100% CPU Usage - Possible Damage?

During the DVD encoding, my CPU usage is peaked at 100%.The process can take a minimum 30 minutes to a maximum 2 hours.

I am concerned that the CPU will be damaged and lead to a meltdown (read it somewhere). The AMD Athlon 1.2ghz CPU is using the stock fan that came along.


1) How long is it okay for the cpu usage to stay at 99-100%?
2) Should I get a new CPU fan that blows crazy amount of air?
3) Or should I invest in a new Athlon XP cpu (money is short)?

I like to continue using this outdated cpu if possible.

If you plan to do losts of DVD encoding then an upgrade is possibly warranted.

I have done many DVD encodings on my 450mhz and it is still functioning and with my clock speed it take alot longer than yours.

450mhz eh? Then my current cpu should be more than enough.

Also:
Should I buy a budget priced CPU fan that blows crazy amount of air?
And does replacing the stock cpu fan with an aftermarket cpu fan help lower the % of the cpu usage?

Thanks for your time.

Having a CPU fan that "blows crazy amount of air" won't hurt it but it will probably be quite nosiy.

I think that the only thing that will lower the CPU usage will be a quicker CPU. Actually how much RAM do you have installed. This can also effect CPU usage as well.

Maybe you should get mother board monitor or one of the other free programs that will report cpu tempature (if your motherboard/cpu is compatible with one of them). It shouldn't hurt your cpu as long as the temps are not geting too high.
http://mbm.livewiredev.com/download.html
speedfan is another one
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

A faster CPU won't change the CPU usage, transcoders will always try to utilise the CPU to the fullest, but the whole process will be shorter. What's the point in buying a CPU if you don't plan to max it out? Modern CPUs, including your older Athlon 1.2 Ghz, are overkill for "normal" computing (surfing, writing documents etc.). Transcoding, encoding, games and other CPU intensive jobs are actually the only applications justifying the use of faster processors. If your computer is properly cooled (watch the temperatures), there is no risk involved whatsoever in putting heavy load on the CPU for hours, that's what they are made for.

Multi-pass mpeg2 encoding takes much longer than 2 hours even on the fastest machines, for example. I often run encoding jobs taking 7-8 hours, 7-8 hours of heavy load (100% CPU usage) that is. I never had any problems.

You should be able to go onto amd's site and find the max tempature for your cpu (and use a program to monitor it). Be aware that the temps on amd's site are burnout temps, so you wnat to stay well below that. Also keep in mind that it varies from motherboard to motherboard, where and how they take the cpu temp, so your actual cpu core temp may be a little higher than what it reports. If you post your cpu's rated temps and the temps that software is reporting on your computer, we can give you an idea if the temps are good or not.
Fyi, you want to know what the temps are while the cpu is under full load (and has been for 15 minutes or so).

Just to toss this in...if your overclocking the cpu......it's already running hot. Additional cooling warranted....

Lololololololololololol!
Mine isn't
I can go an extra 100MHz before the temp starts rising
But then again, I have a giant 120mm fan blowing air over a top of the line air-cooled heatsink