Cooling a computer's CPU is not only a hotly debated topic among hardware experts, but it is also a very common problem for ordinary users, who may find themselves with a computer that shuts itself off due to too much heat. What is certain is that modern processors need active cooling through the heatsink, that is, a fan that sends air to the surface of the CPU to cool it.
A computer, after some time of use and depending on where it is located, takes dust inside which blocks the air intakes, slows down the rotation of the fan and instructs the heatsink preventing the air from removing heat.
Too much heat on the CPU not only leads to the sudden shutdown of the computer (done for safety, not to damage the processor), but also affects its performance .
So if the older CPUs, when they overheat, cause the computer to shutdown for safety, in the most modern CPUs the processing speed is changed according to the temperature (among other things) just to prevent the PC from turning off.
An example of this technology is the one called Intel's Turbo Boost (or Turbo Core for AMD).
On the page dedicated to Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 there are five factors that influence the increase in the frequency of an Intel CPU:
- Type of work
- Number of active cores
- Estimated current consumption
- Estimated energy consumption
- Processor temperature
Speaking only of the processor temperature, we discover that Intel CPUs, when they reach a certain thermal limit, begin to reduce the frequency to prevent it from being damaged.
This thermal limit for Intel processors is 100 ° C, which means great heat resistance for modern processors and a minimal or almost no impact of heat on computer performance (take into account that in older processors, those of two or three years ago, if you exceed 92 or 95 degrees the PC suddenly turns off).
Unfortunately, it should be emphasized that any processor, if subjected to such high temperatures for a long time, ends up ruining itself and reducing their life, also causing errors such as bluescreen.
On average, the CPU should not reach a higher temperature of around 80-85 ° C when it is fully loaded for an extended period of time.
If the temperature should be higher, while on some high-level computers it is therefore necessary to resort to additional cooling fans or, even, to liquid cooling, on normal PCs it is important to clean, occasionally, the dust on the heatsink and on the fan and keep the temperature under control when using heavier programs.
Dust does not in itself damage the electrical components, but it is a problem for the computer only from the point of view of blocking the fans causing overheating.
What can happen at high temperatures up to 100 degrees is the condensation inside the computer case or on the processor itself which, together with the dust, creates an inductive sludge that damages the electronic components.
Heat is the eternal enemy of computers and good cleaning is essential to keep it cool and extend its life.
Other articles list the programs to see temperatures and heat on the PC hardware components, including Core Temp and SpeedFan and the guide to keep the laptop cool .
