Sepero Hacker: Linux: Cool your CPU temperature with frequency throttling

Monday, October 29, 2012

Linux: Cool your CPU temperature with frequency throttling

Update 2024-04-24: Starting with version 3.0.0, added support for more options, and support for configuration file. For info, see the included file ./etc/temp-throttle.conf

Last night I went to sleep while running a heavy program that used 100% of my Intel i7 multicore processor. When I woke up in the morning, I found my laptop powered off. A look through the /var/log/syslog confirmed that it had shut off due to over heating.

So to control temperature, I wrote a script to throttle cpu frequency. This script must be run with root privileges (sudo) to work. For a desired max temperature of 80 degrees Celsius, use a command like this:
sudo ./temp_throttle.sh 80

This can also result in longer battery life on laptops and portable devices.

Download link: temperature throttling script for Linux - temp_throttle.sh
New User Resources:

How do I run a script?
How to run a script at computer start using Ubuntu?
How to run a script at computer start using a systemd Linux system? here and here

Download link: temperature throttling script for Linux - temp_throttle.sh

Project source page: https://github.com/Sepero/temp-throttle

NOTICE: This script may not be effective if your system over heating is due to factors other than your CPU (ie. graphics, harddrive, etc.). This script will only throttle your CPU frequency based on your systems reported temperature. Opening and cleaning dust from a computer can often dramatically help cool it also.

If this script helps you in any way, then please share it with others. Post it in your favorite chat or forum.

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Comment or leave feedback sepero 111 @ gmx . com
Keywords:
overheating cpu scaling temperature control Linux

57 comments:

UnknownNovember 8, 2012 at 10:22 AM
Hi, nice script! umm, my /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon0/temp1_input
always reports 42 C, so I changed that line to
TEMP=$(cat /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon1/device/temp1_input)
that reports the temp the same as my gkrellm lm_sensors CPU temp monitor.

thx!
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KoGolBokJanuary 15, 2013 at 4:29 AM
Finally! I've found you!
I published your script at http://forum.rosalab.ru/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1645 I wanted to ask your permission, but lost your blog :) Sorry.

And more.
Some people have even more problems, their kernel module for cpu frequency controlling not loading automatically. I have seen it on arch, mandriva/mageia/rosa, fedora, opensuse (hey! they all rpm distros!) and if you work on laptop without frequency control - huh, it gets hot!
I don't want to dig deeper into why is this happening, I just wrote autostart script for starting your script with automatic detection if selected module loaded and loading module with selected governor.
Script was written for RosaLinux/Mageia/Mandriva/Fedora, but I think you can easilly adopt it for Ubuntu or anything else (only change path to /sys/.../cpufreq folder and change comand cpupower to cpufreq-set (or write your own :) )
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SeperoJanuary 16, 2013 at 8:35 AM
Hi Russian friend, thank you for sharing. I'm glad it worked out great for you. :)
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PedroApril 9, 2013 at 3:18 PM
Thank you very much Sepero, this script works very well in Fedora 18, no more shutdowns while watching Youtube videos...

Just want to add the simple instructions to run the script on boot as root in Fedora 18:

Create rc.local:

# touch /etc/rc.d/rc.local

Make it executable:

# chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.local

Open rc.local and add the following text:

#!/bin/bash

/root/temp_throttle.sh 98

Change the last line with your path to the script and desired temperature, and don't forget to make the script executable too.

Check if rc-local.service is running:

# systemctl status rc-local.service

Reboot and check if all went well by running again the above command, if all went well you should see something like this:

# systemctl status rc-local.service
rc-local.service - /etc/rc.d/rc.local Compatibility
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/rc-local.service; static)
Active: activating (start) since Seg 2001-01-01 06:46:14 WET; 12 years 3 months ago
Control: 1003 (rc.local)
CGroup: name=systemd:/system/rc-local.service
├─ 1003 /bin/bash /etc/rc.d/rc.local start
├─ 1023 /bin/bash /root/temp_throttle.sh 98
└─25269 sleep 3
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KevinMay 20, 2013 at 9:44 PM
Works great on Ubuntu 12.10. Thanks!
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IpeacocksAugust 25, 2013 at 4:33 AM
I`ve got an error:

$ sh temp_throttle.sh 80

temp_throttle.sh: 23: temp_throttle.sh: Syntax error: "(" unexpected
ipeacocks@homepc:~/Downloads/cpu/temp-throttle-master$ bash temp_throttle.sh 80
Author: Sepero (sepero 111 @ gmail . com)
Remote Python developer and Linux administrator for hire.
URL: http://github.com/Sepero/temp-throttle/

