Laptop temperature at idle. Optimal laptop temperature or how to care for a laptop

CPU overheating! Temperature rise! Heat dissipation! With these words, many scary stories begin about the too hot relationship between a person and a laptop. In some of them, the laptop explodes, in some it dies too early ... And there are also those where the owner, holding a red-hot laptop on his lap, can no longer continue the race.

The key element in all these stories is CPU temperature. It's no secret that, while doing its job of processing information, the processor generates heat. Of course, laptops have a cooling system, but its power is not always enough to cool the processor to an acceptable temperature. So, what is the normal temperature of the processor for a laptop and how not to go beyond it?

A bit of theory

Modern processors are initially able to endure sufficiently large heat without harm to themselves. So, the critical temperature can reach one hundred degrees Celsius and even more. Not just enthusiastic overclockers come up with special cooling systems to overclock processors to the limit!

Another thing is that such a high temperature can damage other laptop components - for example, plastic elements. It is unlikely that the body will be able to catch fire, but it will completely melt. This is precisely what is avoided by installing intricate heat sinks in powerful laptops.

As for the human body, heating up to 40-45 ° C will already cause discomfort for the user, especially if the laptop case is made of metal and conducts heat well. What can we say about higher temperatures!

Of course, low-power processors have much lower heat dissipation, so we will only consider relatively high-performance devices based on Intel i5, i7 and AMD FX processors.

On practice

To look at the practical heat dissipation of processors, the researchers looked at several popular models with different processors, both with a discrete graphics card (which takes over part of the processor load) and with an integrated video core.

So, for an Acer TravelMate P238-M-5575 laptop with a common dual-core Intel Core i5-6200U processor and an integrated video core, the usual operating temperature was about 35-40 degrees. In this range, heating can be noticeable, but it does not harm either the device or the person. Using the test utility HW Monitor, we managed to raise the processor load to a level at which the temperature for the complex from both cores was 79°C. This is far from the critical temperature of the processor itself (it is about 100°C), but it may seem elevated to the user, to put it mildly. Another thing is that a person will not feel this temperature, since the cooling system in the laptop does its job.

Another model - Asus F555UB-XO043T - is based on the same processor and also does not have a discrete graphics card. The result turned out to be a bit predictable: the emitted temperature also remained within the 80°C range and could not somehow approach the risky values. The user, of course, should not keep a laptop operating in this mode on his knees, but if the device is on a table (and even more so on a special cooling pad), there should be no harm from this.

Of greater interest to us is the testing of the Gigabyte P55K v5 laptop, which belongs to the class of gaming machines and offers the maximum filling. In our case, this is an almost uncompromising Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor (HQ index means four cores, but overclocking is disabled) plus an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M video card. This is a much more powerful kit: although the card reduces the load on the processor itself, it itself contributes to the overall heat. Therefore, the laptop has a more advanced cooling system.

Here are the tests showing numbers that can make you breathless. When running our friend HW Monitor, one of the processor cores heated up to critically close 99°C, the rest, however, were not too far behind. The temperature of the video card reached 81°C.

Dangerously? Yes. But this is an artificially achieved load. In fact, the normal temperature of the laptop processor, even when running very heavy games, barely reached 80 ° C. And given that the generated heat is immediately dissipated and removed, the laptop is ready for short-term extreme loads.

Finally, let's dilute the Intel monopoly with a laptop based on the AMD FX-8800P processor. This is an Acer Aspire E5-552G, which also has an AMD Radeon R8 M365DX graphics card on board. Curiously, the integration of a system from one manufacturer allows you to use the built-in and discrete graphics card both alternately and simultaneously, in CrossFire mode. This means the maximum use of all computing elements, which means maximum heat dissipation.

Recall that for AMD FX-8800P the critical temperature threshold is lower than for Intel developments, and is only 90°C. For the user, this means that the developers have reduced heat dissipation, and the case will not be such a fire-breathing "stove" even under high load.

The results turned out to be very encouraging. Even at the highest voltage provided by the Prime95 utility, the CPU temperature only rose to 54°C. The main “stove” (unlike the previous examples) suddenly turned out to be a discrete graphics card, which sold up to as much as 74 ° C. However, this result is far from critical values.

