Frequently Asked Questions for FreeBSD 2.X : Miscellaneous Questions : How cool is FreeBSD?
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12.8. How cool is FreeBSD?

Q. Has anyone done any temperature testing while running FreeBSD? I know Linux runs cooler than dos, but have never seen a mention of FreeBSD. It seems to run really hot.

A. No, but we have done numerous taste tests on blindfolded volunteers who have also had 250 micrograms of LSD-25 administered beforehand. 35% of the volunteers said that FreeBSD tasted sort of orange, whereas Linux tasted like purple haze. Neither group mentioned any particular variances in temperature that I can remember. We eventually had to throw the results of this survey out entirely anyway when we found that too many volunteers were wandering out of the room during the tests, thus skewing the results. I think most of the volunteers are at Apple now, working on their new ``scratch and sniff'' GUI. It's a funny old business we're in!

Seriously, both FreeBSD and Linux uses the ``HLT'' (halt) instruction when the system is idle thus lowering its energy consumption and therefore the heat it generates. Also if you have APM (automatic power management) configured, then FreeBSD can also put the CPU into a low power mode.


Frequently Asked Questions for FreeBSD 2.X : Miscellaneous Questions : How cool is FreeBSD?
Previous: What is ``sup'', and how do I use it?
Next: Who's scratching in my memory banks??