Power virus
Encyclopedia
A power virus is a malicious computer program that executes specific machine code in order to reach the maximum CPU power dissipation
(thermal energy
output for the central processing unit
). Computer cooling apparati are designed to dissipate power up to the Thermal Design Power
, rather than maximum power, and a power virus could cause the system to overheat; if it does not have logic to stop the processor, this may cause permanent physical damage.
Stability Test applications are similar programs which have the same effect as power viruses (high CPU usage) but stay under the user's control. They are used for testing CPUs, for example, when overclocking
.
Different micro-architectures typically require different machine code to hit their maximum power. Examples of such machine code do not appear to be distributed in CPU reference materials.
CPU power dissipation
Central processing unit power dissipation or CPU power dissipation is the process in which central processing units consume electrical energy, and dissipate this energy both by the action of the switching devices contained in the CPU and by the energy lost in the form of heat due to the impedance...
(thermal energy
Thermal energy
Thermal energy is the part of the total internal energy of a thermodynamic system or sample of matter that results in the system's temperature....
output for the central processing unit
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
). Computer cooling apparati are designed to dissipate power up to the Thermal Design Power
Thermal Design Power
The thermal design power , sometimes called thermal design point, refers to the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate. For example, a laptop's CPU cooling system may be designed for a 20 watt TDP, which means that it can dissipate up to 20 watts of heat...
, rather than maximum power, and a power virus could cause the system to overheat; if it does not have logic to stop the processor, this may cause permanent physical damage.
Stability Test applications are similar programs which have the same effect as power viruses (high CPU usage) but stay under the user's control. They are used for testing CPUs, for example, when overclocking
Overclocking
Overclocking is the process of operating a computer component at a higher clock rate than it was designed for or was specified by the manufacturer, but some manufacturers purposely underclock their components to improve battery life. Many people just overclock or 'rightclock' their hardware to...
.
Different micro-architectures typically require different machine code to hit their maximum power. Examples of such machine code do not appear to be distributed in CPU reference materials.
External links
- http://download.intel.com/technology/itj/q32000/pdf/thermal_perf.pdf