Solved At what temperature does an average CPU and GPU become too hot?

niemiro

Banned
Hello all!

Some of you may know me. Like my software and WinSxS (I love the way WinSxS all fits together!) but am utterly clueless about the hardware. Please forgive me this question!

I have a DESKTOP PC which is NOT overclocked in any way. It is reasonably powerful (see specs) and is a Dell. However, it is used to the extremes of its ability - regularly.

I would just like to ask you what the temperatures you would consider good, warm, and hot for both the GPU and CPU. I know the GPU can get quite hot, but I would please like to know how hot, so that I can learn.

I have a feeling that mine are quite hot. Most of the time I get:

CPU: 52 degrees Centigrade (C)
GPU: 128 C

These seem awfully hot. Putting my hand on the GPU plastic casing after use makes me think that these are not anomalous!

Thanks so much in advance!

Richard

EDIT: All of the fans have been confirmed as working, and it has good airflow all around, and always has had.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 420
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz
    Motherboard
    Stock Dell 0TP406
    Memory
    4 gb (DDR2 800) 400MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3870 (512 MBytes)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 x Dell 2007FP and 1 x (old) Sonic flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 and 1280 x 1204
    Hard Drives
    1 x 640Gb (SATA 300)
    Western Digital: WDC WD6400AAKS-75A7B0

    1 x 1Tb (SATA 600)
    Western Digital: Caviar Black, SATA 6GB/S, 64Mb cache, 8ms
    Western Digital: WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 ATA Device
    PSU
    Stock PSU - 375W
    Case
    Dell XPS 420
    Cooling
    Stock Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell Bluetooth
    Mouse
    Advent Optical ADE-WG01 (colour change light up)
    Internet Speed
    120 kb/s
    Other Info
    ASUS USB 3.0 5Gbps/SATA 6Gbps - PCI-Express Combo Controller Card (U3S6)
Hello Richard, I am not really knowledgeable in this area & can only reflect on my own research so that i can monitor my own temps which basically indicates 70 degrees C and below in both cases as being comfortable temps.

In posts i have read concern is usually expressed in 80c+, your CPU looks fine mine runs at 50-65 & max 72c under heavy load. I use Core temp to monitor which also has overheat protection

http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/



Capture1 (3).JPG

The tjmax is the CPU manufacturers max temp (assume critical) & safe temps to be 15c-20c below this.

As far as your GPU it looks extremely hot but i do not have a solution for you other than cleaning & extra cooling which i am sure you are already aware of. (my desktop has settings in the BIOS for the fan)

Here are my temps which are for a laptop;

Capture.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Hewlett Packard, compaq presario CQ60-305AU
    CPU
    AMD Athlon QI-46 2.1 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Wistron 303C
    Memory
    2048 Mb DDR2 SD Ram
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidea GE Go Force 8200M G / 256Mb dedicated grapics memory
    Sound Card
    MCP78S NVidea High definition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" High Definition Brightview Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1336x768
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba MK2555GSX ATA
    Mouse
    Synaptics PS2/Touchpad

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
Okay, i do know some about temps, and your cpu is above average, but okay if thats load.

BUT your gpu is overheating. About 105C is tops on a gpu. It'll start to throttle at that temp, and shut down over 110C! ATIs might e abit hotter at shutdown, but not much.

Your problem is airflow. Dells and factory prebuilts have horrible airflow. So if you can't remove the heat you just store it.

My system is an oc'd q6600 with a high Vcore of 1.36V and 2 gtx 260s overclocked. All in an Antec 900 case.

Great airflow, and in the right spots.. my gpu folds 24/7 and sits at 70-77C depending on projects. 3dVantage only hits 65C

My cpu, with aftermarket cooler will peak at 66C, but I need to reTIM it, as its 3yrs old.

Heres mine running prime95 at max power/heat mode... its 57C.

