[SOLVED] CPU Temp 70°-75°c while gaming

[Wolfyyie]

Hello.
Yesturday i was playing a game called call of duty mw warzone battleroyale. I used msi afterburner to monitor cpu temps.

I noticed that while gaming, my cpu temp goes up to 70-74°c and i wanted to know if its safe.
By safe i mean, will it lessen the performance of the cpu or the lifespan or damage it in any way ?


Thanks in advance.

EDIT : I have 8gb of ram, Gpu : msi gtx 1060 6g gaming x
motherboard: asus z97 deluxe

 

[mdd1963]

Temps in the 70-75C range are generally considered safe for most CPUs made in the last 4-6 years...but, are these temps for an factory provided heat sink/fan combo, perhaps? (These temps would even be considered 'very good' gaming temps for i5-8400/9400 series, of which many reach throttle conditions under heavy loads when using factory-provided heat sinks...)

 

[Wolfyyie]

Temps in the 70-75C range are generally considered safe for most CPUs made in the last 4-6 years...but, are these temps for an factory provided heat sink/fan combo, perhaps? (These temps would even be considered 'very good' gaming temps for i5-8400/9400 series, of which many reach throttle conditions under heavy loads when using factory-provided heat sinks...)

Thanks for responding.

I checked the cpu fan, its spinning fine ( stock cooler by intel).
Heatsink: i didn't change it since i built the pc ( 3 years ago)

 

[Branqueador]

I had an I3 7100 and I5 7500 both with stock cooler and I was getting almost the same temperature or maybe more. If it's possible just save some money and upgrade for a watercooler or some new and good aircooler.

 

[Mo99zh]

I have an i5-4590 and I had the same issue, my CPU temperature was around 73-77C and i checked what the max temperature is for my CPU and according to google it's 72C.
I decided to get a new CPU Cooler and now the temperature under very heavy load playing battlefield 5 barely reaches 58-59C
EDIT: i had the stock cooler too before upgrading it.

 

[geofelt]

Not to worry, you are good.
The processor will monitor it's temperature and will slow down or turn off if it detects a dangerous temperature.
That is around 100c.

What is your temperature at idle?
I expect to see 10-15c. over ambient at idle.
If it is much higher, your cooler may have come loose or need to be remounted.

You have a s suffix processor which is a low power unit that should not heat up much, even under full load.

Nothing wrong with a stock cooler for a non overclockable processor.
Your motherboard will support a stronger K suffix processor and if you should decide to upgrade, plan on a better cooler.

In the event that you want to remount your cooler, here is my canned tutorial:

----------------how to mount the stock Intel cooler--------------

The stock Intel cooler can be tricky to install.
A poor installation will result in higher cpu temperatures.
If properly mounted, you should expect temperatures at idle to be 10-15c. over ambient.

To mount the Intel stock cooler properly, place the motherboard on top of the foam or cardboard backing that was packed with the motherboard.
The stock cooler will come with paste pre applied, it looks like three grey strips.
The 4 push pins should come in the proper position for installation, that is with the pins rotated in the opposite direction of the arrow,(clockwise)
and pulled up as far as they can go.
Take the time to play with the pushpin mechanism until you know how they work.

Orient the 4 pins so that they are exactly over the motherboard holes.
If one is out of place, you will damage the pins which are delicate.
Push down on a DIAGONAL pair of pins at the same time. Then the other pair.

When you push down on the top black pins, it expands the white plastic pins to fix the cooler in place.

If you do them one at a time, you will not get the cooler on straight.
Lastly, look at the back of the motherboard to verify that all 4 pins are equally through the motherboard, and that the cooler is on firmly.
This last step must be done, which is why the motherboard should be out of the case to do the job. Or you need a case with a opening that lets you see the pins.
It is possible to mount the cooler with the motherboard mounted in the case, but you can then never be certain that the push pins are inserted properly
unless you can verify that the pins are through the motherboard and locked.

If you should need to remove the cooler, turn the pins counter clockwise to unlock them.
You will need to clean off the old paste and reapply new if you ever take the cooler off.
Clean off old paste with alcohol and a lint free paper like a coffee filter.
Apply new paste sparingly. A small rice sized drop in the center will spread our under heat and pressure.
Too much paste is bad, it will act as an insulator.
It is hard to use too little.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[CompuTronix]

... gaming, my cpu temp goes up to 70-74°c and i wanted to know if its safe ...

Wolfyyie,

On behalf of Tom's Hardware Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

Your Core temperatures are indeed safe. Although mdd1963 and geofelt have provided some helpful insights, Mo99zh has provided some conflicting information, which you may no doubt find confusing. So in order to give you an accurate perspective, we need to first point out that Intel desktop processors actually have two thermal specifications.

geofelt mentioned 100°C, which is called "Tjunction". This is the "Core" temperature specification at which your i5-4590S will "Throttle" (reduce Core speed and Core voltage) to prevent thermal damage. Since the heat sources are deep within the Cores where temperatures are highest, Core temperatures are the critical values. To further clarify, "CPU" temperature is a generic term that typically means "Core" Temperature.

Mo99zh mentioned 72°C, which is called "Tcase". This specification is highly misleading and has been confusing users since 2006. "Tcase" is not Core temperature, but is instead a factory only temperature measured on the surface of the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) where the cooler is seated and the temperature is lower. Users can't monitor IHS temperature because retail processors don't have this sensor.