Practical Conclusions

In practice, for users, this experiment can generate a whole set of interesting conclusions:

• If you know what the temperature of the processor on a laptop should be in theory, then the values ​​\u200b\u200bthat seem critical may turn out to be quite acceptable. The numbers may look dangerous, but they should be compared to the limit values ​​from processor specifications.
• Notebook developers expect laptop processors to work reliably within the specified values ​​from processor manufacturers.
• But the critical values ​​themselves can decrease in case of poor performance of the cooling system. Therefore, owners of powerful gaming laptops should carefully monitor the ventilation and heat dissipation of their machines.
• If you often use a laptop in extreme mode, it is worth strengthening the cooling, for example, with a stand with a fan.
• Case overheating usually does not reach dangerous values. However, if the case began to heat up more than usual, this is a signal of a violation of cooling. In this case, the following procedures are needed:

1. Update BIOS. If the problem is series-wide, an update might fix it.
2. Replace thermal paste.
3. Check the system for malware. You are not interested in someone mining bitcoins on your expensive laptop, wearing it out and giving nothing in return?
4. Be vigilant!

update 07/15/2013
During operation, the laptop heats up - this is quite natural. To avoid overheating of the laptop, it is specially equipped with a cooling system, which usually consists of:
- cooling circuit (radiators and heat pipes);
- cooler (fan);
- thermal paste that increases heat transfer;
- ventilation holes in the case.

Overheating of a laptop is directly related to a violation of cooling, because compared to a regular desktop computer, the laptop cooling system is much “weaker” and requires more careful maintenance. Consider the main causes of laptop overheating.

1. Laptop overheating due to dust accumulation.

This is the most common reason for laptop overheating. The cooling system of almost all laptops uses airflow to blow the heatsink. There are always dust particles in the air, which are sucked into the air intake holes on the case, and then settle inside on the microcircuits, the cooler and the radiator fins. Over time, a layer of dust can accumulate large enough to significantly reduce heat transfer and the efficiency of the cooling system. As the heat dissipation of the components decreases, their temperature rises accordingly, which can lead to overheating.

Look at the light - the lid doesn't even show through!

This state is dangerous because the laptop overheats constantly - as a result, under the influence of elevated temperature, the microcircuits are gradually deformed. The main signs of constant overheating can be first the failure of the USB ports, then the keyboard or touchpad. Here without repair already, unfortunately, not to manage.

To prevent this situation, you need to regularly blow out the laptop to rid it of dust.

Note: you can’t get rid of dust with a vacuum cleaner, you just need to blow it with compressed air from a compressor (service station, tire fitting) or with special compressed air in an aerosol can to blow out a laptop:

You can clean the laptop from dust using a compressor with a pressure of 4-7 atm, a simple car one will do.
You can do this at a service station or tire fitting on the way to work, simply by asking to lightly blow the laptop over the surface.
Also, compressors are available in paint boxes, airbrush studios, etc.
Well, if there is no compressor, or if you don’t feel like doing it, then you can contact the service center.

2. Overheating of the laptop due to its use on soft surfaces (spread, blanket, etc.).

Due to the compact dimensions of the laptop, it can be moved and work not only at the table. Some prefer to watch movies or surf the Internet while lying on the couch (bed), while the laptop is placed on the blanket. Few people notice that under its own weight, the laptop sags in a blanket. Why is it bad? And the fact that not only the lower vent, which serves for the flow of air, is closed, but also the side ones, created to remove hot air.
A catastrophic situation arises - the microcircuits heat up, the cooler cannot cool them (cold air does not enter the case), moreover, the system becomes, as it were, sealed, it is covered with plastic on all sides (plastic does not conduct heat well) and there is no outflow of hot air either. As a result, not only chipsets overheat, but also other components that should not be heated. After watching the movie, we will put the laptop on the floor, chair or table. Here's another dangerous moment: in an overheated state of the laptop, the slightest blow or shake can provoke the desoldering of microcircuits.

