Core Temp
Version 1.21 · 3 October 2026 · Freeware
Download Core Temp and read every CPU core
Core Temp 1.21 reads the digital thermal sensor inside each processor core and puts that temperature on screen. Download it for Windows 10 or Windows 11 when you want per-core temperature, load, and Tj. Max, rather than one number from a motherboard diode.
Windows 10 and 11 Intel, AMD, and VIA x86 By Arthur Liberman
The installer buttons on the download page are ready and deliver the Core Temp installer. File size for 1.21 is not stated in the version note, so it is not shown here.
| Sensor | Now | Min | Max | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tj. Max | 95°C | Granite Ridge | ||
| Tdie | 47°C | 47°C | 47°C | n/a |
| Core 0 | 28°C | 28°C | 28°C | 2% |
| Core 8 | 27°C | 27°C | 27°C | 2% |
| Core 15 | 30°C | 30°C | 30°C | 2% |
What Core Temp is measuring
Core Temp is a small Windows program for processor temperature and the CPU fields around it. Each core reading comes from a digital thermal sensor near the hottest part of that core. On Intel chips the published method is Tj. Max minus a delta read from a model-specific register. AMD and VIA expose their own registers. A diode on the motherboard is not in that path.
The window also shows model, socket, frequency, multiplier, VID, revision, lithography, TDP, and, when the chip provides them, power, Tdie, and Tccd. Load is listed per core. Minimum, maximum, and the current value stay on screen so a short spike is still visible after it drops.
The full sensor method, including the AMD K8 and K10 formulas, is on the features page.
What you can do with it
These are the functions people keep Core Temp running for. Each one is documented on the features page.
- Per-core temperature
- A row for every core the processor exposes, plus Tj. Max. On Zen parts, current builds also show per-CCD readings on most models.
- Overheat protection
- A temperature limit can hibernate or shut down the PC. Version 1.21 keeps that warning as the top-most window. Events can also be written to the Windows Event Log.
- Logging
- Temperature samples can be written to a file on an interval you set, then opened in a spreadsheet. Version 1.21 fixes a custom log path that was ignored at startup.
- Notification tray
- Core temperatures can sit in the tray. Version 1.21 redesigns the tray configuration dialog and fixes missing icons and icon order.
- Plugins and shared memory
- Other programs can read the same structure Core Temp publishes: temperatures, load, Tj. Max, frequency, VID, TDP, and power flags.
Where it earns a place on the taskbar
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A new cooler on a new build
After you seat a cooler, the per-core rows show whether one core runs away from the others. On the 9950X screenshot, cores sit between 26°C and 30°C at 2% load while Tdie reads 47°C. That gap is visible because package and core sensors are separate rows.
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A limit that hibernates the machine
Overheat protection is for unattended renders and stress tests. You pick the temperature. The program can hibernate or shut down instead of only painting a number.
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A log you can graph later
The log is a text file with a chosen interval. People open it in a spreadsheet when they want a curve, not a second monitoring suite.
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A PC in another room
The remote monitor add-on shows name, online status, clock, VID, Tj. Max, and a bar per core. A sample on the features page is an Intel Core i3-540 (Clarkdale) at about 1203 MHz, with core 0 at 37°C / 17% and core 1 at 39°C / 21%.
Core Temp next to other monitors
HWMonitor and HWiNFO read a wider set of board sensors. Core Temp stays on the CPU thermal sensor and the actions around it. Real Temp is the older Intel-only cousin: distance to Tj. Max, without AMD, VIA, or this plugin interface.
| Question | Core Temp | HWMonitor | HWiNFO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the CPU temperature comes from | Digital thermal sensor in the core | Whatever sensors the board and chips expose | MSR and board sensors in one long list |
| One row per core | Yes, when the CPU exposes a core sensor | Sometimes, among fans, disks, and voltages | Yes, inside a full hardware report |
| Hibernate or shut down on a hot core | Yes, from overheat protection | No | Alerts and logs, not this tray-sized action |
| Other programs reading the same data | Shared memory and plugins | No plugin platform of this kind | Its own sensor sharing |
| What else it tries to cover | CPU fields: frequency, VID, TDP, power | Voltages, fans, disks, GPU | Most of the machine |
Before you install it
Core Temp is freeware written by Arthur Liberman. This website, coretemp.cc, documents the program and will host the Windows downloads. It is not the author’s own site. Do not treat a repack from an unrelated download portal as the same file.
The program embeds a driver so it can read CPU registers. Antivirus products have flagged that driver before. The author has said there is no keylogger and no spyware in Core Temp. A detection is not proof either way: check the file you actually received, and read the trust and security page before you click through a warning.
Recent installers have included an optional shortcut to the game Goodgame Empire. Decline it if you do not want that icon. The portable zip is the build that skips the installer offers. Both buttons still need files attached on the download page.
Version 1.21, dated 3 October 2026, also notes a mitigation for legacy 64-bit driver issues tracked as JVN#23328936.
- Developer
- Arthur Liberman
- Version
- 1.21, 3 October 2026
- License
- Freeware
- Systems
- Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, and Server 2003 through 2025
- Processors
- Intel, AMD, or VIA x86
- File size
- Not published for 1.21
What users report
These notes paraphrase public comments. They were not submitted to this website. Hover the strip to pause it.
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Per-core cells, no sensor setup. That is why it stays on the bench PC.
Public comment, bench use
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Overheat protection is set to hibernate, and it caught a cooler that was not seated. I still untick the game shortcut. A temperature tool should not offer Goodgame Empire during setup.
Public comment, installer
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On Windows 11 the tray icons get more use than the main window. Dark mode arrived for Windows 10 and newer, but a lot of the dialogs still look like a classic control panel. Tj. Max and the high column are what I check after a stress run.
Public comment, Windows 11
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I copied a language file into the folder and the menus stayed in English. Logging still worked.
Public comment, language pack
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64-bit plugins have been awkward. Shared memory is the part I use, so another small program can read the same core temperatures.
Public comment, plugins
Short answers
Yes. Core Temp is freeware by Arthur Liberman. Version 1.21 has no license fee. Recent installers have offered an optional desktop shortcut to Goodgame Empire. Decline that shortcut if you do not want it.
Yes. The current requirements list Windows 11 and Windows 10, plus Windows 8.1, 8, 7, and XP, and Windows Server from 2003 through 2025. The processor must be Intel, AMD, or VIA x86. Version 1.21 drops Windows 2000.
Some scanners flag the embedded driver Core Temp uses to read CPU registers. The author has said the program has no keylogger and no spyware. Repacks from unofficial sites are a separate risk and have installed extra software. Details are on the trust page.
A question mark means that sample was not marked valid. Some older Intel chips do not report very low temperatures. Some older AMD processors expose one sensor for the package. A Ryzen reading that froze after sleep was addressed in 1.20.1. The reading guide lists the checks.
The main window is a CPU reading: per-core temperature, load, frequency, VID, TDP, and power when the chip exposes them. Version 1.21 fixed a crash with more than one Intel GPU. That fix is not a GPU temperature display.
Download Core Temp 1.21 for Windows
The download page lists the 3 October 2026 changes, the supported Windows versions, and separate buttons for 64-bit, 32-bit, and the portable zip. Those buttons do not point at files yet.
- Version
- 1.21
- Date
- 3 October 2026
- License
- Freeware
- Tray dialog
- Redesigned in this build
- Dropped
- Windows 2000