Help a newbie understand Thermal Spec

[metakaolin]

Hi all,
I've been lurking reading and learning in this forum for a while and now have purchased 1.5 P4. My question is on the intel page for thermal specs my processor is listed as having a thermal spec of 73 C. Is this how hot I can get my processor before hurting it. If this is true why does it seem everyone tries to stay below 50 C.. Thanks in advance. BTW I'm not interested in an AMD Intel war I just decided to play with the pIV this time.
Thanks in advance
Meta.

[Diggrr]

People try to keep under 50C for stability. An overclocked processor is pushing it's design limits, and without the lower temperature, would trip all over itself (ie. fail to post, blue screen errors, etc...). It also allows it to run a "higher than designed" voltage, which again contributes to stability at higher clock speeds.