What is a Normal CPU Temp While Gaming?

Gaming is putting a heavy load on your computer’s CPU. If you play intense games for a long time, your computer may start to overheat. So what is a normal CPU temperature when gaming?

A normal CPU temperature when gaming is between 142° F and 167° F (61° C and 75° C). It depends a lot on your processor type, but a good rule of thumb is that the CPU temperature should not exceed 85° C (185° F), otherwise you run the risk of overheating.

If your CPU temperature is not normal, it can have serious consequences. More serious consequences of an overheated processor are PC crashes or damage so severe that your CPU becomes unusable and your computer stops working without replacing the processor and processor cooler.

How can I view my CPU temperature, what is the maximum temperature my CPU can get and what are normal CPU temperatures while gaming? These are exactly the questions we will address in detail in this article.

What CPU Temperature is Normal?

There is no sure way to give an exact answer to this question. This is because the temperatures appropriate for your processor can vary greatly. The following temperatures are within the normal range and serve as a first guideline:

• A processor should have a temperature in the range of 86° F to 122° F (30° C to 50° C) at low load.
• Temperatures of up to 203° F (95° C) are quite possible under heavy load, for example, due to computationally intensive programs or games.
• Very high temperatures reduce the lifespan of CPUs.
• The maximum temperature a CPU can have depends on the type, but should be below 212° F (100° C).

Intel CPU temperatures at idle and under load while gaming

Is your Intel CPU overheating during gaming? Find out what the normal and safe Intel CPU temperatures are. Intel provides more information on processor temperatures.

AMD CPU temperatures at idle and under load when gaming

Is your AMD CPU overheating while gaming? Find out what the normal and safe AMD CPU temperatures are. Also, feel free to check out AMD’s official specs.

Show and Read CPU Temperature

Display CPU temperature (without program) in BIOS

First of all, you can check the CPU core temperature directly via the BIOS of your motherboard. However, this method will only give you the CPU temperature while idle and will not help you if you are stress testing your system or want to know the temperature while playing a game.

Also, the temperature displayed in your BIOS is always slightly higher than it is during Windows idle, for example. This is because the BIOS always boots your processor with higher voltage values to ensure that it is initialized.

1. You can access the BIOS by pressing the keys DEL, F1 or F2 several times during startup (depending on the manufacturer).
2. In the BIOS itself, search for the terms Hardware Monitor, H/W Monitor, PC Health, or similar.
3. Use the arrow keys to navigate and look for the item CPU Temperature.

Read CPU temperature while gaming

The MSI Afterburner program gives you the ability to monitor your CPU temperature (as well as clock and voltage) while gaming. This can be very useful if you want to see if your CPU overheats only in certain games. At the same time, you can also keep an eye on your GPU temperature directly with MSI Afterburner.

View CPU temperature with free tools

To get a better overview of the temperature ranges your processors are running in (at idle and under load in games), you should therefore use third-party software.

There are many different programs you can use to monitor CPU temperatures and some can also monitor the temperature of your other components. The following are the best:

• HWMonitor: https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html
• HWiNFO: https://www.hwinfo.com
• AIDA64: https://www.aida64.com
• Core Temp: http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
• Open Hardware Monitor: http://openhardwaremonitor.org/downloads

What to Do if the CPU gets too Hot While Gaming?

If the processor gets too hot due to gaming, it can lead to complete failure. Before that happens, you should go through the following steps.

Cleaning

The first step should always be to thoroughly clean the case and components. If the processor’s temperature creeps hotter, it can be due to dust deposits on components and between the fins of fans. Especially the upper side of the PC is affected. The remedy is the good old vacuum cleaner or a compressed air spray with a tube attachment.

Resetting the push pins of the CPU cooler

Resetting the push pins of the processor fan can provide a remedy for high temperatures. To do so, remove the fan according to these instructions and reinstall it.

Thermal paste

There are numerous tiny cracks and bumps between the cooler and the processor on a microscopic level. A thermal paste can be used to easily bridge the air in these gaps, which conduct very poorly. There are numerous different pastes on the market – metal pastes offer the best conductivity.

CPU cooler

These must always be adapted to the respective processor or socket type, both mechanically and in terms of performance. In terms of form factor, there are so-called low-profile coolers, single-towers, or large double-towers that work with air or water cooling.

More expensive but also better is copper compared to aluminum as the material used. Hybrid models are often used, where the first heat is dissipated with a copper layer and then aluminum is used.

In addition to cooling efficiency, noise is of course always an important criterion to consider.

PC case

Cases not only have an optical form factor but also differ significantly in their ability to keep the CPU and graphics card cool and dust-free. It is often also important to arrange all components ideally on the inside. Foam parts on the walls and doors inside can ensure the highest possible noise insulation, and some cases even offer dust filtering.

Case fan

The existing case fan can often be optimized to provide better airflow and thus better cooling in the system. Additional case fans can provide even better cooling, especially when overclocking. The fans play an important role in cooling as they draw in cool air from the outside and dissipate the heat generated by the PC components. Case fans come in sizes ranging from 80mm to 250mm. Normally, one uses 2 to 3 fans in the case but significantly more can be connected in series.

Conclusion: How High Should the CPU Temperature be During Gaming?

The temperature for gaming processors is between 131° F and 185° F (55° C and 85° C), depending on the model. More expensive processors do not necessarily withstand higher temperatures.

Unfortunately, a general statement can’t be made here. Every processor works under different conditions. The manufacturers themselves only give vague information and complicated formulas for the calculation. As a rule, the normal CPU temperature in idle is around 86 to 108 degrees Celsius. The CPU temperature is then too high when you notice changes in the graphics in the game. If the processor gets too hot, the performance is automatically throttled. Only in very few cases does throttling not bring success, so the CPU does not cool down and shuts itself down for safety reasons.

As long as you have not overclocked or otherwise modified your processor, you do not have to worry much about the temperature in games. However, if the CPU gets too hot under load, reducing performance, you should take a closer look at the cooling system.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the temperature of a processor depend on?

The actual temperature of the CPU always depends on more than one factor. For example, the processor itself and the type of load play a big role, of course. In addition, however, there is also the efficiency of the cooling system. This not only concerns the CPU cooler itself, but also the case ventilation, which is ultimately responsible for transporting the heat generated by the processor outside. Powerful graphics cards can additionally cause the temperature to rise further since their waste heat also has to be transported out of the case. The ambient temperature also plays an important role.

If you want to lower the temperature of a processor, it’s often worth taking a look at the cooling in the form of the heat sink as well as the case ventilation. If you know a bit about the inner workings of a PC and processors, you can also consider lowering the voltage applied to the CPU. In contrast, so-called overclocking usually requires an increased voltage, which in turn leads to increased heat emission.

What are the symptoms of overheating?

Here is a list of overheating symptoms:

• The system boots up but shuts down automatically after a short time
• The reported CPU operating frequency is lower than expected
• Evidence of CPU throttling
• General slowness of the system
• CPU/system fan noise is too loud