Processing speeds drop as temperatures climb to 60°-70°C during light usage and media consumption.
Processing speeds drop as temperatures climb to 60°-70°C during light usage and media consumption.
Hello, I hope you're alright. I built my first PC about 7-8 months ago during winter. At that time, the temperature was around 35-50°C, but now in summer it goes up to 45-70°C while using it. I ran Cinebench and Prime95 for about 30 minutes or longer. The results showed Cinebench reaching 60-70°C and Prime95 hitting 60-79°C. Some people suggest undervolting, others warn against it. My machine has a Ryzen 7 3700X, which is built to handle this heat. I’m not sure if it’s safe to change it now. Could you help me? Thank you!
Maybe boost the CPU fan rate? It seems sluggish unless you're aiming for a high-performance setup.
As long as the heat stays below 85 degrees, your CPU will function well. From 85 to roughly 90 degrees it begins lowering the speed of its cores to save power and reduce heat, allowing a gradual cooling if the cooler or fan operates properly. If temperatures remain high, it may eventually shut down. Your motherboard appears to modify fan speed automatically, helping keep the CPU near the desired temperature. This helps maintain quieter operation. In BIOS you can check for a fan curve tool, letting you set minimum and maximum speeds based on temperature, so your fans run faster even in cooler conditions.
If temps are fine, I would prefer it the way it is, I've 5 fans in my PC case, its already noisy enough!
This behavior is typical for Ryzen processors. Unlike Intel, Ryzen maintains high performance even during light usage, which keeps it running at full speed and generates more heat. Additionally, the 7nm manufacturing process used in Ryzen 3000 chips results in a very small dye structure, concentrating heat in a smaller area beneath the IHS. This makes cooling more challenging, especially when the processor is under load.
It’s not accurate to say so. By adjusting the settings in your control panel (such as Ryzen balanced), the CPU can automatically adjust its speed. In reality, Ryzen chips perform better than Intel ones because they offer more frequent frequency changes within a second. For example, an Intel processor might take 25 milliseconds to increase from 1 GHz to 4 GHz, whereas the latest Ryzen could do it in just 4 or 10 milliseconds. The diagram you referenced confirms this behavior. Each core uses about 1.3 watts at the moment the image was captured, meaning they don’t draw much power when running at high speeds. At peak frequency, cores still use less energy, so they idle at lower speeds. @Detective, the fans you mentioned likely spin at full speed unnecessarily, producing excess noise. Consider adjusting their RPM settings or repositioning them for better airflow. Fans should be placed to draw air into the case and push it toward the GPU and CPU. Having one or two fans on the front and back can help manage temperature more efficiently. The CPU is usually set to auto-voltage, but sometimes a small voltage offset (like -0.05V) can improve efficiency without affecting performance much. If possible, testing with a 25–50mV adjustment might yield better results while keeping temperatures lower.
Thanks for your detailed feedback. These aren't just two fans but five connected through a four-pin header, and running them at full speed makes them very loud. Concerning the fan arrangement, I have two fronts, one bottom, one rear, and another at the top. Regarding the optional component, I currently lack any background information; I need to review more content and watch several videos before deciding. For instance, I've learned that 1.325V isn't safe for Zen systems.