[SOLVED] Is it harmful for CPU to run on 100% most of the time?

[Skyvp96]

There is this one game which cause my CPU to reach 90-100% consistently while i open the game. Should i be worried?

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Use some software to monitor the temperatures when this is happening because if the temperatures are getting out of control this will wear out your CPU.

 

[Lutfij]

If you're on Windows 10 and you're seeing your resource usage remain at 100% then you might be experiencing what is known as memory leak. As for your question, that depends, if you have more than adequate cooling, then there's nothing to worry about.

On a side note, what are the specs to your build? Please list them like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS: if Windows 10, include version(not edition)

Mention the game that you're playing/taxing the system and where you sourced the title from.

 

[Lafong]

No. The CPU should throttle itself as necessary to remain undamaged. Opening a game isn't likely to take long regardless.

 

[Skyvp96]

Use some software to monitor the temperatures when this is happening because if the temperatures are getting out of control this will wear out your CPU.

how much temperature is normal?
so if the temperature is within the maximum range, its fine?
im using i5-7400

 

[Deleted member 14196]

You should be able to look up acceptable temperatures for the cpu that you have And make sure you have adequate cooling to keep it in the range it needs to be. If you’re close to maximum that’s too hot

 

[boju]

It's quite normal for quads to be maxed out in modern titles, long as temps (check with Coretemp) isn't reaching high 80s then you're fine. Maxed out cpu can cause performance issues though.

 

[Jlg823]

You should be perfectly fine. It's normal, especially in modern games, for quad cores to reach 100% usage. I know mine was always pegged at 100%. The only situation I would "worry" in is if the temps are insanely high but even then the CPU will normally throttle itself to prevent damage. 100% CPU usage will cause problems if you're trying to multi task or anything. I know on my old system if I didn't use Hardware Acceleration on Chrome for YouTube videos then it would lag super hard due to CPU usage being pegged at 100%.

 

[geofelt]

The cpu monitors it's own temperature and will slow down or throttle if it detects a dangerous temperature. That is around 100c.
You are safe enough from that point of view.

Damage comes from running at excessive voltage.
That is not likely since your processor can not be overclocked.

If you are using the stock intel cooler, expect barely adequate cooling if it is mounted well.
In case you think the cooler might be the issue, here is my stock text on the stock cooler:

----------------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, first run the cpu to heat it up and soften the paste before shutting down and powering off the pc. That makes it easy to unstick the old 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.

It is hard to use too little.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[hotaru.hino]

The only thing you have to worry about with regards to harming hardware is how hot it gets.

Also CPU utilization is a bit of a misnomer. It's not how much the CPU is being used. It's how often it was doing something other than running the system idle task.

 

[Skyvp96]

If you're on Windows 10 and you're seeing your resource usage remain at 100% then you might be experiencing what is known as memory leak. As for your question, that depends, if you have more than adequate cooling, then there's nothing to worry about.

On a side note, what are the specs to your build? Please list them like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS: if Windows 10, include version(not edition)

Mention the game that you're playing/taxing the system and where you sourced the title from.

CPU: i5 7400
MOBO: ASUS PRIME-H270 PLUS
RAM: 16 GB
SSD/HDD: 500GB/1TB
GPU: GTX 1050TI
PSU: VS550
CHASSIS: i dont know
OS: Window 10 pro 20H2

im playing Horizon Zero Dawn on steam, the game run on constant 45-60 fps as i drop most settings to low/medium

The only thing you have to worry about with regards to harming hardware is how hot it gets.

Also CPU utilization is a bit of a misnomer. It's not how much the CPU is being used. It's how often it was doing something other than running the system idle task.

You should be perfectly fine. It's normal, especially in modern games, for quad cores to reach 100% usage. I know mine was always pegged at 100%. The only situation I would "worry" in is if the temps are insanely high but even then the CPU will normally throttle itself to prevent damage. 100% CPU usage will cause problems if you're trying to multi task or anything. I know on my old system if I didn't use Hardware Acceleration on Chrome for YouTube videos then it would lag super hard due to CPU usage being pegged at 100%.

I checked the cpu temperature while opening the game and CPU at constant 90-100% using HWmonitor. The four core in my CPU sit around 50-55 celsius All the time while playing that game

 

[Skyvp96]

It's quite normal for quads to be maxed out in modern titles, long as temps (check with Coretemp) isn't reaching high 80s then you're fine. Maxed out cpu can cause performance issues though.

while playing the game, my cpu temperature sits between 50-55 celsius, i played for four hours and tab out to check it occasionally. So that means that running on constantly between 90-100% all the time isnt harming my cpu life right?

 

[Lafong]

while playing the game, my cpu temperature sits between 50-55 celsius, i played for four hours and tab out to check it occasionally. So that means that running on constantly between 90-100% all the time isnt harming my cpu life right?

CPUs are the most durable component in the PC.

In the abstract, heat is bad for electronics. But if you ran it at full throttle 24/7 for 5 years and it failed, how would you know the failure was heat related?

If CPUs cost 50,000 bucks, maybe you worry about it. Otherwise I wouldn't.

 

[boju]

while playing the game, my cpu temperature sits between 50-55 celsius, i played for four hours and tab out to check it occasionally. So that means that running on constantly between 90-100% all the time isnt harming my cpu life right?

Heat kills cpu not usage. Your good.