Thermal Throttling
pcThermal throttling is the process of dynamically reducing a computer processor's speed to prevent overheating.
expanded
Thermal throttling occurs when a computer processor reduces its clock speed to manage temperatures and prevent damage from heat. This mechanism is critical in maintaining the operational integrity of a system, especially under workloads that generate significant heat, such as gaming or video rendering.
examples
A gaming laptop reduces its CPU frequency from 3.5 GHz to 2.0 GHz to maintain temperatures below 85°C (185°F).
Commonly seen during extended gaming sessions on high-performance laptops.
A desktop CPU operates at reduced performance under full load until the case fans can reduce the internal temperature to below 70°C (158°F).
Occurs in high-end desktops during intensive tasks like 4K video editing.