What Is a Normal CPU Temp While Gaming?

The central processor unit of your computer is under a lot of strain from computer games.

Long sessions of intense gaming may cause your PC to overheat.

What is a typical CPU temperature for gaming, then?

While gaming, a typical CPU temperature ranges from 142° F to 164° F (61° C to 73° C).

A decent general rule of thumb is that your CPU temperature shouldn’t exceed 176°F (80°C), or else you run the danger of overheating.

Still, it significantly depends on the type of processor you have.

Usually, enough airflow is sufficient to maintain a cool CPU. Don’t worry, though, if that doesn’t work.

You might try other approaches as well.

Normal CPU Temperatures When Playing Games

The actual processor type you own has a significant impact on the typical CPU temperature when gaming.

Processors that can tolerate more use and hotter temperatures are produced by several manufacturers.

However, the typical normal temperature range is 142° to 164° F (61° to 73° C), based on the average of 30 distinct processors.

You’ll observe, though, that depending on the specific processor, this range might vary greatly.

For instance, compare the temperatures of the Intel Pentium 4 (111°F-149°F) and AMD Athlon (185°F-203°F).

At the upper end of the spectrum, that’s a variation of more than 50 degrees!

Processor	Normal range (°F)	Normal range (°C)
Intel Pentium Pro	165.2°F –186.8°F	74°C–86°C
Intel Pentium II	147.2°F –167°F	64°C–75°C
Intel Pentium III	140°F –185°F	60°C–85°C
Intel Pentium 4	111°F –149°F	44°C–65°C
Intel Pentium Mobile	158°F –185°F	70°C–85°C
Intel Core 2 Duo	113°F –131°F	45°C–55°C
Intel Celeron	149°F –185°F	65°C–85°C
Intel Core i3	122°F – 140°F	50°C – 60°C
Intel Core i5	122°F – 145.4°F	50°C – 63°C
Intel Core i7	122°F – 150.8°F	50°C – 66°C
AMD A6	113°F – 134.6°F	45°C – 57°C
AMD A10	122°F – 140°F	50°C – 60°C
AMD Athlon	185°F – 203°F	85°C – 95°C
AMD Athlon 64	113°F – 140°F	45°C – 60°C
AMD Athlon 64 X2	113°F – 131°F	45°C – 55°C
AMD Athlon 64 Mobile	176°F – 194°F	80°C – 90°C
AMD Athlon FX	113°F – 140°F	45°C – 60°C
AMD Athlon II X4	122°F – 140°F	50°C – 60°C
AMD Athlon MP	185°F – 203°F	85°C – 95°C
AMD Athlon XP	176°F – 194°F	80°C – 90°C
AMD Duron	185°F – 203°F	85°C – 95°C
AMD K5	140°F – 158°F	60°C – 70°C
AMD K6	140°F – 158°F	60°C – 70°C
AMD K6 Mobile	167°F – 185°F	75°C – 85°C
AMD K7 Thunderbird	158°F – 203°F	70°C – 95°C
AMD Opteron	149°F – 159.8°F	65°C – 71°C
AMD Phenom II X6	113°F – 131°F	45°C – 55°C
AMD Phenom X3	122°F – 140°F	50°C – 60°C
AMD Phenom X4	122°F – 140°F	50°C – 60°C
AMD Sempron	185°F – 203°F	85°C – 95°C
Average	141.61°F – 164.18 °F	60.89°C – 73.43°C

 

Without overheating, gaming CPUs like the Intel Core I9 can operate at temperatures as high as 200° F (93° C).

Additionally, devices like AMD’s Ryzen include an immediate shut-down feature to reduce high temperatures.

The best course of action is to identify your individual processor and research its CPU temperature requirements.

What Causes CPU Heat?

Because electricity flows through CPUs while your computer operates, they become heated.

The CPU’s temperature rises as a result of the heat energy that this electricity conveys.

Your computer expends more heat energy when playing video games since it is working harder.

