BERLIN, 2 September 2003 — Computers get hot on summer days, just like we do. Yet even under normal conditions, computers strain under the problem of keeping their processors cool. High external temperatures can make that job even tougher, says Peter Knaak, a computer expert at consumer product testing organization Stiftung Warentest. CPUs — the main chip in the computer — and graphics chips are particularly susceptible to overheating. This can cause a computer to stop functioning, or even suffer permanent damage. Those looking to avoid this are advised by Knaak to give their computers a rest more often. Knaak feels that owners of PCs with Athlon processors from AMD must pay particular attention to overheating. These chips have no protective circuits to shut down a computer when overheating threatens. The processors also run relatively warm even in stand-by mode. On a long day, computers with Athlon processors should be shut down during longer work breaks. When it comes to heat-resistance, Pentium processors from Intel tend to perform better, Stiftung Warentest found. Problems can emerge when processors and graphics cards are over clocked, which is, run at a higher processing speeds than they are designed to handle. This uses up the heat reserves that are built in to the chips, thereby putting the computer at risk again. For those who need reliable high performance on hot days, a water-cooling system may be in order, Knaak recommends. Yet the average user may not be able to put together the money or time to set up such a rig.