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Optimal CPU & GPU temperature for gaming

We help you understand what a good CPU & GPU temperature is for your build

Updated: Feb 9, 2023 2:21 pm
Optimal CPU & GPU temperature for gaming

Sometimes we forget how important it is to keep our core hardware running at optimal temperatures. It can benefit your system in a number of different ways ranging from better performance to an extended life span.

Before considering optimal airflow for your GPU and CPU however, making sure both of these components synergize together is crucial for optimal performance.

Avoiding bottlenecks is crucial to avoid performance-hindering issues including sudden FPS drops.

READ MORE: Detailed explanation of CPU and GPU bottlenecks 

Having said that, it isn’t always straightforward to keep your hardware cool – especially when you factor in scenarios like gaming and increasing ambient temperatures. #climatechange.

So, what’s the best way to keep my PC parts cool?

Thankfully, there are a ton of different ways in which we can improve the cooling of our systems – all of which will be covered in this article.

Alongside that, we’ll also be covering how you can track your internal temps, how to optimize your PC for better cooling, and some other helpful tips on cooling that you may not know.

So, let’s stop waffling on and jump straight into it.

Do you know what else is hot? In the latest AM5 news, here’s everything we know about the up-and-coming AM5 platform.


VIDEO: Optimal CPU and GPU temperatures for gaming

Here is our optimal CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming video


What is a normal CPU temperature while gaming?

As most will already know, gaming applies a lot of extra stress onto your PC’s components – especially the CPU and GPU. That stress, in most cases, transfers directly into heat. While gaming, your hardware needs to operate at a higher rate to ensure performance levels are met. So, naturally, your components get much hotter.

But, what is the optimal CPU temperature for gaming? It’s one of the big questions we get asked around here and one that we felt needed answering in more detail. We decided to round up as many Best CPU and Best Graphics Card as possible and put all the data we could find in one easy-to-follow chart.

This will give you the tools required to know whether or not your components are running too hot.

NOTE: We sourced some data from manufacturer websites as well as in house records.

Check Out The Best CPU Temperature Monitoring Software Here


Optimal CPU temperature while gaming 2022

It doesn’t matter whether you’re running an AMD or Intel processor, the temperature threshold for all processors varies greatly.

These days, the optimal CPU temperature for gaming should not exceed 176°F (80°C) and on average, should run anywhere between 167°-176°F (75°-80°C). In certain situations, CPUs do have the potential to run a little hotter. Long gaming sessions and overclocking (something we’ll touch upon later) will result in slightly higher average temps.

With that in mind, below we have a table showing the available data of both Intel and AMD processors along with their average temperatures.

Thanks to modern gaming, PC games now draw most of their performance demands from the GPU – something that, historically, wasn’t always the case.


Optimal GPU temperature while gaming 2022

Looking back, games used to rely on the CPU for their performance requirements. However, thanks to a recent change in architecture, games now rely much more heavily on GPUs to drive frame rates.

Naturally, that has had a knock-on effect on the manufacturers themselves – with consumers now demanding much more power and better cooling solutions across the board. AMD and Nvidia are two brands that have been producing GPUs for as long as I can remember – with Nvidia, for the most part, dominating the market.

Having said that, AMD has leveled the playing field over the last couple of years thanks to their latest range of Navi GPUs.

Thanks to such fierce competition between the two brands, we’re seeing much more powerful cards being released from both sides. Which, for the most part, is great news.

However, aftermarket GPU manufacturers now have to provide even better cooling to try and counterbalance the extra heat these cards generate. This leads to a wide array of varying average temperatures across the board – giving you as a consumer, even more things to think about during an upgrade purchase.

With that in mind, AIBs usually cap the max temp of their GPUs to around 203°F (95°C). This is done to try and avoid any permanent damage occurring to the GPU itself.

Having said that, the optimal GPU temperature for gaming shouldn’t exceed 185°F (85°C), even if some are rated at higher.

Keeping everything in mind, let’s take a look at some of the contributing factors that create heat within the GPU:

  • Playing very stressful GPU-dependant games
  • The quality of the GPU’s cooling design
  • Your ambient temperature
  • The quality of your case
  • How many case fans you have
  • Quality of airflow

The list actually goes on, but these are the most affecting factors for increased GPU heat while gaming. To ensure temps are kept at optimal levels, you really want to create a level playing field across all these factors.

That way, you’ll give your system the absolute best chance of staying cool.

Anyway, we’ve put together the following two tables to showcase both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs with their rated max temperatures.


The types of GPU cooling solutions

As you can see from the table above, max temps vary greatly from one card to another. To try and keep a safe GPU temperature, GPUs rely on one of two styles of cooling design – Blower fan, and open-air fan.

