TDP goes up??

[drums101]

I just got a i7 950 and when I put the thing under load using prime 95 the tdp of the cpu goes up to 145 watts according to core temp.. This is at all stock settings too..so that should mean that it goes up to 130watts not 145..is that because of the Turbo boost?

 

[sminlal]

Mine goes up to 152W at peak. TDP isn't maximum dissipation - it's "design" power, based on the idea that under normal circumstances the CPU is never running continually at maximum load.

I believe the idea is that the "thermal solution" (what Intel calls the "heatsink") should be designed to dissipate 130W, and the on-chip thermal sensor will limit the speed of the CPU to keep within that if temperatures get too warm. If you've got a better heatsink, then the CPU can dissipate more power without hitting the temperature throttle point.