[ltp] x220: "temperature above threshold, cpu clock throttled" messages

[Paul Bolle]

On Fri, 2014-02-07 at 01:38 +0000, Vivek Dasmohapatra wrote:
> Means exactly what it says. The CPU is too hot. I have an x220
> and I haven't seen any such messages - I suspect I've been close
> to them though when running the odd game or compiiling something
> heavy - The ambient temperature I'm running the laptop in is
> rarely much above 23°C though, so I'm usually safe enough.

It's currently a rather moderate winter over here. And we try to heat
our house modestly. I'd be surprised if the room temperature would ever
hit 20°C (or higher).

> As to seriousness... you're only hitting the throttling levels.
> If you'd tripped the _real_ barrier the machine would have shut
> down: I have seen that, but not on an x220. You shouldn't be able
> to damage your hardware at the throttling levels you're seeing,
> I think.

That echoes my feelings. I'm inclined to think the kernel shouldn't
print these messages at KERN_CRIT level. Perhaps these should be
KERN_INFO. But before submitting the trivial patch to do that I'd like
to investigate whether these messages are common enough to justify
downgrading.

> Check that your fan outlet isn't blocked, gently blow into it to make
> sure it's not clogged with dust or anything - try not to place the
> laptop on insulating surfaces (paper, cloth) when running it hard.
> If you are working in a hot environment, try to work somewhere a bit
> cooler if you can.


Paul Bolle