Number of CPU cores detected: 4

cat: /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp: No such file or directory
temp_throttle.sh: line 105: [: -gt: unary operator expected
temp_throttle.sh: line 107: [: -le: unary operator expected
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SophieNovember 7, 2013 at 8:06 PM
This is fantastic. My ASUS laptop temp was breaking 80c running WINE, and now it doesn't top 65. When under load it stills runs a good 5-10c hotter than Windows 7, but it's much improved over the 10-20c difference I was seeing previously, both idling and under load. Thank you so much for this script!
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UnknownFebruary 27, 2014 at 2:54 PM
This is great!.. My HP laptop was always shutting down due to overheating. Now its stays below 80c often running at 75c while it usually run at 95-103c
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madrisieraaMarch 15, 2014 at 7:41 AM
Hi Sepero I'm new in this, I run the script but I,ve git this error

noelie@noelie-Aspire-5315:/tmp/temp-throttle-master$ sh temp_throttle.sh 80
Author: Sepero 2013 (sepero 111 @ gmx . com)
URL: http://github.com/Sepero/temp-throttle/

-e Number of CPU cores detected: 1

Error: Could not determine available cpu frequencies
noelie@noelie-Aspire-5315:/tmp/temp-throttle-master$
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UnknownMay 31, 2014 at 8:07 AM
Nice script. Very instructive. Actually took it only as a blueprint to throttle my CPU to a fixed max frequency. I have a Gaming Laptop with aggressive fan control. Throttling the CPU keeps the fan from speeding up during load peaks making it much more suitable for work related tasks (being still fast enough).
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UnknownJune 9, 2014 at 2:18 PM
Finally I fixed my laptop overheating problem with your script. I already was thinking of switching to windows. There are a lot of people struggling with overheating issue, just google "overheating linux" and you will see how many result will get back. We most share this script with the people who are struggling with this issue. THANKS ALOT Sepero
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HCEOctober 26, 2014 at 3:30 AM
thanks for sharing

my laptop used to die when playing youtube videos for extended time, after showing kernel message like:

CPU1: Core temperature above threshold, cpu clock throttled (total events = 131)

I also think I found a method to choose which files to monitor: the computer halts when CPUs overheat, but which files do I have to watch to check for that?

to discover it, run the following command in a terminal along with your favourite overheating application:

while true; do sensors |grep Core; find /sys/devices/virtual/thermal/ -name temp|xargs -n1 grep -H .|grep -v :0; sleep 5;done

my output is like:

Core 0: +63.0°C (high = +80.0°C, crit = +90.0°C)
Core 2: +61.0°C (high = +80.0°C, crit = +90.0°C)
/sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp:68000
/sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone3/temp:50000
/sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone5/temp:24900
/sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone7/temp:62000
/sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone8/temp:65000
/sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone9/temp:78000

first lines are the CPU physical core(s) temperatures, other are temperature monitoring files

observe it from some time as the temperature changes, and look for the files that follow the sensors output. for some reason probably some data fitlering, I never get an exact match, but I found out that in my case the sensors are thermal_zone7 and thermal_zone8. edit TEMPERATURE_FILES accordingly, leave only the core temperatures.

you might also want to change the get_temp functions so that it finds the core max of core temperatures:

get_temp () {
TEMP=-1
# Get the system temperature.
for FILE in $TEMPERATURE_FILES; do
TEMP_i=$(cat $TEMP_FILE)
if [ $TEMP_i -gt $TEMP ]; then
TEMP=$TEMP_i
fi
done
}
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KuchiKuuJanuary 6, 2015 at 2:20 PM
What if I end the program while in the middle of the "throttle" ? the "unthrottle" will not happen thus my cpu freq will be lower and if the next throttle happens (by executing the program) it will be throttled DOUBLE TIME?
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EsubeMarch 11, 2015 at 12:20 PM
Hey this is cool, thanks! But, sometimes it allows the CPU to go beyond the set temp before throttling it back. I checked that with sensors while running the script. Do you have any idea why?
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UnknownMay 8, 2016 at 8:19 AM
Thank you, man. You have solved my problem. I was thinking in the purchase of a new laptop. Thanks again :)
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icicle hunterMay 18, 2016 at 12:55 AM
Hi,

For me the script gives this error:

robert@robert-desktop:~$ sudo ./temp_throttle.sh 80
[sudo] password for robert:
Author: Sepero 2016 (sepero 111 @ gmx . com)
URL: http://github.com/Sepero/temp-throttle/

Number of CPU cores detected: 2

Error: Could not determine available cpu frequencies
robert@robert-desktop:~$

Any idea what I can do?

Thanks
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UnknownJune 8, 2016 at 10:58 AM
Hi Mr.Sepero. I'm a new guy who just got here. I ran the script. Does this means every time i login, i must run the script or I just run it once?. Please sorry if my question is dump.
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UnknownJune 8, 2016 at 5:48 PM
Do i need to let the script run till infinity, or just stop at some time?
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UnknownDecember 28, 2016 at 7:45 PM
Ran the script and set the temp and it failed with:

Error: Could not determine available cpu frequencies
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UnknownFebruary 21, 2017 at 3:18 AM
This is pure bliss!!!
(a note to those with scripts not working)

Firstly use the script from the GitHub link not the direct download, that file doesn't throttle anything

In the GitHub script, edit the TEMPERATURE_FILES paths, should be line 73, with the paths to you input temps, or read etc. I used 2 line, since my laptop reads 2 cores only.

