Dumb Question...

When folks are talking about cpu temperatures... does:

idle = after post, in the bios?

full load = in windows?

or is it

idle = in windows, nothing running

full load = after running benchmarks, etc.?


I know, dumb question... but I was never really sure

idle means either in bios or in windows doing nothing. (though after loading windows the temp will be slightly higher than in bios)

load means while the cpu is being run at 100%
running cpu benchmarks will put the cpu at load, but you really need something that will run it at load for a few hours to get a good idea of the load temp.
folding@home and SETI are good for doing this.

if you run some benchmarks and then check the temp after running them, it will still be high, but won't be full load.