Below is how the two styles of cooling differ:

GPU temp blower fan vs open air fan

Blower fan

The blower fan is often seen on a “reference card.” The blower fan takes the air from inside the case and blows it out through the rear vents on the back of the GPU card.

This is a great way of preventing the buildup of heat inside your case, but they can be louder, slower, and run about 5°C hotter than an Open Air system (aftermarket cards).

Open-air

Takes air from above the fans and blows it out to the sides (see image above).

As a general rule of thumb, open-air cooling is quieter, faster, and runs 5°C cooler than the Blower Fan solution. They also have a much wider range of aesthetic styles, fin designs, and customization options via GPU software.

Ensuring that the airflow in your case is well optimized (not obstructed by cables) is essential to your GPUs ability to cool itself. Not having a clean airflow throughout the case will lead to poor cooling efficiency – which could, ultimately, lead to an underperforming GPU.


What GPU cooler is best?

For gaming, you should almost always invest in an aftermarket GPU with an open-air cooling design. This will ensure lower GPU temps across the board and will physically increase the performance and lifespan of your hardware.

Not to mention they look more aesthetically pleasing. Even if your case doesn’t offer the best airflow, we still recommend this over a blower-style fan design.

Your case’s airflow can be fixed over time with a few subtle changes. A GPU with a completely different cooling design, on the other hand, is a much more costly way to go about it. Alongside cooler temps, open-air cooling will also offer a quieter overall experience.

It isn’t all positives for open-air cooling, though. As mentioned above, the air that passes over the GPU from an open-air design increases in temperature and then goes back into the general flow of the case.

This WILL have an impact on the rest of your system, and you will likely see increased temps in other areas like the RAM and CPU.

On the other hand, if you plan on doing a lot of highly-demanding CPU related tasks (which will create excess heat), you can always purchase a blower fan GPU to expel some heat out the back of your PC.

You will see slightly decreased internal temps by opting for this style of cooling.

Furthermore, a smaller form factor PC build might be better suited to a blower-style fan. They are a lot smaller than open-air and won’t suffocate the rest of your hardware.

Noise output

All modern GPUs come with smart fans. These fans usually sit idle until temperatures reach 86°F to 104°F (30°C to 40°C).

At this stage, the fans will switch on at a pre-determined speed (found in the preset profile). This greatly reduces noise output and power consumption when the system is cool.


How to track the CPU/GPU temperature when gaming 2022

Before addressing the temperature issues with your components, we recommend installing some helpful utilities which measure the temperature of your PC.

There are several ways to track the temp, but many of them are a pain. For instance, tracking your temps in the BIOS requires you to restart the system just to check its temperature.

As such, we’ll focus on the simplest and most reliable method based on our years of experience.

CPU/GPU utilities

Large companies such as AMD, Nvidia, Intel, MSI, and the likes, have their own brand of utilities, which is basic software. These utilities allow you to check your CPU and GPU temperatures, among other things.

For CPUs

Ryzen Master Utility (AMD) and Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel) are some of the most commonly used and high-quality utilities available.

These provide you with just about everything you need to see your CPU temperatures – they can even be used for overclocking.

Ryzen Master Utility only works with motherboards based on the X670X570X470, X370, B450, B350, X300, or X399 chipsets. Similarly, Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility is also unique to Intel CPU’s.

For GPUs

When you need to monitor your GPU temperature, the Nvidia Control Panel and the AMD Catalyst Control Center are Nvidia and AMD’s respective control panels.

They are usually installed along with the graphics card drivers. Everything you need to monitor the GPU temperature can be accessed easily from there.

We also recommend OpenHardwareMonitor when tracking both CPU and GPU temperatures. Not only is it free, but it is also easy to use.

Just keep in mind that you can always download the drivers directly from the manufacturer’s website in case they’re missing. You can also download utilities made by other hardware manufacturers such as MSI AfterburnerGigabyte Aorus Graphics EngineAsus GPU Tweak, and more.

The difference between these utilities and Ryzen Master Utility/ Intel Extreme Tuning Utility is that they are compatible with just about any GPU, regardless of the manufacturer.

This means you can use the MSI Afterburner even if you have an AMD graphics card. These programs will automatically detect your hardware and return data on your temperatures, fan speeds, voltage, load, and more.

Large companies such as AMD, Nvidia, Intel, MSI, and the likes, have their own brand of utilities, which is basic software. These utilities allow you to check your CPU and GPU temperatures, among other things.


How to deal with high CPU and GPU temperatures?

So, you’re experiencing high temps in either your GPU or CPU and need to know how to lower them. Well, before we learn how to lower GPU temperatures or reduce heat from the CPU.