And youre done... sudo it, temp it, however you like, I ended removing the if statement to check for a varible and set MAX_TEMP=70 permanently (in the file of course), so it could run at start up without errors
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DBoothMarch 10, 2017 at 8:51 AM
Awesome! Overheating has been a persistent problem on my laptop. I have tried fan control and cpulimit, but those approaches were too difficult and unreliable. temp_throttle.sh works beautifully! Thank you!
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UnknownMarch 30, 2017 at 2:04 AM
Thank you!
I have 2 typical computing usages that have been optimized thanks to your script and website (SEO sucks for low popularity sites, it's like my 15th search on gg/ddg)

1) my friend can run his phd scripts with heavier load on my Oc'd desktop, because scripts may run at 100% on cores which is not good for stability and unusual peak
temperatures

2) My shitty cooled msi ge72 "best bang for buck 3 heatpipes with nuclear i3" can now run games without me having to be concerned on temps over watch sensors or i7Z commands. (the cpu does output way more watts than the cooler ouput, but nby really care except geeks)

Linux mint runs 10°C colder than w10 on my laptop. Since I've left W8.1, I've started learning using linux as a poweruser, I have striclty no control over w10pro sometimes, it can download stuff even with aggressive policies and disabled update service.

So now I have equal control on cpu management on both w10 and linux; thanks again, starred your github
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UnknownMarch 30, 2017 at 10:26 PM
I agree with everybody here. This is excellent, man. Thank you!
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UnknownJune 20, 2017 at 3:44 AM
Thank you tried cleaning and re-thermal pasting the CPU heat sink with no luck... been overheating in UK summer 106 Centigrade ... switching off. This has put AMD A8 in mid 70's Centigrade. Running at 100000 frequency instead of 200000 max
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Rajesh KJuly 21, 2017 at 6:34 AM
The script solved my system problem. Thank you for this wonderful little hack.
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rickysol7November 9, 2017 at 8:21 AM
Works perfect in Ubuntu 16.04. Processor Intel i3. Thank you so much!!
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UnknownDecember 31, 2017 at 12:00 PM
Thank you very much for this script I've been looking for something like this!
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UnknownJuly 10, 2018 at 6:24 AM
# CURRENT_FREQ will save the index of the currently used frequency in FREQ_LIST.
CURRENT_FREQ=2

Why is the current frequency set to 2 here?
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UnknownNovember 10, 2018 at 6:21 AM
I already use your script for 2 years and it worked very well on my PC with intel i7 3,4 Ghz. But after installing Ubuntu 18.04 I got the following message:

Error: Failed to set frequency CPU core0. Run script as Root user. Some systems may require to install the package cpufrequtils.

The temp is going high till 96degr.
How can I save this problem.

Thanks in advance.
Wim
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UnknownApril 21, 2019 at 10:30 PM
Hey thanks for the script. Fund this while trying to lower my temps for Blender baking. Unfortunately I'm getting the

Error: Could not determine available cpu frequencies

when running via Git. Bit of anoob maybe I've not run it the right way? I just dragged and dropped the .sh onto the Git terminal and typed my desired temp after it. Showed number of cores as 8 then that error.
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ΑλέξανδροςJune 18, 2019 at 1:34 PM
Thank you very much!
7 years after the initial post, this script still rocks...
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MataleoJune 24, 2019 at 7:50 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
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MataleoJune 24, 2019 at 7:51 AM
how u start it on boot on ubuntu 18.04?

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Antonio Vandré Pedrosa Furtunato GomesJuly 20, 2019 at 12:14 PM
Thanks a lot!
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ShadowFaceSeptember 8, 2019 at 3:50 AM
My Output is like this:

Number of CPU cores detected: 2

Initialize to max CPU frequency
unthrottle 2997000

...
cursor stay and blinking ---- is that OK???
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AlokJuly 16, 2020 at 5:52 AM
Thanks a lot man!
Works great :)
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macrologgerNovember 2, 2020 at 5:43 AM
Hello, thank you very much for the script, is there way to limit the temperature minims?
I want you to go down to a certain extent.
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jave200372January 17, 2021 at 1:57 AM
Hi. This script use to work great with my Ryzen 7 2700X, but now I've upgraded to a 3700X and it works - sort of. It throttles down, but won't throttle back up!
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TechMavenDoorApril 9, 2021 at 4:03 AM
Thanks to sharing tips for keep cpu cool in linux but those people who want to check temp on mac they can read this article for CPU temp monitor apps on mac here
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PatrikApril 29, 2021 at 11:54 PM
Thanks, works fine!
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samuelAugust 10, 2021 at 8:32 AM
Thanks. Works like a charm
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أبو طاهرFebruary 13, 2022 at 9:02 AM
Thank you for your sharing.
But my case is about my GPU.
Could be write such a script to keeping GPU cool by frequency manipulating?
Any idea?
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HardBoard BlogMay 28, 2022 at 1:41 PM
Great Script! Thanks!
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Martin SchaynaJune 8, 2023 at 1:42 PM
Thanks! 11 years old script and it works like a charm, it helps me taming my CPU down when sharing screen via damn Teams running in the Chrome.
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Monday, October 29, 2012

Linux: Cool your CPU temperature with frequency throttling

57 comments:

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