The story is always the same: in the Northern Hemisphere they are preparing for a harsh winter, and in the Southern Hemisphere they are already baking before summer, but the war against excess heat in our computers knows no geographic limits. One of the most effective tools to keep a close eye on that cursed number is Core Temp, which reports in real time the minimums, maximums, frequencies, and usage percentages for each available core.
Remember the episode of The Simpsons where Milhouse is chased by a solar ray? Well, some of us feel that way right now, but the situation is even more complex for our computers. Unless we use a chiller or other exotic cooling solution, their temperature floor is identical to the ambient one, and with slightly heavier loads than normal or general maintenance on hold... the final result is a combination of instability and performance loss.
Windows Task Manager can report GPU temperature, but that same function is not available for the processor. In fact, we know that it doesn't even record the frequency correctly, so we need something more. That something is Core Temp, a classic for measuring CPU temperature, and observing secondary values such as frequency and usage of each core.
Download Core Temp to Measure Your CPU Temperature
When visiting the official Core Temp page, I recommend clicking the More Downloads option and selecting the portable edition, since it is easier to evaluate. Unzipping the ZIP and double-clicking its executable takes us to the interface, with information about the processor type and model, number of cores, frequency and usage, main voltage, revision and lithography, approximate TDP (this may be incorrect), and most importantly, the section dedicated to temperature.
The values are calculated based on the condition of core 0, with readings of minimum temperature, maximum temperature, the ceiling for Tj Max (that is, the limit before activating thermal protections), and the estimated power consumption in watts. The configuration options are relatively simple, such as changing colors, replacing Celsius with Fahrenheit, update frequency and logging, and enabling plugins. These plugins are basically widgets that extend the information recorded by Core Temp beyond the program, and are downloaded through the official site.
The latest update of Core Temp adds support for the new Raptor Lake and Alder Lake chips, improves compatibility with Ryzen APUs, and fixes nearly a dozen bugs. Still, during my tests I have detected an incorrect TDP value for my first-generation Ryzen processor, so it is likely to receive some extra tweaks. Link below!
Official site and download: Click here