But there are also other reasons why the CPU could get too hot.

1. Inadequate ventilation

Insufficient airflow increases the risk of CPU overheating.

This could occur if there isn’t enough ventilation in your room to allow the heat to escape.

You may boost ventilation by doing the following:

• The space where you use a computer should have air conditioning. It will lessen the heat from the outside, enabling your computer to cool down from the inside out.
• Move your computer to a place with greater airflow that is cooler. Your computer’s ability to regulate temperature will improve with more ventilation.
• Make sure the computer is free of dust. If there is, you should get rid of it by using pressurized air from a can to blast into the computer. This should be done once a week since dust can slow down the fans and make them less effective at keeping your PC cool.
• Put your computer on a cooling pad or elevate it to improve airflow from below.
• A minimum of two feet should be left open all the way around your computer to allow for unrestricted airflow.

Note: Increasing the number of fans in the PC case will also help to maintain the proper temperature for your CPU. You can perform it yourself, but we advise hiring a specialist because a single error might result in long-term CPU damage

Here are your options if you decide to add extra fans to your Computer:

• Unplug your computer’s cords one by one.
• The PC casing may be opened with a screwdriver.
• Most gaming computers come with two or more fans. Therefore, there isn’t always room for more. If you just have two, though, there is still an opportunity for expansion.
• The base is the ideal location for additional fans. PCs typically feature plates at the bottom to stop dust from gathering. You’ll want a screwdriver to remove the plates.
• You may add the fans after removing the plates. Put it where the plates were, exactly.
• Make sure the computer will be receiving air from the fans, not the outdoors.
• Place the fans using screws.
• Connecting them to a power source is now necessary. If you have a fan controller, you may include the fans in it. If not, you can connect them straight to the computer’s motherboard.
• At this point, you may reassemble everything.

2. The processor is under a lot of load.

When playing a game that uses a lot of RAM, your computer will work harder to access it.

The fans will work harder to cool down the CPU as a result of it being hotter. If you don’t detect that your CPU is overheating, there’s no cause to be concerned about this.

Extreme or prolonged heat might eventually harm the CPU and other vital internal processes.

You can replace your CPU and update your memory card in this situation. However, this can sometimes cost almost as much as purchasing a new computer.

How to Detect Overheating in Your CPU

Downloading a CPU temperature monitoring program is the quickest approach to determining whether your CPU is overheating.

Accurate data on workload, temperature, fan speed, and clock speed are available through apps like NZXT CAM.

Additionally, downloading and using the program are both free.

HWMonitor is another well-liked CPU temperature monitoring program.

Because it provides a precise indication of the lowest and highest CPU temperature, it is the most preferred alternative among gamers.

There are alternative techniques to detect CPU overheating if you don’t want to download one of these programs.

What to look for is as follows:

• When you are running apps, your computer restarts by itself, or the screen becomes blue. It can occur when playing a game or when using applications like Adobe Illustrator.
• When the CPU temperature rises too high, an overheating alert on some PCs may sound.
• Pay attention to your fans’ voices. The fans will try to reduce the temperature by speeding up their rotation when your computer gets too hot. You’ll hear them working harder as a result.

Conclusion

While gaming, a typical CPU temperature ranges from 142° F to 164° F (61° C to 73° C).

Your CPU may occasionally get warmer than usual. You should generally keep your CPU temperature around 176°F (80°C) to avoid overheating.

In the end, though, it will rely on the specifics of your CPU since it could be able to withstand temperatures that are considerably higher or lower than this. 

If you find that your CPU is overheating, you should stop playing and address the issue right once to prevent further harm to your machine.

Here are some tips for maintaining a normal CPU temperature when gaming:

• Make sure the space has adequate ventilation or air conditioning.
• The computer fans should be cleared of all dust.
• Install a CPU temperature monitoring app.

If taking these actions does not resolve your issue, you might think about purchasing a new CPU.