How to prevent disaster. If you like to work on your laptop lying down, place it on a hard surface (stand, tray, etc.), but never on a soft fabric surface.
Special cooling pads are available from retailers.
Also, whoever has a desire, you can make a stand with your own hands, you just need a little time and effort:

After finishing work, let the laptop cool down for at least a couple of minutes, and then shift it to another place, avoiding sudden movements.
You can also close the air intake openings with a tablecloth on the table. Be careful, work on a cooling pad or just place a book under the edge of the laptop

3. Overheating of the laptop due to the thermal paste drying out.

Thermal paste is used for better heat transfer from the chip to the heatsink. Planes that are ideal in the human eye are in contact at no more than three points. Therefore, there is always a microgap between the chip and the heatsink. This gap is filled with thermal paste, which has good thermal conductivity (some pastes even use small particles of silver). Unfortunately, not all laptop manufacturers use high-quality thermal paste; over time, it dries out and loses its properties. At the same time, the chips heat up, but they cannot transfer heat to the radiator, that is, the cooling system does not work.

Let's imagine a situation when you blow through a laptop every 3-4 months, bought a cooling pad, but one day the laptop still broke down from overheating. It is also annoying that the repair will cost several hundred dollars, and the service of replacing thermal paste in the service costs ten times less.

How to avoid this situation: Replace the thermal paste after the first two years of using the laptop. Then it is better to change, every 1.5 - 2 years, if your laptop was not done in a service center and you are not sure that the thermal paste will not dry out again.

There are cases when polymer gaskets impregnated with heat-removing impregnation are used instead of thermal paste.
For 2 - 3 years, such a gasket dries up, and its effectiveness decreases significantly.
Recommendation: after the expiration of the warranty period, within the first 2 years of operation, change all thermal pads.

Attention: self-replacement of thermal paste may be a reason for refusing warranty service. Therefore, it is better to change the thermal paste yourself after the warranty expires.
..

Once again, we emphasize, do not limit yourself to the fight against dust! Replacing thermal paste is a very important step in caring for a laptop.

You can detect laptop overheating with a special program such as AIDA64 (Everest), with their help you can monitor not only the current temperature of various elements of the laptop, but also, by comparing it with previous indicators, get an idea about the state of the cooling system.

If you began to notice that earlier in idle mode the temperature was much lower than now, this is a serious signal for checking the cooling system: it is clogged, or you need to urgently change the thermal paste.

Note: When comparing laptop temperatures, room temperature must be taken into account.

To know if your laptop is overheating or not, below are the estimated temperatures of the laptop's elements.
Attention! The data may differ depending on the laptop model, ambient temperature, and various external factors.

Normal temperature of laptop elements:

CPU: nominal 30-50°C, maximum allowable temperature 70°C;
Video card: normal 40-65°C, maximum allowable temperature 85°C;
Winchester: normal 30-40°С, maximum 45°С.

There are laptop models that work at higher temperatures, but it is better to use these indicators, remembering that high temperatures shorten the life of the laptop.

External signs of laptop overheating and malfunction of the cooling system, when you need to urgently contact the service center:

The noise from the work of the cooler (fan) of the laptop has increased;
- the laptop gets very hot (determining the temperature by hand is too rough! It is much more accurate to determine the temperature by the program);
- the laptop began to "slow down" (work slowly);
- the laptop starts to turn off after a short time of work;
- artifacts appear on the screen (squares, the picture is blurry);
- the laptop works, but some elements have become unusable (USB ports, touchpad, etc.).

We hope that this article will make you think and take preventive measures to regularly protect your laptop from overheating and undesirable operating conditions.

Today it is difficult to imagine a person who does not have a computer at home. And we are talking not only about desktops in the classical sense of the word, but also about laptops, tablets and monoblocks.

Most often recently, people buy laptops, since they can serve as an equivalent replacement for bulky desktops. The problem is that many do not have the slightest idea even about the most basic rules for caring for such equipment. Due to ignorance, it often fails.

What can cause a computer to fail?

Do you know how to find out the temperature of a laptop? It would seem, what does temperature have to do with care? Oddly enough, but the most direct. The more the processor heats up, the worse the cooling system works, the higher and higher the probability of a laptop failure. It is overheating (after spilled drinks) that occupies an honorable second place among the causes of “death” of mobile computers.

In some cases, the engineers of the manufacturer are to blame, who simply could not design a normal heat dissipation system, but much more often the fault lies with the users themselves, who are trying to run the latest gaming hits on a cheap laptop.

The characteristics of modern processors (the same Core i3) quite allow this, but the system is still not able to remove excess heat.

