CPU hits 80 degrees Celsius during some games! Help needed!
CPU hits 80 degrees Celsius during some games! Help needed!
Hi everyone,
My Lenovo Y700-15 ISK laptop has an i7-6700 HQ processor and a Nvidia GTX 960 M with 4 GB GDDR5.
To boost performance during gaming, I've slightly increased the GPU's clock speed, but within safe limits (135MHz/625 MHz) using MSI Afterburner, and for my CPU I'm employing ThrottleStop which enables Intel Turbo Boost to reach up to 3.50 GHz while playing games.
Additionally, I use ParkControl to unpark the cores only during gameplay.
After applying all these adjustments, I've eliminated stuttering in my games—now it's smoother. The games I play are more CPU-heavy, such as ArmA 3 and GTA V.
During NBA 2K18, the CPU stays below 64°C, but during ArmA 3 it briefly reaches up to 70°C before dropping back to 64-65°C. However, in GTA V the CPU can occasionally hit around 80°C.
I'm using a cooling pad and asked the service staff to repaste the thermal paste, but they said it's unnecessary since I purchased the laptop in February this year. They also confirmed the cooler wasn't dusty.
Could you confirm if these temperatures are within normal ranges for my laptop? Are they safe for the CPU's lifespan?
Also, Lenovo has capped the GPU temperature at 65°C, but it doesn't throttle at all. So I'm not concerned about the GPU.
My main worry is the CPU!
Thanks in advance,
Best regards!
Maq___ :
Dear miggtt699,thank you for replying to me!
I am mostly concerned about the CPU's life-span!
And also how much time can I play a game hitting arround 80 degrees Celsius,without harming the CPU?
I think that if you can keep it under or around 80ºC you should be fine without having to worry about longevity.
What I'm most concerned about in laptops personally when it comes to temperatures isn't the CPU killing itself from the temperatures, its what makes the connection between the CPU and the motherboard (BGA as they call it) weakening over time with heat, but I'd say 80ºC is fine and you won't have to worry much over it, its a laptop, not much more could be done.
I'd say if you're really wanting to improve thermals at any cost...
It's not something to worry about too much, as you're actually pushing both the CPU and GPU to their limits, which is typical, especially in a laptop.
What you're observing is entirely normal, particularly since GTA is a CPU-heavy title and it will demand more from the CPU than the GPU.
A quick search reveals that the CPU and GPU share the same heatpipes, so they both operate within the same thermal range. Overclocking the GPU can influence the CPU's temperature as well.
You don't need to worry excessively unless your hands get warm. Leaving the CPU alone to overclock should be better, especially in less demanding games, because a GTX 960M will handle a 6700HQ smoothly even when you increase game details.
Hope this clears things up.
Maq___ :
Dear miggtt699,thank you for replying to me!
I am mostly concerned about the CPU's life-span!
And also how much time can I play a game hitting arround 80 degrees Celsius,without harming the CPU?
I think that if you can keep it under or around 80ºC you should be fine without having to worry about longevity.
What I'm most concerned about in laptops personally when it comes to temperatures isn't the CPU killing itself from the temperatures, its what makes the connection between the CPU and the motherboard (BGA as they call it) weakening over time with heat, but I'd say 80ºC is fine and you won't have to worry much over it, its a laptop, not much more could be done.
I'd say if you're really wanting to improve thermals at any cost, try going to some specialist if you don't see yourself being fit with doing the job and having them replace the current thermal paste with a higher quality one, I will warn you that, the thermal paste that comes with the laptop might be good enough and you won't see much difference, possibly lose any warranty by doing such but, that's up to you to make the call.
I'd recommend something like the Noctua NT-H1.
Again, this is if you're extremely worried, but I'd personally not bother.
Dear miggtt699, thank you very much! I have just one more question.
Lenovo has a software named Lenovo Nerve Sense.
There is an option called Extreme Cooling, which can be manually enabled or disabled. It increases the fans to maximum speed.
What advice would you give me? Should I activate this feature or leave it off?
I am worried about the lifespan of the fans in this situation!
Lenovo says it can be used without problems, but how reliable is that really?
What are your thoughts on it?
Could this function create a regular demand to clean the fans?
I believe you should avoid using such an option if you can keep both GPU and CPU at 80ºC, since it may shorten the lifespan of the laptop fans. It’s unclear how much this would affect performance over time and whether it could ultimately be more harmful. This outcome is quite uncertain.
Nevertheless, remember that if this remains a concern, you can always try overclocking the GPU while letting the CPU handle itself—see if this adjustment truly makes a difference worth considering all these factors. If you still enjoy gaming on your laptop without needing these changes, it probably isn’t worth the trouble.
But if you manage to keep the temperature below 80ºC, you should be fine. Regarding cleaning, it depends on your usage habits. If you rarely encounter dusty conditions and use your laptop on cloth-covered surfaces that trap dust and hair, you won’t have to worry much. Typically, I maintained my laptop every six months, but it was straightforward. If someone were to clean it annually, it wouldn’t cause any issues for me.