It may refer to malicious code but is commonly also used as a name for stress testing software.
There are many different types of computer viruses, but a power virus can be especially malicious.
Ironically, this sort of code also has a valid use in hardware design and resilience testing.
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What Is a Power Virus?
A “power virus” is a piece of computer code that forces aCPUorGPUto run at maximum power dissipation.
It’s sometimes referred to as thermal design point or thermal design parameter.
Tom’s Hardware hasan excellent guide to stress-testing CPUs and PCswith software that would qualify as a power virus.
This is just one of the reasonsgood case airflow is so importantfor protecting every component in your machine.
As for stress testing your PC?
Overclocking is easier and safer than ever, andmany GPUs and CPUs “overclock” themselves.