So how do you know the temperature of a laptop? Let's look at a few programs that will help you do this.

Open Hardware Monitor

This is an extremely simple, but quite informative system monitor. The program is completely free and does not need to be installed. To obtain information about the temperature of your processor, right-click on its ".exe file", then select "Run as administrator" from the menu that opens.

A rather ascetic main window of the application will open, in which the general temperature of the system will be fixed in the first two positions, and the readings of the processor, video card and hard drive will be indicated below.

Here's how to check laptop temperature using this utility. But what to do with the received numbers? So that you can figure it out, we give the average statistical data on the maximum allowable heating of the components:

• central processor - from 70 to 80 degrees Celsius;
• video card (air-cooled) - 80 degrees Celsius maximum;
• the most "gentle" in this regard is the hard drive, which should not heat up over 60 degrees.

However, the latter does not apply to solid-state drives, which are practically not subject to heat.

And how to find out the temperature of a laptop so that the information received is as objective and reliable as possible? To do this, you will have to use the simplest technique of "stress" testing.

Starting the stress test

First, close the windows of third-party programs (including browsers), go to Open Hardware Monitor with administrator rights. If the temperature indicators are far from those given in the article, you can start.

Launch something like a game or a "heavy" program like Photoshop. In principle, half an hour of work is enough, after which you can restart Hardware Monitor. If the indicators are almost close to the maximum values ​​\u200b\u200bgiven above, then something is wrong with the cooling system of your laptop.

And how to check the laptop temperature with more functional programs? And do they exist in the world?

AIDA 64

The wonderful AIDA 64 application was developed by Lavalys and was originally known to users under the name Everest. Since you often need to check the temperature of a laptop once, most users will be fine with a monthly trial version.

We think that it is not worth describing the installation in detail, since any user who has ever dealt with a computer can handle it. This program is run to determine the temperature of the laptop with administrator rights, so do not forget to confirm the appropriate privileges in the UAC window that appears.

Open the "Computer" tab, look for the "Sensors" item there. Note! The subsequent system scan will take some time, so be patient. The more your laptop resembles a typewriter, the longer the scan will take.

Explanation of symbols

After this process, a dialog box will appear in front of you, in which the scan results will be presented. Since many of them are presented in the form of symbols, it does not hurt to decipher them:

• under the designation "CPU" lies the temperature of the central processor;
• "GPU Diode" shows the temperature of the GPU on the video card;
• something like: WS Digital HTS725... indicates the temperature of the hard drive;
• CPU1/1, CPU2/2 - show the heating of each processor core (if it is multi-core) separately.

By the way, how much do the above indicators correspond to the norm? It should be noted that the maximum allowable often varies greatly depending on the manufacturer, so you should look for accurate data on its official website. The same applies to video cards.

Speaking on average, the normal temperature of a laptop should not exceed 45-50 degrees on average. Keep in mind that average computers of this type do not differ in brutal performance, and therefore among their components most often there are no particularly powerful parts.

Thus, if your laptop for 13-25 thousand rubles suddenly began to warm up to 60 degrees Celsius, then this is already a reason to raise the alarm.

Checking laptop temperature without using third-party programs

We do not always have access to the Internet, and measuring the temperature of a laptop may be required at any time. How to be in this case?

Send your computer to restart. At this time, hold down and hold the button. This action will cause not the operating system itself to be loaded, but the BIOS. Since there are currently dozens of versions of the mentioned software, it is simply impossible to give specific instructions, and therefore let's talk about the general procedure.

First you need to find the item "H / W Monitor". Navigate to this line using the arrow keys on your keyboard, then press Enter. After that, you will see several symbols, with the first number indicating the temperature in Fahrenheit, and the second in degrees Celsius.

In general, the monitor will show something like this: System Temperature 80*F/30*C CPU Temperature 90*F/36*C.

Fan speed

So, we told how a laptop, without resorting to the help of any third-party programs. Important! In most cases, the CPU temperature should not exceed 50 degrees Celsius. The only exceptions are single-core processors from AMD of the old series, which even under normal load can heat up more.

If you expand the list, you can find out more detailed information about all temperature indicators, as well as about the speed of rotation of the coolers. This data will be in the function section or in a section with a similar name.