Make sure you know what is causing those problems in the first place. Below are what we consider the most common reasons why CPU/GPU temperatures skyrocket:

dust

One of the major causes of excess heat is dust buildup. If you haven’t cleaned the inside of your case in a few months, dust will naturally accumulate.

optimal cpu gpu temp dust in case

The dust will reach a level where it starts to affect the case’s internal airflow, which, in turn, leads to less efficient internal cooling. Dust can be a real pain as it tends to find its way into the most annoying places to clean. Our number one tip for cleaning your case is compressed air.

For the most part, a hoover will get a lot of the main dust out of your PC. That being said, it won’t completely get rid of case dust – that’s where the compressed air comes into the equation.

Simply take your case outside (to a secure dry place) and blast that dust away with compressed air.

Poor cable management

Another underlooked area that contributes heavily to increasing CPU/GPU temperatures is your cable management – or lack of it.

optimal cpu gpu temp cable management

If you block the airflow that goes around the GPU, then your open-air cooling design won’t be able to work at optimal levels. Pair that with summer ambient temps and a lack of properly optimized case fans, and your hardware temps will soon skyrocket.

Whether you’re building a $300 budget build, or a high-end $1000 gaming rig, always remember to take care of cable management. It can seriously improve the efficiency of your hardware.

Poor airflow/ lack of fans

One of the easiest ways to impact your case’s internal temperature is with more/better case fans. Investing in decent case fans can seriously reduce internal temps, especially if they have high CFM (cubic feet per minute) levels.

Case Air Flow

Make sure you have at least one intake fan and one exhaust fan to promote a more natural airflow throughout the case.

You can go one step further and get numerous intake/exhaust fans to really bolster your cooling. We recommend doing this in scenarios where you’re PC is under a lot of stress for extended periods of time.

High ambient temperature

One of the most important areas to consider when trying to reduce CPU/GPU temperatures is the ambient temperature. If you live in a tropical part of the world or experience extreme heat during the summer months, this can be a serious problem for your PC temperatures.

Unfortunately, there’s not a great deal you can do about this unless you have a fair bit of money to invest. Air-con is a great amenity but one that will probably set you back more than the PC itself.

If this is the case, it might be time to invest in some form of water-cooled AIO. We have a bunch of great recommendations that will help you out a lot come the hotter months of the year.

I also recommend, as a minimum, to set a more aggressive fan profile using one of the utilities above.

Change thermal paste

Best thermal paste

If you haven’t bothered changing our CPU and GPU thermal paste within the past six months or so, then chances are it’s time you should change it. Or consider upgrading your thermal paste to make for better, more efficient heat transfer between component and cooler.

Before changing the thermals, learn how to correctly apply thermal paste to the CPU or GPU to avoid any problematic situations.


Overclocking

Overclocking is one of the quickest and easiest ways to rack up the internal temps of your hardware. You are physically pushing your components to the limit, and as we’ve already explained, extra stress translates directly into heat.

What you might not be aware of, however, is the overclocking profiles that come built into modern hardware. GPUs and CPUs can come equipped with an OC profile, which is physically pushing the component harder than you’d expect.

During the hotter months of the year, it might be worth switching your OC profile to stock levels – especially if you’re experiencing higher average temps.

You can do this in your manufacturer utility software, or directly via the BIOS.


Do high CPU/ GPU temps affect lifespan?

There’s a lot of speculation around this topic, but increased temps in hardware can have a negative effect on its life span. How measurable this is is yet to be determined, but rapid changes in temp to hardware is never good at any level.

High temps can physically stretch and warp the materials of your hardware. This, in turn, can reduce the longevity of its lifespan. Ultimately, keeping your hardware cool isn’t just about performance. It can have a real impact on the lifespan as well.


Final word

So, there you have it, our comprehensive guide to optimal CPU/GPU temperatures while gaming.

While it’s true that there’s no one definite answer to “what’s the optimal CPU/GPU temperature for gaming?”, as a general rule of thumb, it’s always a good idea to try and keep them as low as possible.

This will ensure performance levels are always optimized, and it will actually increase the lifespan of your hardware.

Now that you know the average optimal CPU/GPU temperature for gaming, it’s time to track your CPU and GPU temperatures using the tools we recommend and follow the simple steps to stay within the safe zone.

If this article helped you in any way, or you have further questions regarding temps, feel free to drop us a comment in the section below.


Optimal CPU & GPU temperature for gaming FAQs

What Temperature Should My CPU and GPU Be?

The sweet spot for CPU temperature while gaming is 75 – 80 °C (161 – 176 °F). When in an idle state or when only used for light processes, it should stabilize between 45 – 60 °C (113 – 140 °F)

There are some exceptions (some AMD GPUs), but for optimal performance under load, it’s best to keep your GPU at around 80 – 85 °C (176 – 185 °F). Most GPUs have a stated thermal capacity that reaches well beyond this, which is great, but that doesn’t mean you should be frequently reaching those temperatures. When idle, your GPU should stabilize between 40 – 60 °C (104 – 140 °F).

