I suspected my CPU was operating at very high temperatures a few days back. I entered the BIOS to check the CPU’s temperature the next time my computer hanged. I was shocked to say the least.
My CPU was running at 70 degrees Celsius! No wonder the heatsink was untouchable. I guess some CPUs are able to withstand slightly higher temperatures but I wasn’t even doing any “heavy” before the computer hanged due to what I suspect is overheating.
I searched the Internet to find out the maximum temperature my Pentium 4 3.0GHz can run at before frying itself. According to the report by Heatsink Guide, Intel Pentium 4 and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition CPUs have a maximum operating temperature of between 64 to 78 degrees Celsius (P4 EE 3.2GHz being at 64 degrees). I wonder if that means that my P4 3.0GHz has a maximum operating temperature of about 60 to 70 degrees too.
CPU temperature monitoring software
I searched for a CPU temperature monitoring software and found SpeedFan 4.33. I installed it and configure it to display my CPU temperature in the taskbar. That way, I can keep an eye on the temperature at all times. I also configured the software to alert me when the CPU temperature rises above 70 degrees Celsius.
The above is a screenshot indicating my CPU temperature. Temp2 is the temperature of my CPU. Do you notice the icon with a fire beside it? That indicates what 72 degrees Celsius does to my CPU. LOL.
Solution (to be) taken to solve this problem
I notice the CPU fan is running at about 2657 RPM. I have no idea if that is normal. I wonder the CPU is overheating due to some dust collected around the heatsink and fan. I plan to give them a good clean up when I have the time. I hope that helps to reduce the temperature a little.
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