The max temp was achieved on a linX run, which is more heat inducing.

tempsvista.jpg


Your biggest issue is dells SUCK for changing cases, and i think thats your only way to cool it off. Try run ning sideless and see how things go.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual L5639 // i7 950 @ 4.0Ghz
    Motherboard
    Evga SR-2 // Gigabyte x58a-ud3r
    Memory
    12Gig Corsair XMS3 // 6Gig OCZ Gold
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 560 ti // gtx 260-216
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 22" // Headless
    Hard Drives
    OCZ aGILITY 3, 120Gig + Seagate 500Gig x 2
    PSU
    Silverstone da700 // Corsair 520hx
    Case
    Rosewill BlackHawk Ultra // Antec 900v1
    Cooling
    Twin CM Hyper 212+ // Noctua NH-u12
    Other Info
    Acer 8930 laptop with x9100...
At the very beginning of the day, this is how it looks. As you can see, it is good. However, the CPU climbs very slightly under load (no issue) but the GPU just climbs and climbs. Anyway, thank you all so, so much for all of the advice. I shall currently monitor the situation, and think about better cooling/different case (maybe an excuse for some new components as well)

temps.JPG

Richard
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 420
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz
    Motherboard
    Stock Dell 0TP406
    Memory
    4 gb (DDR2 800) 400MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3870 (512 MBytes)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 x Dell 2007FP and 1 x (old) Sonic flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 and 1280 x 1204
    Hard Drives
    1 x 640Gb (SATA 300)
    Western Digital: WDC WD6400AAKS-75A7B0

    1 x 1Tb (SATA 600)
    Western Digital: Caviar Black, SATA 6GB/S, 64Mb cache, 8ms
    Western Digital: WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 ATA Device
    PSU
    Stock PSU - 375W
    Case
    Dell XPS 420
    Cooling
    Stock Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell Bluetooth
    Mouse
    Advent Optical ADE-WG01 (colour change light up)
    Internet Speed
    120 kb/s
    Other Info
    ASUS USB 3.0 5Gbps/SATA 6Gbps - PCI-Express Combo Controller Card (U3S6)
Biggest issue is Dell uses their own screw pattern...

Your temps on first boot look good, and normal.. So its very possible its just built up heat.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual L5639 // i7 950 @ 4.0Ghz
    Motherboard
    Evga SR-2 // Gigabyte x58a-ud3r
    Memory
    12Gig Corsair XMS3 // 6Gig OCZ Gold
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 560 ti // gtx 260-216
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 22" // Headless
    Hard Drives
    OCZ aGILITY 3, 120Gig + Seagate 500Gig x 2
    PSU
    Silverstone da700 // Corsair 520hx
    Case
    Rosewill BlackHawk Ultra // Antec 900v1
    Cooling
    Twin CM Hyper 212+ // Noctua NH-u12
    Other Info
    Acer 8930 laptop with x9100...
Biggest issue is Dell uses their own screw pattern...

Your temps on first boot look good, and normal.. So its very possible its just built up heat.

I shall see how it goes for the moment. Thanks for all of the info, you beast this stuff! Anyway, congrats on getting Guru!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 420
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz
    Motherboard
    Stock Dell 0TP406
    Memory
    4 gb (DDR2 800) 400MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3870 (512 MBytes)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 x Dell 2007FP and 1 x (old) Sonic flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 and 1280 x 1204
    Hard Drives
    1 x 640Gb (SATA 300)
    Western Digital: WDC WD6400AAKS-75A7B0

    1 x 1Tb (SATA 600)
    Western Digital: Caviar Black, SATA 6GB/S, 64Mb cache, 8ms
    Western Digital: WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 ATA Device
    PSU
    Stock PSU - 375W
    Case
    Dell XPS 420
    Cooling
    Stock Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell Bluetooth
    Mouse
    Advent Optical ADE-WG01 (colour change light up)
    Internet Speed
    120 kb/s
    Other Info
    ASUS USB 3.0 5Gbps/SATA 6Gbps - PCI-Express Combo Controller Card (U3S6)
Okay, i do know some about temps, and your cpu is above average, but okay if thats load.

