CPU reaches 90°C during inactivity.
CPU reaches 90°C during inactivity.
I purchased an MSI gaming laptop roughly four months ago and used it normally without major problems. Recently, I noticed the fans are extremely loud even though I haven’t played any games for weeks and was only running office apps and Adobe Photoshop. Yesterday, while using Microsoft Word, the fans became even louder, the battery was low, and I connected a charger. The laptop crashed immediately with a BSOD, and after restarting, I thought an NVIDIA driver update might be the cause—I applied it, but the overheating persisted. When I checked the desktop via MSI Dragon Center, the CPU temperature reached 94°C. I turned off the laptop to let it cool, then restarted it. The fans resumed their high noise level, and temperatures fluctuated between 85-95°C. After about half an hour, the heat didn’t decrease. Normally, my laptop fans are quiet when idle, but now they seem to run nonstop. I haven’t played a game, yet the issue persists. Could this be due to something I didn’t realize? Is it common for CPUs to overheat under these conditions? Have others faced similar problems? Any advice would be greatly appreciated—I’m struggling to continue working. Windows quick scan showed no threats. This is really frustrating.
You purchased it brand new? Then it should still be covered under warranty, I’d let MSI handle the details.
choking the airflow by placing it on cloth/bed bad thermal paste dust clogged up the vents huge amount of background software running yes, me manufacturing defect, part of the insulation sticker was covering part of the die, causing improper contact of the coldplate to the cpu idle temps were in the 90s. i found out only after 6 years, when it was dying, i fixed it by placing the insulation layer in the right spot, and cleaned the glue residue (it was tough to rub off even with alcohol) depends on your internet habits, it you're the "boomer" type and clicks on everything people show them, then it's very possible send it into MSI if it's still under warranty
i want to add that i am using the laptop on flat wooden surface and the fans are a little bit dirty but not too much also i dont think its a manufacturing issue because i have been using it for months and it was good all the time was only heating when i was gaming and that was pretty normal it all started yesterday. also i am not a boomer i have not had any problems with viruses for quite a long time. about the warranty i have contacted msi service but there arent any service point in my city and i have to send them the laptop but it will take longer due to covid19 so i will try some other solutions for now if i cant solve my problem i will send it
If this happened unexpectedly, it could be due to background programs monitoring CPU usage while idle or a minor shake that damaged the thermal paste, preventing good contact between the CPU and cold plate. Check for software conflicts first—try avoiding any hardware interaction if you're still covered by warranty.
Clean the laptop thoroughly, remove any dust, and see if it improves. If it remains under warranty, I’d consider sending it to MSI.
CPU activity in Task Manager is around 35%. I noticed Office Click to Run was consuming a lot of CPU and power, so I stopped it and waited idle for about five minutes. Now the CPU temperature is 55°C, and I think the issue might be related to the office environment. I also realized that unplugging the adapter slightly reduced the heat. It seems using Office often could cause this problem. Maybe there’s a way to fix it? Also, when I disabled background apps, the temperature dropped to 60-65°C with quieter fans. That’s much better than the previous 90°C and loud fans. For now, I’m okay using it that way. Thank you all for your help. If anything changes, I’ll consider taking it to warranty. Thanks again!
The office shouldn’t be running a laptop at 90°C unless the fans aren’t actually working. The most probable issue is that the cooling system isn’t properly attached to the processor. If you decide to handle it yourself, go for it—but I’d recommend sending it to MSI. Tackling it alone might cancel your warranty.