Geek idea

[ciphergoth]

may be unoriginal or wrong.

Processors can be damaged by getting too hot, so they have processor fans. Modern fan assemblies include a thermometer so they can adjust the fan speed to keep the processor at a constant temperature.

However, another thing that can damage processors is sudden changes in temperature. Suppose a processor is working flat out and the fan is going full whack. If the processor suddenly stops doing work and so generates much less heat, the fan won't slow down until after the sudden drop in temperature.

So really, motherboards should monitor the power consumption of processors as well as their temperature, so that sudden changes in workload can be responded to quickly to prevent sudden changes in temperature and so prolong the life of the processor.

Comments

[aegidian]

Umm.. isn't heat output pretty much in direct proportion to power consumption (processors viewed as heating devices), so a temperature sensor is in effect a power consumption sensor?

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

Since both CPU and motherboard have a non-zero thermal capacity, there will be a delay between a change in power input and the point at which the device reaches a new thermal equilibrium; as such a power monitor is useful in predicting the change in temperature that *will* occur, while a thermometer can only measure current state.

[conflux.livejournal.com]

The thermal capacity of the combined heat sink and chip means that cooling due to reduced workload is not a major problem if the heat sink is big enough to absorb rapid heat fluctuations. So basically all you need is the relatively low tech and cheap solution of making the heat sink out of a large enough chunk of metal. I use Zalman heat sinks, which are made from a very large and heavy piece of copper arranged in flower leaves, for this reason. In my opinion smaller cheaper heat sinks are a false economy if you want your computer to last for a few years.