What is the normal CPU temperature while gaming? What is the average CPU temp?
While playing modern PC games they put a lot of pressure on your CPU. If you are used to playing intense games for a longer period, your computer is destined to start overheating. At this stage, users get worried and start looking for what is a CPU’s normal temp while gaming?
Is 60C or 80C a good CPU temp? Before providing any answer you should know that the average CPU temperature highly depends on its manufacturer, top clock speed, placement of sensors, and the apps/games that you are currently running.
In this article, you will get a general idea of what is the good CPU temperatures which are acceptable under certain conditions, and how hot is too hot for the CPU before it starts overheating.
What Is a Normal CPU Temp While Gaming?
While it depends greatly on the type of processor you have on your system. As a good rule of thumb the normal CPU temp while gaming should remain between 61°C and 73°C (142° F and 164° F).
If this temperature limit is unable to attain then your CPU temp shouldn’t exceed 176°F (80°C), otherwise, it will cause overheating.
What is the Average CPU Temp Under Full Load?
First, make sure that your CPU temperature must not go beyond the Ambient Room temperature i.e. 22 to 24 degrees Celsius (71-75°F).
In a hotter envoirement the desktop CPU should operate between 45-50°C when idle, or 80°C when under full load.
Below is a chart listing many types of processors and their average temperatures under full load.
Here we have provided the list of maximum and normal CPU temperatures of popular Intel & AMD processors. You can check the safe temperature for the CPU just by scrolling down the list. These values of the average CPU temperature are gathered from different tech forums.
| Processor Type | Normal CPU Temp Under Full Load | Maximum Temp Range |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i3-7350K | 45°C to 60°C | 100°C |
| Intel Core i5-7600K | 45°C to 65°C | 100°C |
| Intel Core i5-6600K | 42°C to 53°C | 72°C |
| Intel Core i5-4670K | 47°C to 60°C | 72°C |
| Intel Core i5 4690K | 60°C | 74°C |
| Intel Core i5-3570K | 50°C to 62°C | 67°C |
| Intel Core i7-7700K | 50°C to 70°C | 100°C |
| Intel Core i7-6700K | 52°C to 70 °C | 72°C |
| Intel Core i7-4790K | Below 70°C | 73°C |
| Intel Core i7-4770K | 55°C to 65°C | 67°C |
| Intel Core i7-3770K | 55°C to 65°C | 67°C |
| Intel Core i7-2600K | 47°C to 60°C | 72°C |
| Intel Celeron | 67°C – 85°C | 73°C |
| Intel Core 2 Duo | 45°C – 55°C | 105°C |
| Intel Pentium Pro | 75°C | 85°C |
| AMD Ryzen | 70°C – 80°C | – |
| AMD Sempron | 85°C – 95°C | – |
| AMD A6-7400K | 45°C – 57°C | 70°C |
| AMD A6-6400K | 49°C to 57°C | 70°C |
| AMD A6-5400K | 45°C to 55°C | 70°C |
| AMD A10-7850K | 50°C – 60°C | 72.4°C |
| AMD A10-6800K | 50°C to 55°C | 74°C |
| AMD A10-5800K | 50°C to 55°C | 74°C |
| AMD Athlon 64 | 45°C – 60°C | 78°C |
| AMD Athlon FX | 45°C – 60°C | 70°C |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 | 45°C – 55°C | 78°C |
| AMD Athlon 64 Mobile | 80°C – 90°C | – |
| AMD Phenom II X6 | 45°C – 55°C | 62°C |
| AMD Phenom X4 | 50°C – 60°C | 62°C |
| AMD Athlon II X4 | 50°C – 60°C | – |
| AMD Duron | 85°C | 90°C |
| AMD Athlon MP | 85°C – 95°C | – |
| AMD K6 Mobile | 75°C – 85°C | – |
| AMD Opteron | 54°C – 60°C | 69°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 like the Intel Core I9 can withstand max temperatures as high as 93°C (200°F) without overheating.
How To Check CPU Temperature
Once you know the normal CPU temperature for Intel &AMD processors. The next question is how you can check the current CPU temperature on your Windows PCs and laptops?
Apparently, Windows doesn’t have any built-in feature to display the current temperature of your CPU. Therefore you need to download the CPU temperature monitor. These programs are an excellent choice to keep an eye on CPU heat irregularity.
