Question My laptop cpu is running hot even when idle

[DRUNKCJ]

My thermal paste had dried up . So i installed new thermal paste but i put alot of it . My laptop never goes down below 52°c . Is the thermal paste causing this issue? It never goes down 60°c. My cpu is i3 5005u .

 

[tennis2]

It could be targeting 52C(60C?) by lowering the fan speed or turning it off. What are load temps?

If you know you put too much on, why not just go back in and redo it with the proper amount? (half a grain of rice)

 

[ZenoVD]

What are you using your laptop for?
Depending on what you do with it: for example play games, your cpu can get pretty high in temperature.
If that is not the case, there could always be running things in the background.
Any trouble while using the device? Malware and viruses could also be the cause of this problem.

 

[geofelt]

Too much paste is not good.
Paste is used to fill in microscopic air pits in the mating surfaces.
Paste is a better heat conductor than air.
But, paste does not conduct heat as well as metal to metal contact.

I would clean off all the old paste with alcohol and redo it.
A smack rice sized drop in the middle will spread out under heat and pressure.
I do not know how your cooler is attached.
But, take care to tighten it down evenly so the parts mate evenly.

Check that the cooler fan is operating and that your cooling airways are clear.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

Given the lack of space inside a laptop, 60C. is not unusual --- Intel gives max allowed temp for the i3 5005u as 105C. so your worrying uneccessarily.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...ore-i3-5005u-processor-3m-cache-2-00-ghz.html

 

[Satan-IR]

Too much paste is not good as mentioned above. You need just the right amount. Too much of it actually hinders the heat dissipation to some extent. Also some paste take a few days to settle and do the maximum they can to lower temps. If you've done it quite recently see how it turns out after a few days.

As Phillip Corcoran said, laptops are compact spaces jam-packed with hardware that's turning some of the electricity into heat. Can't really compare them with desktop PCs, for example, in terms of heat management and dissipation.

Have you checked your CPU to see if it's really idle when it's not doing anything? Some process maybe using some CPU time in the background.

Then again if the average temp is 60-ish no need to worry. Unless it goes much higher under heavy load.