow you to keep the temperature down at high load.
--
Mats
Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.
Thanks Mats for the tip.
I remember seeing such a setting.
I'll check this next time i switch on my computer.
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
- Albert Einstein.
No programming language is perfect. There is not even a single best language; there are only languages well suited or perhaps poorly suited for particular purposes.
- Herbert Mayer
Maybe you can, but I get a fever from the 24C in my office -- 60C and I'd probably be dead in no time.
"I am probably the laziest programmer on the planet, a fact with which anyone who has ever seen my code will agree." - esbo, 11/15/2008
"the internet is a scary place to be thats why i dont use it much." - billet, 03/17/2010
60C is pretty lethal I would say. Anything above 30C is tough to handle for folks who are not used to high temps (like me)
