Ideal CPU Temperature While Gaming
Today’s PC technology must be extremely quick to handle the demanding graphical graphics in games, but doing so requires a lot of power. Additionally, processing a lot of power produces a lot of heat. The two parts of any computer that heat the most are the graphics cards and the processors. Due to their high core count, modern CPUs tend to run particularly hot. However, because each CPU type is different, their average temperatures will vary.
What CPU temperature is therefore ideal for gaming? How hot should a CPU not get?
Perfect CPU Temperature While Gaming
There isn’t an “ideal temperature” for gaming, in actuality. Instead, the quantity of heat generated by each CPU varies. With a stock, Intel/Ryzen cooler, a low-end processor with two cores may reach its maximum temperature of 60°C while gaming. In contrast, a high-end 16-core CPU can reach its maximum temperature of 90°C during prolonged gaming sessions. The processors are operating at their typical temperature in both scenarios. Currently, both Ryzen and Intel CPUs can reach a maximum temperature of about 100 degrees Celsius. To prevent your PC from overheating, anything over 100 degrees will trigger thermal throttling (more on that below) or an automated shutdown.
Best CPU Temperature
Although thermal throttling is not harmful, you should not let your CPU throttle. Stutters, a lower average frame rate, and throttling can all spoil your gaming experience. There is a best/optimal temperature for gaming, but there is no perfect temperature. High CPU temperatures can also cause other parts of a computer to heat up. Since graphics cards generate a lot of heat as well, this is particularly true for them. The CPU, GPU, and case fans will begin spinning at a considerably greater RPM once the interior temperature of the case rises. High fan RPM can be quite irritating and noisy. Even the room in which you are working or playing games may become warm due to this temperature rise. We advise keeping CPU temperatures between 50°C and 70°C to achieve the optimum gaming experience. However, this is only a generic response. Several things can affect how you feel.
How To Deal With High CPU Temperatures?
You, therefore, need to learn how to minimize the high temperatures that your GPU or CPU is experiencing. In any case, let’s discover how to minimize CPU or GPU temps first. Make sure you are aware of the original root of the issues. The following are what we believe to be the most frequent causes of skyrocketing CPU/GPU temperatures:
- Dust
- High Ambient Temperature
- Change Thermal Paste
- Upgrade CPU Cooler
- Overclocking
- Replace Old Case Fans
Dust
Dust accumulation is one of the main causes of excessive heat. Dust will inevitably build up within your case if the interior hasn’t been cleaned in a while. When the dust builds up enough, it will begin to impair the case’s internal airflow, resulting in less effective internal cooling. Dust may be a tremendous annoyance since it likes to get into the hardest-to-clean spaces. Compressed air is our best recommendation for cleaning your case.
Poor Airflow/ Lack of Fans
Adding or upgrading your case fans is one of the simplest ways to affect the temperature inside your case. A good case fan can significantly lower internal temperatures, especially if it has a high CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating. A minimum of one intake fan and one exhaust fan should be present in the case to encourage more uniform airflow.
High Ambient Temperature
The ambient temperature is one of the most crucial factors to take into account while attempting to lower CPU/GPU temps. This can be a severe issue for your PC temperatures if you reside in a tropical region of the world or suffer extreme heat throughout the summer. Unfortunately, unless you have a substantial amount of money to invest, there isn’t much you can do about this. Although air conditioning is a tremendous convenience, the cost of air conditioning will likely exceed that of the PC.
Change Thermal Paste
It’s probably time to change your CPU and GPU thermal paste if you haven’t bothered to do it in the last six months or so. If you want to maintain the health of your CPU, you must apply high-quality thermal paste. You should replace them every six to twelve months since faulty thermal paste may dry out sooner. They also have a shorter shelf life. Due to technological advancements, businesses are producing thermal pastes that are more effective, more affordable, and last up to 8 years. The N-B Max Pro, which guarantees eight years of closed shelf life and five years in CPU without drying, is a nice example.
Upgrade CPU Cooler
Every PC needs a CPU and that CPU deserves some proper cooling! It allows you to increase the performance and life span of your PC. Here are the best CPU coolers. Both AMD and Intel, which have been intense competitors for the past few years, have produced extremely powerful chips that are also very affordable. However, the high-temperature output of such electricity comes at a price. We anticipate that dealing with the thermals of AMD’s Ryzen 6000 series and Intel’s 12th Gen will be considerably more difficult. Because of this, it’s crucial to have a CPU cooler that can effectively handle and remove heat. Choosing the ideal cooler for your setup might be challenging with so many cooling solutions available.
- Noctua NH-D15
- Br Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Overclocking
One of the quickest and clearest ways to raise the hardware’s internal temperatures is to overclock. Your components are being physically strained, and as we’ve already mentioned, this stress causes an increase in heat. However, you may not be aware of the overclocking profiles that are pre-installed on modern hardware. An OC profile, which physically pushes the component harder than you might expect, can be installed on GPUs and CPUs. It might be worthwhile to change your OC profile to stock levels throughout the summer, especially if the temperatures are greater than usual. You can do this directly in the BIOS or the manufacturer’s utility program.
Replace Old Case Fans
Replacing an old computer case fan is also a good practice to lower the ambient temperature. Always use fans with great RPM. Some of the best pc fans brands are mentioned here.
- Corsair
- Be Quiet!
- Noctua
- Arctic
- Thermaltake
- Cooler Master
At What Temperature Does a CPU Overheat?
Although certain CPUs are built to resist temperatures that are higher than others, in general, the limit is between 105 and 110 °C (221 and 230 °F). However, we wouldn’t deem that safe for prolonged use. The upper limits of a CPU’s capacity are more of a “once in a while” recommendation. If you exceed these thresholds, your CPU will automatically throttle, reducing clock rates to stop any further build-up of heat. It is preferable to aim to keep your CPU’s average temperature in the 80 °C range if you want to maximize its service life. It’s quite fine to push the temperature up to 85 °C, so don’t be concerned if you notice a slight increase.
Since it won’t have as much thermal headroom as a CPU that has been specialized for gaming, a CPU in a typical setup should operate even cooler. They ought to be maintained at about 75 °C (167 °F).
What Temperature Should My CPU and GPU Be?
The ideal CPU temperature for gaming is between 75 and 80 °C (161 and 176 °F). It should be stable between 45 and 60 °C (113 and 140 °F) when inactive or only utilized for light procedures.
There are some exceptions (certain AMD GPUs), but it’s preferable to keep your GPU between 80 and 85 °C (176 and 185 °F) for optimal performance when under stress. Although it’s fantastic that the majority of GPUs have a declared thermal capacity that goes far higher than this, you shouldn’t necessarily be routinely reaching those temperatures. Your GPU should maintain a stable temperature between 40 and 60 °C (104 and 140 °F) when idle.
Your first port of call should be to check what the manufacturer has to say about it because the thermal capability of a GPU or CPU will vary from unit to unit. Before you purchase a graphics card or CPU, it is ideal to be well-versed on its thermals because you need to know if it will work with your gaming preferences.