A few days back, a friend of mine who is a newbie gamer came to me looking for a solution to some of his problems. Can you imagine what the problems might be? He thought that his CPU was overheating and he feared that it might damage his entire system unit. Read on and let him know how CPU and GPU temperature affects his PC, and how to control the temperature.
However, the optimal CPU temperature for gaming is generally considered to be 142° F to 164° F (61° C to 73° C). During gaming, the processor needs to be loaded quickly, so more power is generated and additional clicks are made. Also, CPU and GPU temperatures increase due to continuous power generation. As a result, various problems arise.
CPU and GPU temperature rise is a huge problem that those of us who are a bit addicted to gaming have to suffer from time to time. Since this topic is very serious and deep, let’s start without delay.
How and Why CPU & GPU Temperature Rises
As electronic devices become more and more important in our daily lives, we must understand how they work and what causes them to overheat.
This is especially true for computer CPUs and GPUs, which are essential components in most laptop and desktop computers. That is, below I am highlighting some of the reasons for the increase in temperature.
Increasing Demand for Devices
There are several reasons why CPU and GPU temperatures rise. This is a big factor. As we use our computers for more demanding tasks, the CPU and GPU have to work harder and generate heat which can cause them to heat up.
Overclocked GPU
All types of computer laptops have a clock rate, also known as clock speed or processor speed. Overclocking increases core speed and allows a GPU to work harder. Experts overclock GPUs to factory settings.
Pro-level users often voluntarily overclock their GPUs for better performance. Overclocking is one of the causes of GPU overheating. As a result, users fail to control the temperature of their GPU even if they can ensure the hard work of the computer.
Inadequate Cooling
It is another important cause of GPU and CPU overheating, as is overclocking. Common issues are slow cooling fan speeds, ineffective or insufficient ventilation, and the absence of a suitable cooling system for high-end graphics processors.
Due to these problems, the GPU and CPU do not get enough air and fail to cool down the heat generated by the PC working hard, resulting in increased CPU and GPU temperature.
Heat Sink
A GPU heatsink acts as a temperature regulator in computers/laptops. It is usually made of metal. This piece of metal absorbs heat from the GPU chipset and controls more heat from the graphics card.
A heat sink is a passive hardware component with no moving parts, so it has no chance of malfunctioning.
However, if the heatsink is damaged for some reason, it may become ineffective, causing your GPU to overheat, so you must pay attention to whether your heatsink is working or not.
Poor Ventilation
Another cause of high temperature is poor ventilation. If there is not enough airflow around the device, heat can build up and the CPU & GPU temperatures can rise.
That’s why it’s important to make sure your computer has proper ventilation, whether that means placing it in a well-ventilated area or using a cooling pad.
Thermal Paste
CPUs and GPUs in computers/laptops require thermal paste for temperature control, which is a thermal gel, heat sink compound, or thermal interface material.
This thermal compound acts as a heat sink between the heat sink and the GPU chipset to help regulate the temperature of the computer.
The thermal paste acts as a heat transfer medium for GPUs and CPUs. This ensures that no air pockets act between the heat sink and the graphics card chipset. However, if the thermal gel dries out or is too old, your GPU may overheat.
Stressed Out
Overheating is common when a GPU/CPU is placed under excessive load. Each GPU and CPU has a maximum threshold.
So, you must keep in mind whether your GPU and CPU can support your games, applications, and graphics-intensive tasks, and with this in mind, ensure a GPU and CPU that can work hard depending on the demands that your GPU and support will do CPU withstands extra stress.
And if it can’t, your GPU and CPU will fail to withstand the extra stress and temperatures will rise.
Old or Incompatible GPU & CPU
Your GPU must work harder to support the applications you’re running now that your older GPU & CPU couldn’t because everything degrades in performance over time. And your GPU & CPU will heat up as it fails to work practically
The Dust
Dust is a contributing factor in temperature rise. Dust particles can block airflow causing the airflow to not reach its desired destination, and fail to cool down the excess heat resulting in temperature rise due to the airflow not working properly.
That’s why it’s important to keep your computer clean inside and out, which is a good thing. Also, hardware gets a lot of dust on our bodies which is very annoying
Software Problems
We use many kinds of software to make our daily work easier, some of this software has to work hard on the GPU and CPU to take the load due to the high regulation of the software.
