subject: Avoid Motherboard Overheating Monitor CPU Temperature [print this page] Computer overheating is something which may be hazardous to your computer and although most new computers include tools (both hardware and software) to safeguard this from happening, it is still a common occurrence. Mainly as a result of higher powered video cards for extreme gaming, or online movie viewing, faster CPU speeds on the whole and even something called over-clocking. There are several signs to watch for to see if your CPU temperature is running too high, some of them you might not even realize that this would be what causes it.
Things to watch for are listed below:
* Computer restarts unexpectedly.
* In the middle of a game and it would seem each frame is moving slower and slower than the one prior to.
* Your computer crashes way too often.
* Computer locks up all of a sudden.
* Things begin running very slow, which were fast prior.
* You must listen for the sounds the fans make. Do they sound like they are continually running, or do they sound erratic, loud at times and then sound as if they are no longer working.
Generally the CPU temp will begin to climb as the computer is constantly being utilized. The heat will start to build up and then eventually cause overheating. If you live in a warm climate and do not have sufficient cooling within your work area, this could also hasten the heat generation within the computer.
Understandably, high CPU temps which cause overheating, can in turn cause hardware failure, and even worse, a fried motherboard, although, most computers these days have built-in safeguards (for example system restart).
Most motherboards will have built into the BIOS setup a method to monitor CPU temperature. During your computer startup, you may wish to enter the BIOS and go to PC health or Power. You will be able to see just what temps are for both the CPU and the system. If you don't want to have to do that each time to check, you may also install software within your Windows system which will monitor CPU temperature all the time. You must make sure however that your motherboard allows this.
Normal CPU temps for processors created by Intel are typical from Idle: 40 to 55 Load: 55 to 85, they do often run higher and hotter than AMD which is from Idle: 30 to 45 Load: 50 to 70.
If your CPU temperatures are running very hot, you may need to take a few measures to try to alleviate this. A simple one is to open one side of your tower to allow air flow in (but be warned lots of dust can and will get in). An additional is to add or replace the heat sink for the processor which has a better one. It is also advisable to do regular dusting out (with compressed air or foot pump) the fans both in the computer and the power supply. Finally, try to keep your computer in a cool working location.
Avoid Motherboard Overheating Monitor CPU Temperature
