Your laptop's temperatures are unusually high and puzzling. Need assistance?
Your laptop's temperatures are unusually high and puzzling. Need assistance?
I recently replaced my gaming laptop (Dell G5 5505). It comes with a Ryzen 5 4600H processor and an Radeon RX5600M GPU. The temperatures displayed in the task manager appear normal, but CoreTemp and Hwinfo show readings that are significantly higher than expected, especially during idle mode. I did the replacement because the previous one was nearly a year old and the old paste felt like clay when I removed it. After reassembling, I checked the cooling performance and noticed the temperatures were evenly distributed around the die. When I powered it down and restarted, the temperature stabilized at 72°C. Before the repair, idle temps were similar, but during gaming they reached around 101°C—after the paste job they stayed at 101°C. My CPU has a max threshold of 105°C, according to AMD’s website. Are these readings acceptable? Not only the static ones but also the spikes I experienced while playing PUBG:BATTLEGROUNDS and a bit of NFS HEAT. I’m curious if laptop coolers are worth investing in. Please let me know if you think they’re useful. Thanks!
Your processor operated within a 75W limit, reaching up to 101°C during short bursts. This temperature is acceptable as long as it only occurs occasionally and not continuously. You can record sensor data using HWInfo and export it as a CSV file, which you can then open in Excel or any CSV viewer to track when the CPU hit 101°C.
I don't understand the power usage details, but using MSI Afterburner while gaming with CPU temperature monitoring indicates stable temps. Your CPU consistently reaches around 101°C, which is normal. You shouldn't necessarily limit power consumption unless you have specific concerns; performance should remain stable.
Check the CPU usage and see how it behaves. This helps determine if things are within normal range or if you need to be concerned. At around 101°C on a large heatsink with 50-60W, it's quite typical. My gaming laptop running an Intel Core i7-10750H has solid cooling, but during intense gaming the CPU can spike to 60W for brief moments while the GPU draws 90W at once. This keeps the CPU near 100°C, though the factory liquid metal cooling in this model makes direct comparisons tricky. Reducing maximum power usage is beneficial if you want to avoid constant overheating. Cutting power by 10% from full to 90% usually leads to only a 2-3% drop in performance.
I’m fine with the 101 °C as long as I’m getting those vibrant displays, but a friend warned me it could damage my CPU and shorten its lifespan. I haven’t been able to get or assemble a desktop PC anytime soon, so this laptop is my only option right now. I’ll enable power usage tracking and keep you updated soon.
101°C remains acceptable, though it will shorten your CPU's lifespan. With modern processors lasting much longer than your laptop's expected use, you won't need to worry. It could cut its life by about half a year or a full year, but since the CPU is projected to last around ten years, you'll likely replace the laptop before the CPU fails. Cutting power usage improves efficiency—higher performance demands more power. In fact, lowering the power to 90% probably won't affect frame rate at all. Just tweak the limit slightly, test, and adjust again. Stop reducing once you notice a drop in FPS, especially if you want every possible frame.
It's not a lightweight model—it's built for gaming. These laptops tend to be heavier due to powerful cooling processors, which usually means they have a longer lifespan. The quality of laptops has definitely changed, as you mentioned.
Edited April 4, 2023 by DreamCat04
Did you intend these laptop cooling stands? I acquired one for my gaming laptop and it significantly improves performance. When the laptop sits on the table, initially—within the first 5 minutes of use—its CPU and GPU stay well below 80°C. After longer sessions, the GPU reaches around 85°C and the CPU also climbs to similar levels, often exceeding 90°C. Placing it on a cooling pad with two fans maintains both CPU and GPU near 80°C. Even stacking it on two boxes of comparable height makes a big difference. The fans perform better than leaving the laptop directly on the table, but they still provide noticeable cooling. The keyboard area remains cooler as well. Edited April 4, 2023 by DreamCat04
Hey there, it's great to hear you're feeling more confident about these temperatures now. I'm sure you won't need this device for years to come. Regarding power usage, gaming the CPU uses around 75-80W as you mentioned. I only use two heavy-duty books to hold up my laptop, making sure the vents stay clear. I'm planning to get a stand for that. Thanks for your support!