Also, due to errors in the structure of the software, the temperature may sometimes increase
New GPU Driver
If the GPU driver is corrupted due to some reason then we need to add a new GPU driver. As soon as the new driver is installed, it cannot operate at its full potential, causing the temperature to rise
Hardware Problems
A computer/laptop is made up of many small parts and after that, the computer is ready to perform its functions.
Every part of the computer is considered hardware, if any one of them is faulty/missing, the computer fails to complete its practical work as a result of which the temperature may increase.
Insufficient Power
If your power supply fails to provide enough power for the graphics card, it cannot overwork, takes time to load, and can heat up quickly due to overstress. The power supply also plays an important role in heat
By understanding the above causes of high temperatures, you can take steps to protect your computer from overheating. Which will help to increase its lifespan help increase its lifespan
What is a Good CPU and GPU Temperature While Gaming?
A CPU temperature between 142° F and 164° F (61° C and 73° C) is considered normal during gaming. But a good rule of thumb is that your CPU temperature should not exceed 176°F (80°C), otherwise, you run the risk of overheating, taking a long time to load, and rendering the CPU unusable, depending on the type of processor you have.
Optimal GPU temperatures under normal usage conditions range from 65 to 85°C (149° to 185°F). It is worth noting that GPU temperature depends on the manufacturer and model of the GPU.
Additionally, the optimal GPU temperature for gaming should not exceed 85°C (185°F). However, the optimal GPU temperature may be lower or higher depending on your GPU model and capacity.
Also, Some computer and laptop experts have again divided the gaming temperature into 3 zones depending on the temperature risk.
Let’s look at the regions:
safe zone
Below 70 degrees Celsius, you are in the safe zone. So you can continue playing with peace of mind and there is no need to worry about anything.
middle region
70-80 degrees Celsius is considered a moderate zone. This area is safe but close to the danger zone. But you should stay in this region for gaming.
hazardous area
This area is your danger zone. Above the limit that we talked about here earlier, above about 85-90 degrees Celsius, this region is not healthy for your PC.
Below for your convenience, I have provided a table of ideal temperatures by processor type.
List of Normal CPU Temperatures
Processor TypeNormal CPU Temperature Range
| Intel Core i3-7350K | 45°C – 60°C |
| Intel Core i5-7600K | 45°C – 65°C |
| Intel Core i5-6600K | 42°C – 53°C |
| Intel Core i5-4670K | 47°C – 60°C |
| Intel Core i5 4690K | 60°C |
| Intel Core i5-3570K | 50°C – 62°C |
| Intel Core i7-7700K | 50°C – 70°C |
| Intel Core i7-6700K | 52°C – 70 °C |
| Intel Core i7-4790K | < 70°C |
| Intel Core i7-4770K | 55°C – 65°C |
| Intel Core i7-3770K | 55°C – 65°C |
| Intel Core i7-2600K | 47°C – 60°C |
| Intel Celeron | 67°C – 85°C |
| Intel Core 2 Duo | 45°C – 55°C |
| Intel Pentium Pro | 75°C |
| AMD Ryzen | 70°C – 80°C |
| AMD Sempron | 85°C – 95°C |
| AMD A6-7400K | 45°C – 57°C |
| AMD A6-6400K | 49°C – 57°C |
| AMD A6-5400K | 45°C – 55°C |
| AMD A10-7850K | 50°C – 60°C |
| AMD A10-6800K | 50°C – 55°C |
| AMD A10-5800K | 50°C – 55°C |
| AMD Athlon 64 | 45°C – 60°C |
| AMD Athlon FX | 45°C – 60°C |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 | 45°C – 55°C |
| AMD Athlon 64 Mobile | 80°C – 90°C |
| AMD Phenom II X6 | 45°C – 55°C |
| AMD Phenom X4 | 50°C – 60°C |
| AMD Athlon II X4 | 50°C – 60°C |
| AMD Duron | 85°C |
| AMD Athlon MP | 85°C – 95°C |
| AMD K6 Mobile | 75°C – 85°C |
| AMD Opteron | 54°C – 60°C |
| AMD Athlon XP | 80°C – 90°C |
| AMD K6 | 60°C – 70°C |
| AMD K5 | 60°C – 70°C |
| AMD K7 Thunderbird | 70°C – 95°C |
| AMD Phenom X3 | 50°C – 60°C |
Note: Gaming CPUs such as the Intel Core I9 can withstand temperatures up to 93°C (200°F) without overheating.
