SMPlayer Support Forum

The config: HP i5 Windows 7, Smplayer 17.4.0 x64, Shark007 drivers set at recommended

The problem: Mkv h.264 files 1920x1080 run at between 20-30% processor, but drive temperatures for CPU and GPU into mid-80s C, spiking at high 80s and low 90s. Mkvs at 1280x720 produce slightly lower temperatures. MP4s run into 70s but never into 80s. Same files playing on older i5 duo Dell laptop run into 30 plus percent of processor, and high 70 C temperatures (also Win 7 SMplayer 17.4.0 plus Shark 007 codecs with default settings).

The question: Can I use SMplayer settings to throttle resource load to reduce temperatures? If so, what settings?

Is the cooling fan running? You can try setting the cooling policy to Active if it isn't already.

Start -> Run (or Windows Key + R), type powercfg.cpl, choose "Change plan settings" for the power plan currently in use and then "Change advanced settings", the option is under Processor power management and then System cooling policy.

Thanks redxii, but active was already set. Does your answer imply you suspect a system fault?

My question assumed this has to do with high resolution matroska rips (h.264/265). It is not a problem with the MP4 wrapper.

And is there no control over over processor/resource usage in SMPlayer itself?

SMPlayer allows setting the number of CPU threads used for decoding but if you don't use enough threads then your playback will stutter, that's it. SMPlayer couldn't cause it to heat more than any other application using the same amount of CPU %.

Yeah, OK redxii. I'm not really pinning a problem on SMPlayer. Just looking at what I can control.

In the meantime I'm not having better results in Media Player Classic or Widows media Player (what a piece of spyware junk!)

Looks like the Matroska codec just isn't stable/reliable. That or my CPU plays favourites. Both options seem a bit ghost story in a digital realm to me.