BUT your gpu is overheating. About 105C is tops on a gpu. It'll start to throttle at that temp, and shut down over 110C! ATIs might e abit hotter at shutdown, but not much.

Your problem is airflow. Dells and factory prebuilts have horrible airflow. So if you can't remove the heat you just store it.

My system is an oc'd q6600 with a high Vcore of 1.36V and 2 gtx 260s overclocked. All in an Antec 900 case.

Great airflow, and in the right spots.. my gpu folds 24/7 and sits at 70-77C depending on projects. 3dVantage only hits 65C

My cpu, with aftermarket cooler will peak at 66C, but I need to reTIM it, as its 3yrs old.

Heres mine running prime95 at max power/heat mode... its 57C.

The max temp was achieved on a linX run, which is more heat inducing.

tempsvista.jpg


Your biggest issue is dells SUCK for changing cases, and i think thats your only way to cool it off. Try run ning sideless and see how things go.

Good advise to try sideless! Just keep it clean.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel e5300 2.6GHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock G41M-LE
    Memory
    OCZ 4 gig 800 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard 4500 GTX
    Sound Card
    Diamond XS 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" Insignia HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    60 Hertz
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 500 gig 7200 rpm, WD Green 5400 rpm 800 gig
    PSU
    550 Rocketfish
    Case
    Xion Solaris
    Cooling
    Skythe Katana III
    Keyboard
    eMachines
    Mouse
    Logiteck wireless lazer
    Internet Speed
    3.5 WiFi
    Other Info
    Line in to Yamaha RX-V465 HT receiver, Infinity RS1001 fronts& rear, Cambridge SoundWorks center, Yamaha YST-SW216 subwolf
Hello all!

Some of you may know me. Like my software and WinSxS (I love the way WinSxS all fits together!) but am utterly clueless about the hardware. Please forgive me this question!

I have a DESKTOP PC which is NOT overclocked in any way. It is reasonably powerful (see specs) and is a Dell. However, it is used to the extremes of its ability - regularly.

I would just like to ask you what the temperatures you would consider good, warm, and hot for both the GPU and CPU. I know the GPU can get quite hot, but I would please like to know how hot, so that I can learn.

I have a feeling that mine are quite hot. Most of the time I get:

CPU: 52 degrees Centigrade (C)
GPU: 128 C

These seem awfully hot. Putting my hand on the GPU plastic casing after use makes me think that these are not anomalous!

Thanks so much in advance!

Richard

EDIT: All of the fans have been confirmed as working, and it has good airflow all around, and always has had.


Every processor has its own temperature average, however I wanted to add one point to what the guys were saying that in case if your CPU temp is overheating and starts making pc hangs and other issues, you may want to read about how to deal with this issue from the below link:

How to deal with my cpu overheating?

and
Cleaning the CPU fan did not solve the overheating!

best wishes
 

My Computer

when I got worried about temp and other things I was told to download this little snazzy program. Dont know if you have another version of it from another outlet but I use this one. just gives me a state of mind so I know what my fans are up to :P

SpeedFan - Download
 

My Computer

I separate temps out to three zones:
less than 45C: cool
46-59C: warm
60C+: hot
and anything about 80C is dangerously hot, it wouldn't last more than few months running every day at that kind of temp. my HP laptop didn't, the graphics was running 70-88C all the time. it was only lightly used- less than 500 hours across 2 years- the GPU killed itself.

my hardware temps:
hardwaretemps.png

right now the cpu's running a bit warm only because I'm not exactly at idle right now, got anime, windows update, hl2, and Defraggler running.
but you can see when it was at idle how cool it got- down to just 30C ~ a few degrees above room temp.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    Intel i7 920
    Motherboard
    MSI X58 Platinum
    Memory
    12 GB (6x2GB) DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Twin Frozr nVidia GeForce GTX 560 TI
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Pro
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW266h 25.5" LCD, Acer S211HL 21" LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 & 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 PCIE SSD (primary)
    Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB
    Hitachi SATA II 1 TB
    Samsung SATA II 2 TB
    PSU
    Corsair TX 850 watt
    Case
    Antec 900
    Cooling
    air
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse Optical 1.1 USB
    Internet Speed
    20 mbps
Welcome to the forum, but my stystems defy your statement.... Plus different architctures run differently.

