Patent ID: 8812169

Claim:
A printed circuit board assembly, comprising: a printed circuit board including a processor; a heat sink mountable to the printed circuit board proximate the processor; and a system management logic module comprising logic instructions stored in a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to: initiate POST processing operations, and during the POST processing operations: determine an initial temperature (T INIT ) in a region proximate the processor; initiate by a BIOS, a processor load routine to generate heat; detect an end temperature (T End ) in the region proximate the processor; obtain temperature gradient data (T INIT -T END ) of heat generated in a region proximate the processor during the processor load routine; verify operation of the heat sink using the temperature gradient data; and continue by the BIOS, the POST processing operations when the temperature gradient data fails to exceed a threshold; and invoke an error routine when the temperature gradient data exceeds the threshold, the error routine suspending processor operations including the POST processing operations.