Is your CPU getting super-hot while playing games or watching videos? The results of overheating are sudden shut down of the PC, getting locked, and slow-moving tasks. Are you facing any such issues with your PC? If yes, you need to check your PC’s CPU temperature and keep a check for it.
This article provides you with a detailed step-to-step guide about how to check your PC’s CPU temperature. The expert’s suggestion is to keep monitoring the CPU’s temperature occasionally. The two significant ways i.e. BIOS and core Temp tools are discussed in this article.
Why should I check my CPU temperature?
There are many reasons for the overheating of the CPU. Some of them are overclocking, malware infection with viruses, Trojans and worms, excess dust accumulation, and incorrectly seated heat sink. All these conditions lead to the problem of overheating of the CPU.
One needs to monitor the CPU’s temperature to ensure efficient functioning of the system and to prevent damage to the other hardware components. Overheated CPU results in a huge set of problems. It hampers the basic functioning and operations of the system.
The system shuts down automatically and gets locked too. There is a decrease in the operating frequency of the CPU. The CPU fan produces excess noise. The system acts sluggishly and consumes a lot of time to perform the basic and regular functions. Not all the systems have in-built thermal protection, damage is inevitable in such cases. Overheating does result in wrong or error messages and a blue screen of death (BSOD).
The major problem rises due to overheated CPUs is CPU throttling. CPU throttling is the dynamic frequency scaling. It is a condition where the speed or the performance of the computer is less. This is a defensive mechanism. CPU throttling slows down the speed and performance of the system to lessen the energy consumed and saves battery. This generates a lesser amount of heat. Though throttling reduces overheating, it affects the performance of the system.
How to check your CPU temperature?
The temperature of your computer’s processor is significant to keep it cool and healthy. We know little hot processors can cause various kinds of issues.
The two best ways to check your CPU temperature are using the BIOS present in your system and the core temp tool. Here’s the detailed information about how to check your CPU temperature.
1. Check your CPU temperature in BIOS:
BIOS is nothing but an input-output mechanism that is present on the chip of the system board. It is primarily the very first application that is activated when you start your computer or laptop. This process can be identified as booting. BIOS allows the person to check the condition of the CPU and monitor the status of the hardware.
Steps to be followed:
The process is quite simple and involves a few steps.
Step 1: Reboot your device i.e. your computer. An options menu appears on the screen with various options and BIOS is one of them. Press the key that gives you access to BIOS. The keys “Del” or “F” give access to BIOS setup on most of the computers. You need to refer to the manual documentation of your computer if the BIOS setup does not appear on the screen.
Step 2: Navigate through the BIOS setup. The place where you get access to check your temperature is named differently in different systems. Find the option “PC Status” or “Health status” or “Monitor” or “Hardware monitor” on the screen. Click on it when you find it on the screen. Use either the keyboard keys or the mouse to navigate.
Step 3: The CPU temperature page appears. Press the key “Enter”.
Step 4: The screen displays the temperature of the Computer processor. It expresses temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius.
Isn’t the process simple and easy? You do not need any technical experience to check your CPU temperature by yourself. Make sure you do not make any changes to the other settings of the BIOS setup.
2. Check your CPU temperature using Core temp tool:
The Core temp tool is a software that enables one to get access to the entire information like model, platform, frequency, speed, and temperature. It’s a simple process and doesn’t require any professional or a technically sound person to perform it. You can do it all by yourself by following the simple steps given below.
Step 1: Download and install the application on your computer. Remember, while downloading and installing the app, another bunch of bundled software also gets downloaded. To prevent this, make sure to uncheck all the additional tasks that appear on the screen.
Step 2: Click next and run the application. The core temp tool showcases various icons on the screen, one icon for each core.
Step 3: To see or hide the main window, press right-click on the icon.
Step 4: The screen displays the entire information about your computer processor. The information includes speed, model, frequency, and temperature.
Step 5: Observe the Tj. Max reading. Tj. Max reading is an indication of the highest temperature at which your CPU runs. The manufacturer rates the Tj. Max values. Your CPU is said to be overheated if the temperature of the cores is near to the Tj. Max temperature value. It is recommended to have temperature values 10-20 degrees Celsius lesser than the Tj. Max values.
Step 6: This is it. You’re done checking your CPU temperature using the core temp tool.
Here are a few settings or options you need to know while using the core temp tool. Have a look at them.
Step 1: In the ‘General’ setting, you have the ‘Start core temp with windows’ option. This option enables you to start the tool. Keep it on or off depending upon your requirement. Keep it on if you wish to monitor your CPU’s temperature constantly. Turn it off if you do not use it frequently.
Step 2: You have an option ‘Hide taskbar’ in the ‘Display’ setting. Turn it on if your CPU is under continuous monitoring. This saves space for you and keeps you away from distraction.
Step 3: Another significant setting is the ‘Notification Area’. You receive all the notifications regarding the CPU status. This setting in the Core temp tool comes with various options like ‘All cores’, ‘Highest temperature per processor’, ‘Highest Temperature’, and ‘Icon only’. ‘All cores’ option will display the entire information about the CPU temperature which is unpleasant. It’s recommended to select the ‘Highest temperature’ option. This displays the highest temperature of your CPU allowing you to take required measures to prevent overheating.
Step 4: There’s another option called ‘Overheat Protection’. Enabling this option gives alert to you when your CPU attains maximum safe temperature.
What’s the best temperature for your CPU?
Always prefer the ideal maintenance of CPU temperature. The temperature is a variable factor that entirely depends on the use of CPU. The CPU temperatures fluctuate over a certain range and that’s quite normal. Make sure to maintain your CPU temperature below the maximum safe temperature.
“What’s the safest temperature for my CPU?”. This is the most common question asked. Here’s the answer.
The best temperature for your CPU is between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. When you use the computer for watching videos or playing videos or to do some sort of work, the temperature goes high.
- Below 60 degrees Celsius: It is normal. You feel the hotness when your CPU is at this temperature.
- 60 – 80 degrees Celsius: It becomes warmer and results in inconvenience while using. Consider taking preventive measures. Check the fan of the CPU. Remove dust if any.
- 85 – 100 degrees Celsius: This range is dangerous. Modern processors shut themselves off when they’re over-roasted. If your CPU runs at 100 degrees Celsius regularly, then something is wrong with your CPU.
Make sure your CPU works at an optimum temperature level, and not below or above it. CPU temperature above the external environment temperature causes overheating and those below the regular temperature causes condensation. Condensation leads to the formation of water droplets and this condition is worse than overheating.
How to keep down your CPU temperatures?
There’s no need to worry if your CPU gets overheated. That’s a common problem and is preventable. Here are the ways to keep down your CPU temperature.
- Perform a Clean-up. Clean your computer and the CPU. This allows you to remove all the accumulated dust. Make sure the ventilation is proper and there are no clogs formed. Use an air compressor or a simple brush for the cleaning process.
- If the above measure doesn’t work out, try reapplying the thermal paste. Apply a pea drop size of thermal paste and this works well for old computers.
- Perform under-volting: Try performing under volt for your computer. This can be done without exposing your computer parts. This doesn’t harm the CPU.
- If you think the fans of your system are not sufficient, try increasing the number of case fans of your system. Try reconfiguring them or try to increase the speed of the existing fans.
