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How to Use Core Temp

Core Temp shows a lot of information in a very small window, and most of it is self-explanatory once you know which part of the processor each row refers to. This page walks through the interface from the top down and points out the handful of settings that are worth changing on a new install.

Reading the main window

The processor block

The upper half identifies the chip: model name, the code name of its architecture, socket, and the clock the cores are currently running at. The frequency is not fixed — modern processors move it up and down constantly, so seeing it jump around is normal behaviour rather than a fault.

The temperature block

Underneath, every core gets its own line. That per-core view is the reason the program exists: a single “CPU temperature” figure hides the fact that one core doing all the work can sit twenty degrees above its idle neighbours. Each line carries a live value plus the minimum and maximum recorded since the program started, which makes it easy to leave the window open through a game or a render and check the peak afterwards.

Tj. Max and the load figure

Tj. Max is the temperature the processor manufacturer treats as the ceiling for the die. It is a property of the chip, not a setting, and it differs between models. The load percentage next to each core helps you tell a thermal problem from a busy machine — heat with no load is a very different story from heat under a full render.

The notification area

Core Temp can put live readings straight into the Windows taskbar clock area. Which sensors appear there, and the colours they use, are configured in the notification area section of the settings. Hiding everything except the hottest core keeps the tray readable; showing all of them is useful while you are diagnosing something.

Settings worth a look

• Start with Windows — useful if you want an eye on the machine all the time, unnecessary if you only check temperatures occasionally.
• Fahrenheit or Celsius — a single switch in the display options for readers in the United States.
• Polling interval — how often the sensor is read. Slower intervals are gentler on a laptop battery.
• Overheat protection — triggers an action when a core crosses a threshold you define, from a simple notification to shutting the system down.
• Logging — writes readings to a file so you can look at a long session afterwards instead of watching the window.

Extending it

Core Temp exposes its readings to other software and supports plug-ins, which is how the desktop gadget and the media centre add-on get their data. If you write software yourself, the developer page is the place to start.

Where to go next

If you have not installed it yet, start at the download page. To interpret the numbers you are now looking at, read the CPU temperature guide. If a reading is missing or looks impossible, try the troubleshooting steps.