Processor Temp vs. Assembly Temp

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Hey all, I have a question. So I'm studying for the first of two exams for A+ certification, and while looking through my study guide I came across something that mentioned that, when checking to see if your computer is overheating, the temperature for normal operation should not exceeed 100 degrees Farenheit. My question is, temperature for normal operation of WHAT? You see, I have a Dell laptop with an Intel i5 processor, and a few times I've had issues with overheating so I downloaded an app that lets me monitor the hardware temp sensors without going into the BIOS. What I've noticed is that my processor averages about 90 to 100 degrees F when idle, but during peak processing instances such as startup it can go as high as 120 degrees F. I'm pretty sure the processor sensor measures the temperature of the processor itself, however, since there's an assembly sensor that is usually much lower, I'm pretty sure that just measures the temperature of the air inside the case. Right now, for example, my processor is hovering around 110 to 120 degrees F, probably because I'm typing this post, but my assembly sensor is reading 80-85 degrees F.

So is it considered acceptable for an i5 processor to exceed 100 degrees F during normal operation, or should I be more concerned about it? It seems like it still runs ok even at these temperatures. The few times my computer has shut down due to overheating was because I closed the lid without putting it in hibernate or shutting it down, therefore it was still running while tucked away in my bag, and more than likely the lack of sufficient airflow caused the problem. I've since learned to shut it down before putting it in my bag for any time longer than 5 minutes or so.

I think that either the book has a typo, or you are actually reading the book wrong. At any rate , it should be 100 Celsius, not Farenheit. The actual thermal cutoff for an Intel CPU is @ 220F, and with AMD's usually about 225F before your system goes into emercency thermal shutdown.

Another thing, is that the temperature that you are seeing is only from where the temperature sensor is. The further away from the CPU, generally the lower the temperature will be, though at the same time, GPU's can put out as much heat as your CPU.

Generally speaking, AMD CPU's run hotter than Intels, and they also consume more power as well.

Also, I don't know what app you are using to monitor temperature, but if it's available for Windows systems, I would suggest that you would try Conky as a desktop computer monitor app. --Some configuration will be required.