Do you feel like your PC is getting hot? Like it caught fire and melted into a puddle of plastic and circuits? Before calling the fire department, you may want to check your CPU temperature. Just like checking your car’s oil to make sure it’s running smoothly, checking your CPU temperature is essential to maintaining the health of your Windows PC.
Read more: CPU vs GPU: What’s the difference?
Why should you care about your CPU temperature? Well, just as low oil can cause engine damage, overheating can damage your computer’s processor. So grab a thermometer (or one of our recommended temperature monitoring software) and let’s see if your computer is running a fever. We’ll explain how to control your CPU temperature, establish a safe temperature, and what to do if your CPU temperature is too high.
Quick answer
We recommend using Core Temp to check your Windows PC’s CPU temperature. The free program shows you the real-time temperature for each core and the min, max and average temperature statistics over time.
Key parts
How to check your CPU temperature in Windows
While Windows Task Manager provides a lot of useful information on CPU performance, such as speed and utilization, one key statistic that’s missing is your CPU temperature. Fortunately, every CPU comes with built-in digital temperature sensors, so all you need is third-party software to read the parameters in Windows.
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There are many free and paid temperature monitoring software available online. Some popular ones include Core Temp, NZXT’s CAM, and HWiINFO, to name a few. For this guide, we’ll use Core Temp, a more straightforward tool with a basic UI that’s easy to understand.
Once installed, open Core Temp to see real-time temperature readings for each core in your CPU on the left. However, the more significant columns to note are the Min and Max columns, which indicate the minimum and maximum temperatures recorded while the program is running.
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For example, in the image above, the CPU has a minimum temperature of 40°C and a maximum of 78°C, indicating that the current temperature is within the normal range. The more you let Core Temp run during daily tasks, the more accurate your estimate of what your average usage temperatures will be. Learn more about optimal CPU temperatures in the next section.
What is the ideal temperature for a PC CPU?
When the CPU is idle, a safe temperature is around 50°C. When the CPU has to kick into gear to perform tasks like playing games, making videos, or doing other intensive tasks, your CPU requires more power and generates more heat. You’ll want to pay more attention to temperature during these important activities to ensure your CPU is adequately cooled. After all, the CPU is the brain of your computer, and overheating can damage your hardware, slow down your performance, and even shorten your PC’s lifespan.
Ideally, you want your CPU to stay below 80°C when you’re under heavy workloads. Despite the expectations. Most gaming laptops, for example, come with CPUs designed to operate at temperatures around 90°C. Some AMD CPUs can run up to 95°C.
Programs like Core Temp will tell you your processor model, and once you’ve found it, you can look up the chip’s specifications from the manufacturer to see what temperatures it can handle.
Why is my CPU temperature so high?
When you do intensive activities like playing games or watching videos in Windows, your CPU temperature will be high. However, there can be other reasons why your CPU heats up, even when idle, including:
- Overclocking: If you overclock your CPU, it will consume more power and generate more heat. Overheating can cause the temperature to rise significantly, especially if the cooling solution is insufficient.
- Dust and Debris: Dust and debris can block the airflow inside your computer and cause the components to heat up. When dust accumulates on fans and heatsinks, it prevents heat from being dissipated effectively.
- Inadequate cooling solution: If your cooling solution is inadequate, such as a failed fan or a clogged heatsink, your CPU will overheat. A frozen cooling solution prevents heat from spreading effectively, which increases the temperature.
- High ambient temperature: If the temperature around your computer is too high, it will affect the temperature of the components inside. Computers placed in direct sunlight or in poorly insulated rooms can experience overheating.
- Software issues: Sometimes the software can cause high CPU usage which can lead to overheating. Running too many applications or outdated drivers can cause high CPU temperatures.
See the next section for ways to reduce CPU temperature.
How to reduce your CPU temperature
Now that we know the reasons why your CPU might be overheating, here are some ways to cool it down.
- Clean the inside of your computer: Dust that accumulates inside your computer reduces its ability to dissipate heat. If you can, try cleaning the inside of your computer, including fans and heat sinks, to help reduce heat.
- Upgrade your cooling solution: Upgrading to a better cooling solution, such as a bigger or faster fan or liquid cooling system, can help dissipate heat more efficiently.
- Go back to default clock speed: If you overclock your CPU, it will consume more power and generate more heat. Reverting to the default clock speed is a quick way to reduce heat.
- Consider your work environment: Make sure your computer is in a well-ventilated area and not in direct sunlight. Taking your computer to a cool place or using a laptop cooling pad can help reduce the temperature.
- Manage software: Closing unnecessary apps and updating drivers can help reduce high CPU usage and temperature.
Following these steps will help keep your CPU temperature down and ensure your Windows PC is running as it should. However, if the temperature remains high even after identifying the possible causes, you may need to have your PC serviced for repair.
Read more: Refresh rate explained: What is 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz?
Questions to be asked
There is no way to check the CPU temperature in Windows 10. However, there are many compatible third-party software that you can use for free. Learn more in our guide.
Programs like SpeedFan and HWiNFo are free to use and monitor your Windows PC’s CPU temperature and fan speed.
Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t have a built-in way to check CPU temperature. However, the task manager will show you real-time information about your CPU performance, such as speed and usage. See our guide to recommended programs for monitoring your Windows PC’s CPU temperature.