Power virus

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A power virus is a malicious computer program that executes a specific instruction mix in order to establish the maximum power rating for a given CPU.

CPU burn-in applications are similar programs which have the same effect as power viruses (high CPU usage) but are under the user's control. They are used for testing CPUs, for example, when overclocking. An example open source application is cpuburn.

Different microarchitectures typically require different instruction mixes to hit their maximum power. These programs are often closely held by the CPU manufacturer, as computer cooling solutions are designed to dissipate power up to the Thermal Design Power, rather than maximum power, and running a power virus could cause the system to overheat.

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