Arista causes CPU heat to spike, actually causing computer to shutdown

[Ketil Wendelbo Aanensen]

Binary package hint: arista

I tried using Arista to transcode an avi-file to the n900 preset.
The computer is a laptop with a core2duo CPU, usually at 50 degrees C, normal spiking at 70-80 on intensive tasks.
Transcoding this one single file with Arista gives a CPU temperature up to 95 degrees, actually causing the computer to suddenly shut down long before actually completing the task. There must be some way to have Arista be less aggressive.

This is the relevant info from the avi (by way of exiftool):
File Size : 853 MB
File Modification Date/Time : 2010:08:29 23:22:51+02:00
File Permissions : rw-r--r--
File Type : AVI
MIME Type : video/avi
Frame Rate : 25
Max Data Rate : 0 kB/s
Frame Count : 133528
Stream Count : 2
Stream Type : Video
Video Codec : XVID
Video Frame Rate : 25
Video Frame Count : 133528
Quality : Default
Sample Size : Variable
Image Width : 640
Image Height : 480
Planes : 1
Bit Depth : 24
Compression : XVID
Image Length : 921600
Pixels Per Meter X : 0
Pixels Per Meter Y : 0
Num Colors : Use BitDepth
Num Important Colors : All
Audio Codec : .
Audio Sample Rate : 38.28
Audio Sample Count : 204466
Encoding : MP3
Num Channels : 2
Sample Rate : 44100
Avg Bytes Per Sec : 16000
Bits Per Sample : 0
Duration : 1:29:01
Image Size : 640x480

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[pooky2483 (ponchorat1968)]

This has only recently been happening to me.
I am running Ubuntu 12.04 64bit
Arista 0.9.7

[pooky2483 (ponchorat1968)]

This problem MAY NOT be Arista's fault.

Firstly, how OLD is your PC?
If the answer is 'at least 'over a year old'. Then I suggest you get it to a computer shop (Not one of those big ones lime Stapes or Comet) but the smaller types.

The reason being, I opened my PC up at the weekend to swap a Hard Drive over and when I came to turn my PC back on, it immediately shut down. I opened it back up only to discover my CPU heatsink dnagling down from its wire and where the CPU coolants is supposed to be, it had just crystalised (due to the heat and age, 5 years old).

I have now got if repaired and it is working fine now, the programs that were causing the heatspike have converted OK now and I left it overnight converting a string of files and it is still working now.

Before this problem was discovered, my CPU temp was at 57C (idle) and now its steady at 30C - 35C. While converting, it's only at 51C, so I'd say, on my part, it's fine.