Wondering how these PC temperature monitors work! Well, all modern motherboard has built-in heat sensors. When these sensors detect irregularity in CPU temperature, they gathered data. This data is ultimately displayed using third party software called CPU temperature monitors.
If you have a dedicated CPU of Intel or AMD then you can download Intel Extreme Tuning Utility or Ryzen Master Utility. On the other hand, there is a huge list of the best PC temp monitoring tools.
These programs provide great insight into various CPU specifications and easy overclocking.
To monitor GPU temperature, you can download Nvidia Control Panel or the AMD Catalyst Control Center. These programs allow you to check the normal GPU temp range and access many of your graphics card’s functionalities. CPU temp monitoring is also included.
However, hardware manufacturers also give their overclocking utilities that can serve the same purpose: MSI Afterburner, Asus GPU Tweak, Gigabyte Aorus Graphics Engine, etc.
How will I know if my CPU is running too hot?
If your processor gets too hot you will start seeing one of the following signs.
- PC fans constantly run causing the loud noise
- Computers perform slow causing error messages
- Sometimes PC will freeze causing a blue screen of death.
- Lines may also appear across the screen
- Abrup system shutdowns
If you are dealing with any of these signs then you should get serious to prevent computer overheating. Otherwise, you can lose your expensive hardware. Start by cleaning your PC and then download the CPU temperature monitoring tool.
How to Fix High CPU Temps Problem and Cool it Down
We have already explained the best ways to lower your CPU temp. Here, we have provided a quick list of ways that you can adopt to improve your CPU temperatures.
- Re-install your existing CPU cooler
- Reapply thermal paste on the CPU
- Buy better thermal paste
- Buy a better CPU cooler
- Buy a better PC case
- Reconfigure your case fans for better airflow
- Add more case fans
- Clean out your computer
CPU Temperature Range – FAQs
Many users ask quick questions about their Intel and AMD CPUs. So we have listed all these important queries for you.
First, you should know that CPUs are meant to perform while exuding heat. That heat produces due to electrical resistance within circuits. The more you push your CPU the hotter it will get. You should only get serious when you feel immense heat even when your system is idle.
First, you should know that CPUs are meant to perform while exuding heat. That heat produces due to electrical resistance within circuits. The more you push your CPU the hotter it will get. You should only get serious when you feel immense heat even when your system is idle.
The normal temp range varies for each CPU model. But you should try your best to remain temp under 60°C.
When your CPU generates heat and you don’t have any counter mechanism to lower it. That’s a bad temperature for your CPU. If you want an answer in number then 80°C or above is a bad temperature for the CPU.
To give you an average temperature range for CPU is again a difficult task but you should make sure that it stays between 45° to 55°C.
Yes, it’s bad for your CPU. Although a modern CPU can perform at 100°C, its performance will decrease. So it’s wise to not let your CPU reach 85°C.
If you have an i5 processor on your laptop and you play games on it. Then under average game settings, the laptop temperature must remain within 65°-70°C.
For i5 4670K, the ideal temps are 47°C to 60°C. If you have a normal cooling system installed in your system then this temp limit is fine.
For 6400K series CPU, 49°C to 57°C are the best temps. Although they are prone to get heat up faster you need adequate cooling to counter overheating.
For A10 8600K processor its temperature must remain within 50°C to 55°C. If you can’t maintain this limit then 66°C is still normal for them.
The healthy temperature of AMD A10 7850k is 50°C – 60°C. It’s only when you giving proper cooling to your system.
The average temp range for 15 6600K is 42°C to 53°C. Although the manufacturers claim that it can handle 100°C but practically it’s wrong.
50°C is the best CPU temp limit for all kinds of processors. Your CPU will just be fine giving you the best performance. But if your CPU is idle still you are getting 50°C then you need to do something.
Yes, it’s still normal and not hot but you should get serious at this point. Make preparations to lower the temperature. Cleaning, improving cooling, underclocking, etc.
No. It’s a safe temp limit. Under a nominal load, 50-55 is the ideal temp range but if you are getting this temp at idle then you need to think about it. There may be some fault in your fans or CPU heatsink.
No matter you are using Intel or AMD CPU for gaming but your temperature must not increase beyond 80°C. For more secure and better game-play try to remain it within 75°- 80°C
No, It’s a perfectly safe CPU temp range even while gaming. At this temp limit processor works great giving you optimal performance.
The safe temperature range for laptops is 50 to 95 degrees. This range refers to the optimal usage of your laptop.