Both Tjunction and Tcase specs are shown in Intel's "Datasheets", which are detailed engineering documents that most users never look at. However, Intel also has a "Product Specifications" website that's like a "quick reference" with which many users are familiar. This is where the 72°C spec originates that most users, as well as Mo99zh find on Google and elsewhere on the Internet.

Unlike the Datasheets, the website only shows one or the other of the two specifications, but not both. The spec that's shown is determined by the "Generation" of your processor. For 7th Gen and later Intel shows the Tjunction spec, but for 6th Gen and earlier Intel shows the Tcase spec, which includes your 4th Gen i5-4590S.

Intel's intended purpose for providing a Tcase (IHS temperature) specification was primarily for developers of aftermarket cooling solutions. So for end users, this means the Tcase is irrelevant.

Tjunction or "Throttle" temperature (also called "Tj Max") has always been the limiting thermal specification, not Tcase. A simple and accurate monitoring utility that shows Core temperatures as well as your Tj Max spec is Core Temp.

Although most Intel CPUs Throttle at 100°C, it’s not advisable to run your CPU near its thermal limit. If your hottest Core is near its specified Tj Max Throttle temperature, then your CPU is already too hot. The consensus among well informed and highly experienced reviewers, system builders and expert overclockers, is that it's prudent to observe a reasonable thermal margin below Throttle temperature for ultimate stability, performance and longevity.

As such, this is the nominal operating range for Core temperature:

Core temperatures above 85°C are not recommended.

Core temperatures below 80°C are ideal.

Also, keep in mind that Core temperatures increase and decrease as ambient (room) temperature changes.

We have a Guide that covers this topic. It's a "Sticky" at the top of the CPUs Forum where you posted your question. If you look there you can't miss it, or just click on the link in my signature. We encourage our Members to check the Stickies as they often contain the information you need, which can save you time needlessly searching elsewhere for answers that might be inaccurate.

Once again, welcome aboard!

CT

 

[Mo99zh]

Wolfyyie,

On behalf of Tom's Hardware Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

Although mdd1963 and geofelt have provided some helpful insights, Mo99zh has provided some conflicting information, which you may no doubt find confusing. So in order to give you an accurate perspective, we need to point out that Intel desktop processors actually have two thermal specifications.

geofelt mentioned 100°C, which is called "Tjunction". This is the "Core" temperature specification at which your i5-4590S will "Throttle" (reduce Core speed and Core voltage) to prevent thermal damage. Since the heat sources are deep within the Cores where temperatures are highest, Core temperatures are the critical values. To further clarify, "CPU" temperature is a generic term that typically means "Core" Temperature.

Mo99zh mentioned 72°C, which is called "Tcase". This specification is highly misleading and has been confusing users since 2006. "Tcase" is not Core temperature, but is instead a factory only temperature measured on the surface of the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) where the cooler is seated and the temperature is lower. Users can't monitor IHS temperature because retail processors don't have this sensor.

Both Tjunction and Tcase specs are shown in Intel's "Datasheets", which are detailed engineering documents that most users never look at. However, Intel also has a "Product Specifications" website that's like a "quick reference" with which many users are familiar. This is where the 72°C spec originates that most users, as well as Mo99zh find on Google and elsewhere on the Internet.

Unlike the Datasheets, the website only shows one or the other of the two specifications, but not both. The spec that's shown is determined by the "Generation" of your processor. For 7th Gen and later Intel uses the Tjunction spec, but for 6th Gen and earlier Intel used the Tcase spec, which includes your 4th Gen i5-4590S.

Intel's intended purpose for providing a Tcase (IHS temperature) specification was primarily for developers of aftermarket cooling solutions. So for end users, this means the Tcase is irrelevant.

Tjunction or "Throttle" temperature (also called "Tj Max") has always been the limiting thermal specification, not Tcase.

Although most Intel CPUs Throttle at 100°C, it’s not advisable to run your CPU near its thermal limit. If your hottest Core is near its specified Tj Max Throttle temperature, then your CPU is already too hot. The consensus among well informed and highly experienced reviewers, system builders and expert overclockers, is that it's prudent to observe a reasonable thermal margin below Throttle temperature for ultimate stability, performance and longevity.

As such, this is the nominal operating range for Core temperature:

Core temperatures above 85°C are not recommended.

Core temperatures below 80°C are ideal.

Also, keep in mind that Core temperatures increase and decrease as ambient (room) temperature changes.

We have a Guide that covers this topic. It's a "Sticky" at the top of the CPUs Forum where you posted your question. If you look there you can't miss it, or just click on the link in my signature. We encourage our Members to check the Stickies as they often contain the information you need, which can save you time needlessly searching elsewhere for answers that might be inaccurate.

Once again, welcome aboard!

CT

Thank you for the insight! sorry if i provided misleading or confusing information.

 

[CompuTronix]

No worries; it's not your fault. As I stated, this has been an ongoing point of major confusion since 2006.

Intel should have always been using the Tjunction thermal spec on their Processor Specifications website. The Tcase spec should have been confined to the Datasheets for internal reference and for companies that design, engineer and develop aftermarket cooling solutions.

The Tcase spec should never have been used on Intel's Product Specifications website. Their decision to do so created a highly confusing and misleading mess for millions of users which has so far spanned 14 years.

You're not the first user to be misled by Intel's Tcase spec, nor will you be the last. We're here to clean up the mess and keep our Forum Members pointed in the right direction.

CT