All about the temperature of computer components

The main causes of overheating

We have repeatedly reminded our readers of the need to clean the system unit from dust. Neglecting to clean the components often causes the PC to malfunction.

Also overheating occurs due to faulty or outdated cooling system. In this case, cooling may be sufficient for everyday tasks, but when the user decides to play games or send to execute resource-intensive tasks, the coolers simply cease to cope.

Ambient temperature also plays a huge role. Just like people, in the heat the computer becomes «harder to think», and in the most extreme case — there is a «heat stroke» and it simply shuts down. So it is recommended to take care of your PC in advance and prevent problems, which will lead to its overheating.

Identifying overheating

It's worth thinking about components temperature if you notice:

1. PC suddenly shuts down or reboots.
2. Programs «crash» (close on their own).
3. Productivity degrades: applications hang or «glitch».
4. Bands appear and the screen freezes in games/applications.
5. Going to the bios after switching on and the message to check the cooling system (this is a very transparent hint).

If you use a laptop and put it on a bed/flat table/stomach (not necessarily flat), you will definitely notice strong heating of the case and the surface on which the laptop stands.

How to know the components temperature

Never use the advice to «touch the board or processor» to estimate their temperature. We're not kidding, such advice does occur.

There are many programs for monitoring the temperature sensors installed on the motherboard, processor and graphics card. However, practice shows that AIDA, formerly known as Everest, is invariably in the lead in terms of data reliability and feature set.

This software is designed for testing the computer's hardware component. Full diagnostic implies the output of about 100 pages of information about all parameters and system components’ characteristics. In particular, with AIDA you can get full information about the cooling system efficiency.

To get started, open the aida64.exe file. Note that only the trial version of the program is available for free, after 30 days you will not be able to use the software. Open the program and select «Computer» on the left side of the screen menu and go to «Sensor».

You are looking at the motherboard chipset, CPU, cores, graphics card and hard drive temperatures.

Normal values

By observing the temperature readings, you can navigate to the point at which problems start to occur. Here are the standard values for the main system components:

1. Motherboard.

Ideal performance is up to 40 °.
Normal performance is in the range 40-55 °.

2. Central processing unit (CPU) and its cores.

Ideal values — 35-45 °.
Normal operation is in the range 45-60 °.
Trolling mode (CPU skips clock cycles to reduce temperature, this is bad!) — 70-80 °.

3. Video card.

Depends on the age and model, but, more often than not, the values will be much higher than for other components. In load mode, especially in games, 65-80 ° are considered normal values.

4. Hard drive.

Ideal indicators — 30-35 °.
Normal operation is in the range 35-50 °.

How to know if components will overheat in the heat

Today, on a cool spring day, your computer is behaving well even after hours of stress. Let's simulate the performance under load in the heat, shall we? This is done simply with the same AIDA64.

Open the «Tools» menu at the top of the window, select «System stability test». Select the components you would like to test and click «Start». Go back to the window with temperature readings and watch the dynamics.

If a component overheats during the test, the test automatically ends with an error message. By observing the CPU load graph, you can notice at what temperature the throttling begins. You will notice this by the red line and CPU Throttling. If you notice it, note the temperature and stop the test.

The recommended duration of the test is 7-10 minutes. If during this time the temperature has not gone to 99 °, you can’t fear the heat. If the temperature rose quickly and perceptibly, you need to take action.

What to do?

Remember how long ago you changed the thermal paste and cleaned the PC / laptop from dust. If these items are OK, consider a cooling pad with fans for your laptop or installing additional coolers in the system unit.

In devices that are many years old, the cooler wears out and loses rotation speed. The computer runs quietly, which pleases the user, but it would actually be better if it hummed and cooled. If you don't mind dusting the case more often, just keep the lid on.

The last tip is obvious. Take care of the temperature regime in the room. For example, rearrange the computer so that it stands closer to the air conditioner or at least away from the sunny side of the house.