He heat It is one of the main enemies of technological devices and that means that every summer, in a good part of Spain, computers and mobiles suffer to maintain their performance. In this context, it is important monitor the temperature of the devices and knowing when to give them a break before they malfunction or become damaged.
None of the most common operating systems –Windows, Android, iOS– It has native options that indicate at what temperature the CPU or other components of the computer or mobile are set, so it is necessary to resort to third party apps that can read data from internal sensors to report on this aspect.
In the case of computers, the problem is more pressing on laptops than on desktopswhich usually have larger cases with better cooling, sometimes with several fans to maximize the intake and output of air, in addition to those that incorporate components such as the CPU, GPU or power supply. In this format, it is rare for a problem such as this to arise. throttlingwhich is the main consequence of high temperatures. It is much more common in laptops and, above all, mobile phones.because their cooling capabilities are much more limited.
Throttling or thermal limitation is one of those functions that manufacturers do not like to mention and consists of The operating system reduces the speed of a processor to prevent it from overheating.This is what happens, for example, when you have been playing a demanding video game for a while and you notice how suddenly the performance drops sharply. Your brand new mobile or laptop thus ensures that the maximum operating temperature is not exceeded, which prevents major problems such as damaging the components or the equipment freezing, unable to continue working at those temperatures, but It leaves you with a device that is much slower than before throttling..
The temperatures that trigger this behavior vary by model and manufacturer. As a general reference, processors Intel and AMD They usually have a maximum operating temperature of around 100 degrees, sometimes a little above or a little below. In the case of processors For mobile phones and tablets, the numbers are halved. Those of Qualcomm and MediaTek They can reach 40 or 50 degrees; in the case of ManzanaThe company does not provide the data, but it does recommend 35 degrees as the maximum ambient temperature for problem-free operation.
Apps to monitor temperature, depending on the type of device and operating system
If you have a computer with Windowsyou can use apps like Core Tempa lightweight tool that displays the temperature of each processor core. If you want a more complete alternative, you can use Aida64This veteran program informs you about all aspects of your computer’s hardware and, as for temperatures, it tells you those of the CPU, without distinguishing between cores, GPU, chipset, hard drives and power supply.
If you use a computer Macthen you can decide for Temperature Gaugewhich has fan control options, but is paid. A free option in this ecosystem is Statscompatible with computers with both Intel and Apple M processors. A native option that macOS has is to open the application Terminal and enter the command “smc -k TMU”. This will show you the CPU temperature.
If you are a user of Android, CPU-Z is a great option. This program, which is also available for Windows, tells you the temperature of the battery, certain areas of the phone and also the CPU.
Finally, if you have a iPhonebecause there are not many options. Apple does not allow third-party apps to access temperature sensor information and there are no native options on the iPhone to display this information to the user. The closest thing is the heat warning that the operating system gives if the mobile gets too hot, but does not specify numbers.