The thermal capacity of a GPU or CPU will vary from unit to unit, so your first port of call should be to see what the manufacturer has to say about it. Ideally, you’ll be well aware of the thermals of a graphics card or processor before you buy it, as you need to know if it’s suitable for your gaming habits.

Is 70 Degrees Celsius Hot for a CPU While Gaming?

70 degrees Celsius can sound alarming, but it’s actually a very mild temperature for a CPU to run when under load. You should be very happy if that’s your average temperature while gaming. It means your thermal solutions are on point, so well done.

On the other hand, if this is your recorded temperature when idle or performing very small everyday computational tasks, you may have a problem. Shouldering a minimal workload, your CPU should never really break the 60 – 62 °C (140 – 143.6 °F) threshold.

If this is the case, you should consider optimizing your case airflow or investing in a quality dedicated cooler for your CPU.

Is 75 Degrees Celsius Hot for a GPU While Gaming?

75 degrees Celsius is a lovely temperature for GPUs to run while gaming. Most GPUs are designed to withstand temperatures beyond 90 °C, so don’t sweat it if yours is averaging 75 °C…your GPU certainly won’t.

If this is the temperature you’re recording when your GPU is idle, you may indeed need to do some investigating to find out exactly what’s causing this feverous hot flash. This problem is normally solved by tweaking your fan curve.

Is 80 Degrees Celsius Hot for a GPU While Gaming?

80 degrees Celsius is perfectly normal for a GPU under a gaming load. In fact, 80 degrees Celsius is at the lower end of what’s considered the sweet spot for gaming. Even if you reach 1 or 2 degrees beyond 85 °C, we wouldn’t worry. It probably just means the game is a little GPU-hea

At What Temperature Does a CPU Overheat?

Some CPUs are designed to withstand higher temperatures than others, but generally speaking, the limit lies between 105 – 110 °C (221 – 230 °F). That said, we wouldn’t consider that safe over long periods of use.

The upper reaches of a CPU’s capacity are more of an ‘every now and again’ sort of guideline. What you’ll find if you breach these temperatures is that your CPU will automatically throttle, cutting clock speeds down in order to prevent any further buildup of heat.

If you want to get the most service life possible out of your CPU, you’re best off trying to keep it averaging out around the 80 °C zone. Pushing to 85 °C is absolutely fine, so don’t worry if you see temperatures creeping up a little.

A CPU in a standard build that’s never used for gaming should run even cooler, as it won’t have been designed with the same amount of thermal headroom as an optimized gaming CPU. They should be kept at roughly 75 °C (167 °F).

At What Temperature Does a GPU Overheat?

Much like CPUs, the thermal capacity of a GPU will differ from unit to unit, but most can handle occasional temperatures between 89 – 100 °C (192.2 – 212 °F).

Modern GPUs are also programmed to throttle if they reach temperatures beyond their stated capacity. This automatic slow down process gently brings the temperature back down into a safe zone in order to prevent permanent damage to one or more of the components.

Why Do AMD GPUs Run So Hot?

Modern AMD GPUs aren’t quite as hot headed as their predecessors, so we wouldn’t pay much attention to this issue. AMD GPUs of old such as the 290X and 390X sacrificed decent thermals to maximize frame rate performance. As a comparatively smaller company, it was their way of competing with the performance of the then ubiquitous Nvidia.

The lack of thermal headroom made older AMD GPUs an overclocker’s nightmare, but it did mean that they were already functioning at the absolute limit of their ability. You can essentially think of them as factory overclocked units.

Thermals are now a major focus for AMD as evidenced by the fact they’re switching a lot of production over to axial card designs rather than blower editions. If you’re thinking of buying an older AMD card, we’d definitely recommend choosing a 3rd party iteration over the reference model, as they tend to feature more effective fans and refined heatsinks.

Does Overheating Cause Lag?

When a CPU overheats, any lag experienced is most likely a precursor to a total crash. When it reaches beyond its rated thermal capacity, it becomes highly unstable and components may be irreversibly damaged. If a GPU overheats, you may well experience some lag or processing errors.

As long as the throttle function on your CPU or GPU is working as it should, unless you’re pushing them way too hard via some twisted manual overclocking, you shouldn’t worry too much about overheating.

The best thing you can do is check your temperatures regularly to ensure you’re not pushing them too hard. If you find your GPU is struggling on one particular title, its temperature rising above the desired 85 °C, try reducing the settings. Some games are far more demanding than others, so Ultra Settings aren’t always practical.

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