Ok this discussion prompted me to recheck my settings.
I had Win 7 aware of my two cores (Core2Duo merom).
Somehow everything reset to (1) core?
First stop was msconfig>boot>advanced options...
The check box for number of processors had been some how un checked.
I clicked the box but the drop down only showed 1 core after restarting Windows.
Next stop was EasyBCD 1.7.2
Download EasyBCD 1.7.2 - An advanced GUI application that makes it easy to modify the Windows Vista bootloader and the entries in it - Softpedia In EasyBCD under the "advanced options" button the "limit Windows to" field was set to 0.
I reset to 2 and rebooted.
I then returned to msconfig and made sure the dropdown in boot>advanced... was set to 2 cores and rebooted.
Now Core Temp 0.9.9.5 shows the two cores and two threads like it should.
CPU-Z shows the two cores as well.
The old free version of Everest shows all's well.
Process Explorer shows two cores as well.
I have a notebook and I use a small program called Notebook Hardware Control (NHC) created by Manfreid Jaider.
Notebook Hardware Control (NHC) - Homepage, Downloads, Help, Docu, FAQ, News - www.pbus-167.com I paid 15 Euros for the "professional" version (to help suppor the poject) but the free version works just as well.
NHC 2.0 pre-release 06 is the latest version. It works great in Win 7 RC.
Manfreid says a newer version is coming but he's been saying that for 2 years now.
It allows me to set and fine tune power properties on my computer. I have mine set for "dynamic switching". This throttles my CPU cores to half power (1000 MHz) when idling and allows up to max (2 GHz) when needed, dynamically.
This helps keep temps relatively low.
I've seen temps as high as 180° F / 82° C the norm is 129°F / 53° C
Intel says 212° F / 100° C is max but I won't let it get above about 188°F / 86° C.
I only see these high temps during CPU intensive op's.
Since this is a notebook there are things I can do to keep temps down. The single most important thing I do is I use an aluminum platform to lift the unit above the desktop, promoting airflow. The device I use is a commercal unit made by Apple but it works quite well with my Acer PC.
The other thing is to keep the ambient temperature down ie: ventilation and/or room A/C.
Your mileage may vary.