80C on an amd or intel 775 is dangerous, but on a "i" chip 80's hot but not dangerous.

70-80C on a gpu won't kill it, mine alol run there running folding at home. My laptop games at 100C for the last 3 yrs.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual L5639 // i7 950 @ 4.0Ghz
    Motherboard
    Evga SR-2 // Gigabyte x58a-ud3r
    Memory
    12Gig Corsair XMS3 // 6Gig OCZ Gold
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 560 ti // gtx 260-216
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 22" // Headless
    Hard Drives
    OCZ aGILITY 3, 120Gig + Seagate 500Gig x 2
    PSU
    Silverstone da700 // Corsair 520hx
    Case
    Rosewill BlackHawk Ultra // Antec 900v1
    Cooling
    Twin CM Hyper 212+ // Noctua NH-u12
    Other Info
    Acer 8930 laptop with x9100...
GPUs typically run hotter than cpus but I'll agree that 80 C is hot for a CPU. My computer shuts off at 75. I wouldn't consider 30 C to be just a few degrees hotter than room temperature. That is 86 F.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
I mean a few degrees C, not F. for example, just 4 degrees C less (26C) its a comfortable 78 F. Down 4 more degrees Celsius (now 22C) and its 72F.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    Intel i7 920
    Motherboard
    MSI X58 Platinum
    Memory
    12 GB (6x2GB) DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Twin Frozr nVidia GeForce GTX 560 TI
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Pro
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW266h 25.5" LCD, Acer S211HL 21" LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 & 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 PCIE SSD (primary)
    Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB
    Hitachi SATA II 1 TB
    Samsung SATA II 2 TB
    PSU
    Corsair TX 850 watt
    Case
    Antec 900
    Cooling
    air
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse Optical 1.1 USB
    Internet Speed
    20 mbps
I know the conversions but I thought that you where referring to F.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
The only thing about that link is its 5yrs old, so if yo have a newer chip its not it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual L5639 // i7 950 @ 4.0Ghz
    Motherboard
    Evga SR-2 // Gigabyte x58a-ud3r
    Memory
    12Gig Corsair XMS3 // 6Gig OCZ Gold
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 560 ti // gtx 260-216
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 22" // Headless
    Hard Drives
    OCZ aGILITY 3, 120Gig + Seagate 500Gig x 2
    PSU
    Silverstone da700 // Corsair 520hx
    Case
    Rosewill BlackHawk Ultra // Antec 900v1
    Cooling
    Twin CM Hyper 212+ // Noctua NH-u12
    Other Info
    Acer 8930 laptop with x9100...
I thought you could just search for your cpu on the site and it would give you details.
Page link I posted could have been from my laptop
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
Its misssing "i" chips
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual L5639 // i7 950 @ 4.0Ghz
    Motherboard
    Evga SR-2 // Gigabyte x58a-ud3r
    Memory
    12Gig Corsair XMS3 // 6Gig OCZ Gold
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 560 ti // gtx 260-216
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 22" // Headless
    Hard Drives
    OCZ aGILITY 3, 120Gig + Seagate 500Gig x 2
    PSU
    Silverstone da700 // Corsair 520hx
    Case
    Rosewill BlackHawk Ultra // Antec 900v1
    Cooling
    Twin CM Hyper 212+ // Noctua NH-u12
    Other Info
    Acer 8930 laptop with x9100...

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
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