List of Normal GPU Temperatures
It is very difficult to say the exact optimal temperature of the GPU as it depends on the capacity and space of the processor/graphics card, but the optimal range of the GPU temperature is considered to be 70 to 85 degrees Celsius.
These numbers depend on the specific GPU, eg: NVIDIA GPUs in general can operate at a maximum temperature of around 95-100 Celsius (~200-210 Fahrenheit). But NVIDIA’s optimal range is between 70 and 85 degrees Celsius (~158-185 Fahrenheit).
On the other hand, AMD cards have a much different range than NVIDIA’s range, around 90-100 Celsius (~165-185 Fahrenheit). AMDs are at their best between 60 and 70 Celsius (~140-158 Fahrenheit).
Again, the RX 6000 series had an advertised maximum temperature range (before thermal throttling) of around 110 Celsius.
Similarly, the GPU temperature may change/differ from place to place because some places have a hot season all year round and some places are covered with snow all year round, so areas, where the cold season is longer than the hot season all year round, are easily exposed to cold air and external causes. doesn’t get Finally why does higher temperature have no effect even with higher load?
How to Measure CPU And GPU Temperature
If you want to know how hot your computer’s CPU and GPU are running, you’ll need to measure their temperatures.
There are a few things to keep in mind when measuring CPU and GPU temperature. First, the temperature readings will vary depending on the type of software you use. Second, the temperature readings will also vary depending on the environment that your computer is in.
To get accurate temperature readings, it’s best to use multiple software programs and compare the results. You should also take temperature readings at different times of the day and in different environments.
Here are some tips on how to measure CPU and GPU temperature:
1. Use multiple software programs to measure temperature.
2. Compare temperature readings from different software programs.
3. Take temperature readings at different times of the day.
4. Take temperature readings in different environments.
5. Use a software program that allows you to set up alerts for high temperatures.
6. Monitor your CPU and GPU temperatures regularly.
7. Take action if your CPU or GPU temperatures get too high.
Above we know that GPU and CPU temperature can be measured using software, let’s see how to do it. Usually, the GPU temperature is measured depending on the processor.
However, both AMD and NVIDIA offer software that you can download to check if your GPU is overheating.
If you don’t want to download this software or want to know what your other components are doing (and at what temperature), you can try HWiNFO or CPUID CPU-Z and MSI Afterburner. This is a cool tool that allows you to monitor all the components of your PC and you can also measure CPU and GPU temperature to see if everything is working properly or not.
What Happens If CPU Temp While Gaming Is High?
If your CPU and GPU overheating during gaming, it can damage your PC. Overheating can damage your PC’s components, and cause your PC to perform poorly. It can also cause sudden PC shutdowns, longer loading times, and shorten the life of your PC.
Make sure to keep an eye on your overheats, and if they’re too high, take a break from gaming and let your PC cool down.
Ways to Reduce CPU Temperature
One of the most important things to consider when building a computer is how to keep the temperature of the CPU and GPU down. There are several ways to do this, but one of the most effective is to use a water-cooling system.
Water cooling works by circulating water around the components that generate the most heat, dissipating the heat into the air. This is a more effective way of cooling than using air cooling alone, as water is a better conductor of heat than air.
Another way to keep the temperature of the CPU and GPU down is to use a higher-quality thermal paste. Thermal paste is a substance that helps to transfer heat from the CPU or GPU to the heat sink, which then dissipates the heat into the air.
If you are not using a water cooling system, it is important to ensure that there is adequate airflow inside the case. This can be achieved by using fans to create positive pressure, which pushes air out of the case through the vents.
It is also important to dust the inside of the case regularly, as dust can build up and block airflow. If the temperature of the CPU or GPU starts to rise, likely, the cooling system is not working as efficiently.
Conclusion:
So, if you follow the rules mentioned above, you can keep the CPU and GPU temperature under control very easily and you can continue gaming without any risk you can also ensure the longevity of your PC by ensuring the risk of PC temperature.
As always, if you find anything wrong or incomplete, please let us know and we will improve it as soon as possible.