When you play games, your whole comput8er can get pretty toasty. This is completely normal because the CPU and GPU are doing millions of calculations each second to make the game you’re looking at run smoothly. But what is normal CPU temp while gaming?
Your CPU temperature should not go above 80°C (176°F) for extended periods. The average range for CPU temperature is between 75°C (167°F) and 80°C (176°F). If your CPU temperature goes above that, you may experience performance issues, errors, crashes, and may even damage your hardware.
But is that something that you should worry too much about? What can you do to fix your CPU temperature? Do some games make the CPU temperature rise more than others? Let’s take a closer look at this topic to learn more about CPU temps!
What Is Normal CPU Temp While Gaming?
Let’s start by explaining some things that can affect your CPU temps. First of all, the more powerful the CPU is, the more electricity it will typically use. At the same time, newer CPUs are becoming more efficient in terms of “performance per watt”. In other words, newer CPUs have more performance per watt of energy than older ones.
So, if you have a, let’s say Ryzen 9 5900X, your CPU TDP (thermal design power) will be 105W. This is more or less the most power that a high-end CPU will use nowadays. It also means that this high-end CPU will heat up more than a lower-end CPU during very intensive CPU-bound games like Total War: Warhammer 2. It may even reach up to 98°C (208°F).
But if you have a low-end CPU that has a TDP of 65W, it should heat up much less. Even if you run CPU-bound games, the CPU will simply not heat up as much. So this means that the normal CPU temp while gaming will depend on your CPU. Then what is normal CPU temp while gaming?
The 75°C (167°F) to 80°C (176°F) range from above should be the best and safest maximum temperature range that your CPU reaches. If your CPU sits comfortably above 85°C (185°F) all the time while gaming, you have an overheating issue that can seriously reduce the lifespan of your CPU or even kill it outright. This goes both for low-end and high-end CPUs.
So, how can you reduce your CPU temperature? The most obvious and easiest way would be to replace the thermal compound. This should be done at least once a year. Old thermal compound can’t transfer heat very well, resulting in high temps.
You may also consider buying an aftermarket CPU cooler if you still have high temperatures or if you just want to upgrade your system. This is a great investment as you may end up using a good cooler for up to 10 years.
But does the genre of the games you play affect CPU temperature? It definitely does because CPU-intensive games tend to max out the CPU which results in high CPU temps. If you frequently play RTS games like Civilization and Total War, you will see higher temps than when playing something like League of Legends.
In general, AAA single-player games will use both your CPU and GPU much more than esports titles. If your CPU does not overheat when playing lighter games but does when you play newer games with gorgeous graphics, you now know why. Try to keep your room cool and upgrade your CPU cooler if possible if you want to reduce the temps.
Conclusion
The CPU is one of the most important parts in your computer and it can heat up quite a lot when playing games. So, what is normal CPU temp while gaming? In general, the temperatures should be around 80°C (176°F). If the temps occasionally jump to 85°C (185°F), you don’t have to worry as it is normal.
But if your CPU sits at that temperature all the time and even goes above that, then you have overheating issues that you should take care of because they can reduce the lifespan of your CPU.
