CPU temperature

[wheetleya]

How does a CPU temperature monitor software know the correct temperature? I think a sensor should read an accurate temperature of the CPU or the HDD. I don't think computers have a temperature sensor because the software is for every computer. So, is the value shown accurate?

[CoreStyler]

How does a CPU temperature monitor software know the correct temperature? I think a sensor should read an accurate temperature of the CPU or the HDD. I don't think computers have a temperature sensor because the software is for every computer. So, is the value shown accurate?

The CPU should have a sensor because if the temperature is too high the computer will break. So a little sensor is present on all CPU or many of them.
From wikipedia:
Thermal sensors in some CPUs and GPUs can shut down the computer when high temperatures are detected, although this may not guarantee safe operation.

An integrated circuit may also shut down parts of itself when maximal performance is not required, as when idling, or the clock speed may be reduced under low workloads or when temperature is high, reducing power consumption and hence heat generation.

I think that most of the new generation CPU has this function, in particular intel.

Or is possible that the CPU and Bios contains the information about "overflowing" of operations. Like that CPU can do X cycles per second so if are too much, is in a risk phase.

[trogluddite]

Temperature sensing has been a standard feature of CPU's and many other components for a long time now - as CoreStyler says, it is a necessary form of protection for the chips.
This is handled at the motherboard/BIOS level - at boot-up time, long before Windows starts up, all of the hardware is scanned so that the MoBo knows what features each component has - the BIOS then sets everything up to use the correct settings for all of the parts. For example, if you upgrade the main CPU chip on your motherboard, it will be automatically detected, and all of the important voltage and timing settings on the MoBo will be adjusted automatically. Windows then has access to this data by requesting it from the BIOS.
Just as there are standards that say how connections like USB, LAN etc. should work, there are also standards that components use when reporting to the MoBo/BIOS - the temperature (or fan speeds etc.) will be converted into digital data that follows the standard, so that the readings will be consistent between different set-ups.
You often won't see the temperature sensor as a separate part - in order to get the most accurate reading, it is built into the very same piece of silicon as the actual chip circuitry itself, along with the other circuitry that allows 'protection' features like clock throttling etc.

For this reason, you should always open up your PC once in a while and clean the dust and muck off the fans and heatsinks. As they get more and more dirty, the heat cannot escape so easily, and the temperature rises.
But your CPU is unlikely to burn out - instead, what happens is that it senses the temperature rise and will automatically turn down the clock speed (the faster it goes, the more heat it generates). So a very dirty PC can be running a lot slower than the advertised clock speed - killing the CPU performance. In the very worst case, the machine will just shut down to protect the electronics - I have 'fixed' a lot of friend's 'broken' PC's simply by giving them a good clean!

[oddson]

Spam much?

The first post off topic with links in the signature is a sure sign.

(I disabled the links...)

[aliasant]

Spam much?

The first post off topic with links in the signature is a sure sign.

(I disabled the links...)

Yes.
I already reported this and another very similar post.
When they first make the post theres no links. They get added a day or two after to avoid moderators.

[trogluddite]

They get added a day or two after to avoid moderators.

But not for long! - those two now banned and links deleted.
Thanks for the reports - I'd most likely have forgotten to check back on those posts if you hadn't logged them.