Why is my CPU getting so hot?
Why is my CPU getting so hot?
I recently enhanced my Mobo, CPU, and cooler. I thought I handled everything properly but this was my first solo project. Last night I played The Outer Worlds and noticed my CPU temperatures exceeded 80°C. I understand that's still within limits during heavy use, but I'm uncertain if The Outer Worlds qualifies as "under load." This upgrade aimed to boost performance for Cyberpunk when the DLC releases. My idle temps sit around 40°C, though a few chrome tabs push it to 50°C. I don’t recall the exact BIOS settings, but my fan curve looks like this: 30°C-20%, 40°C-40%, 60°C-70%, 80°C-100%. These are my specs: 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF at 3.60 GHz MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 Deepcool AS500 PLUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with 32GB RAM at 3200MHz. Should I reset the cooler? Is my fan curve just suboptimal? Is it normal for it to get that hot even with less demanding games?
After the MB upgrade, the games ran smoother with increased frame rates.
I didn’t adjust my graphics settings myself. I also didn’t keep a close eye on the frame rate. I was seeing 140fps in outer worlds on my old CPU.
It seems like the temperature might be a bit high for the current conditions. Most people prefer keeping it in the low to mid 70s during gaming, unless the game is extremely demanding on the CPU. Running at 70% speed at 60 frames per second should suffice. It’s possible your MOBO is drawing too much voltage—maybe you didn’t adjust any CPU settings? You can check the voltage reading using Intel Extreme Utility or MSI Afterburner after booting with OSD.
Hello. High temps on Intel chips while gaming are typical. The upgrade you installed will definitely boost your performance for playing Cyberpunk with excellent visuals. This isn't related to the processor's temperature. You might want to consider improving the cooling system, but expect a significant drop in game temps from 80% to 40% won't occur. Focus on enhancing case airflow—place it in a cooler part of your home, install an AC, or remove the side panel during hot weather. Best of luck!