Why is the processor hot?

Perhaps there is no such computer owner who at least once did not ask himself why the processor is hot. And, rarely, only from idle curiosity. The fact is that if the processor is very hot, then this has a noticeable effect on the performance of the entire computer system. Spontaneous operating system hangs, the occurrence of errors of any running application, periodic reboots always alert any user, forcing to understand the causes of what is happening. Sometimes such a computer is simply carried to a service center for maintenance, while losing time and money. But there is nothing complicated in eliminating this "malfunction". But let's talk about everything in order.

The processor is hot in any computer. This is the normal mode of its operation. Even mobile phones in the hot season can function with errors. It is important to understand that the cause of heating is very rarely a defect in the elements of the chip. In most cases, overheating occurs due to a malfunction in the operation of the cooling system, which is a mandatory component. Thus, as long as the temperature is within acceptable limits, it can be ignored. Where to find out the meaning of this "ceiling", we will point out a little later. Why does the processor heat up?

As is known from the course of physics, when an electric current passes through a section of conductive material, a gradual increase in temperature is observed in the latter. Charged particles moving by the action of an external electric field enter into interaction with atoms in the structure of the conductor and inform them of a part of their potential. This leads to an increase in the internal energy of the conductive material, which manifests itself in the growth temperature. The higher the current, the higher the heating. And at the computer processor it is estimated in tens Amperes. Low voltage further exacerbates the situation. In electrical engineering, there is even a formula that allows you to calculate the amount of heat released. From all that has been said, the conclusion follows: the processor is warming itself because of the principle itself, which is the basis of its work. The passage of electrons through the circuits always causes heat generation, under normal conditions this can not be avoided.

There are several ways to solve this problem: to use the phenomenon of superconductivity, when the conductor is cooled to extremely low temperatures (for household solutions is not applicable), or to design a microcircuit with other principles of operation (quantum computers). Thus, the assertion that the processor is warming AMD, and Intel in these The same tasks remain cold - groundless. The difference is only in the level of heat release.

The increase in heating to a certain value at the work of transistors does not affect in any way, but when there is a certain "threshold", malfunctions begin. In the specification for each processor model on the manufacturer's website, the limiting temperature is specified, which is a kind of boundary, after exceeding which the stable operation of the device is not guaranteed. For modern solutions, it is 50-70 degrees. You can see the current level of heating in different programs. For example, deserved popularity is enjoyed by Speed Fan.