I was using this command to read the temperature of cpu:
cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp
Then I was looking for some other options and suddenly found that there is another option to find out core temperature. Since this CPU has two cores I am seeing temperature range of
thermal_zone0 – 45-50 D C
Core 0 – 60- 95 D C
Core 1 – 60 – 95 D C
It is near about boiling point of water.
Is it okay to have this kind of temperature spike or should I change my cooler to something better?
Best Answer
It is impossible to say for sure without knowing what the CPU was doing at the time (and relatedly what speed it was clocked at).
That CPU is very old (released in 2008) and has a 65 watt TDP - so that it can generate this kind of heat is not a surprise or necessarily a problem. It may comfort/help you to know that Intel CPUs have logic in them to slow the CPUs down when they are very hot so they don't get damaged.
That said, as per the link above, the TCASE for this processor is 72.4 degrees C (TCASE being "Case Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS).") - so assuming thermal_zone0 is measuring this - which I expect it is - the CPU is operating well within spec.
I would comment that except for unusual use cases, spending any money on that system (eg to replace the cooler) is throwing good money after bad. That system is passed its use-by date, and if its getting a significant level of use its probably costing $50-$100 per year in power - so you could probably pick up a 4-6 year old PC/laptop and, over a period of 3-5 years be better off financially - and have a faster and more reliable system. (Intel spent lots of effort making their CPUs a LOT more power efficient in between very roughly 2012 and 2016)