Thermal Throttling vs. Damage:
Thermal throttling is a mechanism built into modern processors like your Ryzen 7 7735HS. When temperatures get too high, the CPU will automatically reduce its clock speeds to lower the temperature. This is a protective measure that prevents permanent damage to the CPU.
However, repeated instances of exceeding 95°C for extended periods could accelerate thermal degradation of the silicon, meaning the CPU's performance might degrade over time, even if you don’t experience immediate failures or crashes. This degradation is typically gradual and may not be noticeable immediately.
The Lenovo Default Temp Limit (100°C):
Lenovo has set the temperature limit to 100°C, which is higher than AMD’s specified 95°C. The fact that Lenovo has set this limit suggests that they believe the CPU can handle these higher temperatures in the short term, but it does not mean that consistently running at 100°C is ideal in the long term.
It's worth noting that laptop manufacturers often set higher temperature limits for cooling efficiency reasons, particularly in gaming laptops. However, the CPU is still designed to operate within safe limits, and prolonged exposure to high temperatures can still affect long-term performance and lifespan.
Occasional Exceedance of 95°C:
Briefly exceeding the 95°C mark during heavy workloads or stress (like gaming or video rendering) is generally not harmful as long as the temperatures quickly drop back down. CPUs are designed to handle spikes in temperature and will throttle back to protect themselves if necessary.
However, if temperatures stay near or exceed 95°C for long periods of time (several minutes or more), that’s when it can potentially cause long-term degradation.
Cooling Solutions:
You can optimize cooling by using laptop cooling pads or ensuring your laptop’s cooling system is working effectively. In addition, tweaking power settings in the BIOS or using software like Lenovo Vantage could help control the thermal profiles and prevent the CPU from hitting those high temperatures as often.
In addition, using external monitoring software like HWMonitor or Core Temp can help you track temperature trends and understand if they’re consistently spiking too high.
Conclusion:
Briefly exceeding 95°C should not cause immediate damage or harm, especially if temperatures return to normal quickly. However, it's best to avoid prolonged periods of high temperatures.
Long-term exposure to high temperatures (e.g., consistently near or above 95°C) could potentially lead to thermal degradation over time.
If you're looking for more in-depth insights on processor temperature thresholds and longevity, you could check out resources on high-performance CPUs at Tom's Hardware, which is a trusted site with in-depth technical analysis on CPU thermals and hardware longevity.
