up vote 6 down vote favorite

Is there a way to set an alarm or something for when my Ubuntu computer is about to overheat?

My computer has some temperature issues, so when it's about to overheat I'd like to turn on an external fan.

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You really should fix the problem at the source; it shouldn't be overheating in the first place. Make sure your internal fans are spinning correctly, ports are not clogged with dust, and if needed, remove, clean, and reseat the heatsink with fresh thermal grease. – psusi Mar 11 '14 at 22:12
    
@psusi The machine is getting old and I'm constantly running it in boost. – Jeroen Bollen Mar 11 '14 at 22:13
up vote 8 down vote accepted

You can use psensor to monitor the computer temperature. This is a GUI application that readout the CPU and Mainboard sensors.

sudo apt-get install psensor

After starting psensor, go to the "Sensor preference Menu", choose your CPU sensor and click on Alarm - Activate Desktop Notifications. You can modify the temperature limit for your needs.

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