Core Temp is a powerful CPU temperature monitor which has been helping users watch their hardware since 2006.

The project seemed to have faded away in the past few years, but a series of updates in recent months has seen it roar back to life.

Launching the program displays useful information about your CPU, including model, platform, frequency, voltage, and current temperature and utilisation of each core.

Core Temp notes and displays the minimum and maximum temperatures for each core. Leave the program running, use your PC as normal, and you’ll get a feel for what effect they’re having on your hardware.

If you need more detail, it’s possible to log temperatures to a CSV file.

It’s not pretty, but Core Temp still has all the key temperature-watching features you need

Core Temp also provides a versatile “Overheat Protection” system which can display a warning, run a program, or even sleep or shut down your PC if the CPU is too hot.

Various free plugins add features like the ability to monitor your system’s temperature from other computers, and there are plenty of options and settings to help you get everything working to suit your needs.

This year’s updates mean Core Temp works with every current Intel and AMD processor, and a pile of fixes should ensure it runs smoothly.

Core Temp is a free application for Windows XP and later.