Chapter 4: AMI BIOS
Low – This level is considered as the ‘normal’ operating state. The CPU temperature is well below the CPU ‘Temperature Tolerance’. The motherboard fans and CPU will run normally as configured in the BIOS (Fan Speed Control).
User intervention: No action required.
Medium – The processor is running warmer. This is a ‘precautionary’ level and generally means that there may be factors contributing to this condition, but the CPU is still within its normal operating state and below the CPU ‘Temperature Tolerance’. The motherboard fans and CPU will run normally as configured in the BIOS. The fans may adjust to a faster speed depending on the Fan Speed Control settings.
User intervention: No action is required. However, consider checking the CPU fans and the chassis ventilation for blockage.
High – The processor is running hot. This is a ‘caution’ level since the CPU’s ‘Tem- perature Tolerance’ has been reached (or has been exceeded) and may activate an overheat alarm:
The Default Alarm – the Overheat LED and system buzzer will activate if the High condition continues for some time after it is reached. The CPU fan will run at full speed to bring the CPU temperature down. If the CPU temperature still increases even with the CPU fan running at full speed, the system buzzer will activate and the Overheat LED will turn on.
The Early Alarm – the Overheat LED and system buzzer will be activated exactly when the High level is reached. The CPU fan will run at full speed to bring the CPU temperature down.
Note: In both the alarms above, please take immediate action as shown below. See CPU Overheat Alarm to modify the above alarm settings.
User intervention: If the system buzzer and Overheat LED has activated, take action immediately by checking the system fans, chassis ventilation and room temperature to correct any problems. Note: the system may shut down if it con- tinues for a long period to prevent damage to the CPU.
Notes: The CPU thermal technology that reports absolute temperatures (Celsius/Fahrenheit) has been upgraded to a more advanced feature by Intel in its newer processors. The basic concept is that each CPU is embedded by a unique temperature information that the motherboard can read. This ‘Temperature Threshold’ or ‘Temperature Tolerance’ has been assigned at the factory and is the baseline by which the motherboard takes action during different CPU temperature conditions (i.e., by increasing CPU Fan speed, triggering the Overheat Alarm, etc). Since CPUs can have different ‘Tem- perature Tolerances’, the installed CPU can now send its ‘Temperature Toler- ance’ to the motherboard resulting in better CPU thermal management.