The CPU temperature is unusually high while playing games?
The CPU temperature is unusually high while playing games?
Hi friends,
System specifications
Mobo: AsRock B450M
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 upgraded to 4200
GPU: Asus RTX 2060 12GB via GPU Tweak 3
RAM: DDR4 16GB at 3200Mhz
The problem
As I discussed earlier, the CPU temperatures are unusually high. This machine has been with me for three years now... I've played a variety of games—both demanding and light—and never had the CPU temps go past 70°C.
Some might say the CPU is limiting performance or the GPU is outdated. But you understand better when you use it regularly: you notice something’s wrong, even if others don’t. For example, running titles like GTA 5, RDR 2, Uncharted Lost Legacy, or Thief's End used to run smoothly without exceeding 70°C, with usage never above 60%. Now, when I play those again (after reinstalling), the CPU temperature spikes above 100°C and usage stays consistently over 70%, sometimes even over 80%. That’s concerning, and after some time the PC would shut down and restart.
In the past, the GPU was always at 95% or higher while the CPU stayed under 60%—keeping temperatures below 70°C. Now, the GPU usage rarely goes above 70%, but the CPU usage has risen above 70%, causing temperatures to exceed 100°C.
I’ve attached some screenshots of Last Of Us 2 Remastered I installed recently. The temperature readings are visible too. I also want to highlight that this model previously had low GPU usage but high CPU usage (90% or more). When I increased the graphics settings to high, the GPU usage reached 100%, which is what I’m used to, but it didn’t affect the CPU temperature or usage issues.
FYI – The CPU throttles to 53-62°C when idle (HWInfo)
System specs
Mobo: AsRock B450M
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 OC'ed to 4200
GPU: Asus RTX 2060 12GB OC'ed via GPU Tweak 3
RAM: DDR4 16GB running at 3200Mhz
+
FYI - CPU at Idle throttles between 53-62 Degrees (HWInfo)
When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time. Please be specific on the make and models of the parts(not a DxDiag readout) as I feel you didn't state the model for your motherboard properly.
used to run butter smooth with temp never exceeding 70%
You mean 70 Deg C? Have you tried reapplying the thermal paste for your CPU? Ambient room air temps?
My bad, I fixed the initial post with the correct details. I will reply soon with the information you requested. Yes, I reapplied thermal paste and cleaned the entire PC this morning. The room temperature is expected to be around 24°C since the AC is running while I play. If not, India is a hot and humid country. Currently, the room temperature would be about 30°C compared to an outside temperature of 37°C... I don’t know the exact CPU cooler model, but it seems to be a Cooler Master 221 Evo.
Cooler Mater 221 Evo... m not sure of exact model but yeah it's of the same series. And its old... 5 years old. Ive got the AMD stock cooler which i never used.. ill try to replace it tomorrow. Will see if there is any difference.
I don't think the 221 Evo exists. Did you mean the Hyper 212 Evo? This is an air cooler so if the fans are still spinning normally then it's working. However, you should make sure the heatsink is clean. Remove any dust with an air blower. You could also try to play some games with the case open, just to make sure it's not an airflow issue.
That's correct, I've tried everything. I'll attempt to change the CPU cooling fan next.
CPU model is Ryzen 5 3600, paired with a Hyper 212 Evo cooler.
GPU specifications include an Asus Dual GeForce RTX 2060 EVO OC Edition with 12GB GDDR6 192-bit memory.
Motherboard is ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 (Nuvoton NCT6793D).
BIOS version is American Megatrends P3.90 AMD Agesa COMBO AM4 1.0.0.6.
Memory configuration consists of Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200Mhz with 8GB x 2.
Storage setup features a Kingston NV1 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD and a WD HDD 1Tb (WD-WXD2A919LD81).
Power supply is GIGABYTE GP-P550B 80 Plus Bronze.
Chassis selected is Ant Esports ICE-130AG RGB ATX mid-tower case.
Operating system runs Microsoft Windows 10 Pro Build 19044.
Display is a Samsung IPS 24-inch monitor at 1920x1080 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate.
When you adjust every CPU, GPU, and case fan to 100 percent maximum, the system will consume the most power available, potentially leading to overheating if cooling isn't sufficient.
I don't know if its solution or not... but i was fiddling a bit with my bios. When i saw the Overclock tab. I simply undervolt my Processor. Before it was 4.2Mhz on 1.2V.... i reduced the voltage to 1.5V. played the game ... and pc got shutdown. Again went to bios and changed it to 1.6V. Kept doing this.. until I found the sweet spot of 1.8V. And now the max temp that the CPU reaches while playing graphics intensive parts of the game is 83°c. Which is acceptable for me. So i guess... it was just the ambient temperature affecting the CPU temp and load. Had to reduce that. ..... i dont know if its a permanent fix or temporary. But its working as i intended as of now.