cpu temp dropped 20 degrees from just cleaning! is it possible?

[whiteknights]

my i5-3470 was 89c while playing demanding games.. but now after cleaning my PC with blower CPU temps dropped to 67c while playing the same demanding games for the same amount of time.. is it possible temps drops considerably like that from just cleaning?.. i thought it usually drop 6-8 degrees.

on idle it just dropped around 6 degrees.. was 46c, now around 40.

 

[Finstar]

Yes it's possible if your case was really dusty.

 

[Kenton82]

Yeah, blocking up heatsink fins will essentially block a great deal (if not all) the airflow being passed through them. Resulting in very little cooling for the chip. Perfect temps now! Don't let it build up before you clean next

 

[AniChatt]

You can even thermal throttle your cpu by choking intake points of your case. So yep it is very very possible. Keep it as clean as you can.