In general, the temperature of the laptop depends on the normal operation of the cooler. The program will show you only general indicators, but you must interpret them yourself. So, the low rotation speed of the cooler under heavy loads indicates that its pulley is clogged with dust.

To exit the BIOS, press the ESC button, and then F10. This is where your research ends.

How to know if your laptop is running at its limits

We have talked so much about how to check the temperature of a laptop that we completely forgot to talk about the signs that indicate the need for such a check. It's time to correct this unfortunate omission!

First, the state of the cooling system should be paid attention to in case of heating when watching HD movies, playing games and working with photos.

As a rule, the fan of the device starts to "howl", the bottom panel of the laptop almost melts, and the keyboard is uncomfortable to work with, as it becomes very hot. In this case, there are clear manifestations of overheating, which can also be expressed in a sharp slowdown in the launch of even the simplest applications.

How to prevent overheating?

Having talked for so long about what the temperature of a laptop should be and how to determine it, it would be absurd not to talk about the methods and principles for preventing such a situation. So, what should be done to prevent equipment failure due to overheating?

First, at least once a month, clean the outer grilles of the air ducts from dust. This will help the hot air to exit the cooling system without any extra effort. Regularly wipe down your computer with dedicated cleaning wipes.

Try not to work on a laptop, putting it on a thick and loose blanket. In such conditions, even the most sophisticated cooling system will not cope with its duties. Finally, be sure to change the thermal paste at least once every six months.

Instruments

Also don't forget to get a can of compressed air: it's extremely handy for blowing dust, lint, and cat hair out of the laptop's hard-to-reach places. In addition, it does not hurt to "walk" on the official website of the manufacturer. There you can find useful tips regarding the repair and prevention of breakdowns of your computer model.

In particular, it is on official resources that cooling system diagrams are most often found. If you decide to take it apart to replace the thermal paste, then these materials will provide you with significant support.

Speaking about the most thermally conductive paste, we could recommend its purchase only in specialized computer stores. Moreover, you need to purchase exactly those brands that were recommended by the manufacturer of your laptop.

Finally, soberly assess the capabilities of your own technology: if your computer is equipped with a weak Celeron processor, it is not provided for in its design, then you should not run “heavy” applications. Nothing good will come of it.

The graphics card is the busiest component inside your computer when it comes to gaming. It processes millions of instructions that perform various operations during games, and because of this, it heats up. Similar to the CPU, the GPU on the graphics card can overheat, which can lead to a lot of problems, including the video card crashing. In a graphics card, the GPU is the main component that can overheat. The graphics card's memory can also get warm, but it doesn't go beyond the danger level. Overheating can reduce the lifespan of the GPU and can also cause immediate damage to the graphics card.

What temperature of the video card is considered normal

The answer to this question depends both on the manufacturer and on the specific model of the video card, but in general something above 80 degrees Celsius is a sign of concern. If the temperature of the GPU graphics card exceeds 80°C, you must take appropriate measures to lower it, preferably in the range of 70°C - 75°C or lower.

If you are having problems with your computer's performance, especially when editing videos, processing videos, or when playing a video, it starts to stutter, slow down, freeze, then the first thing you will need to do is the video card and compare it with the readings of the table below.

Permissible temperature NVIDIA graphics cards

Measures to reduce GPU temperature

Here are all the possible measures you can take to lower the GPU temperature.

Disable GPU overclocking

If you have overclocked on your graphics card, then you should reset the GPU to original settings to prevent it from raising the GPU temperature. If you're planning on overclocking again, then you need to make sure the card stays within a safe temperature range going forward. Below you can read how to prevent the card from overheating.

Clean fan and heatsink

Dust can settle on the heatsink and fan, reducing their performance and efficiency. Open the PC case and then remove the graphics card. After that, using a small brush and a vacuum cleaner, carefully remove the dust from the video card. Put the graphics card back in and then monitor the temperature using GPU monitoring tools.

Thermal paste change

It's possible that the thermal paste between the GPU and the heatsink has dried out and cracked and is no longer effective. You'll have to remove the fan and heatsink, and clean up the old thermal paste, and gently apply the new thermal paste. Read in more detail how to properly replace thermal paste.

Faulty fan

If the graphics card fan is not working properly or it may be spinning very slowly, then this may be due to an increase in GPU temperature. Here, the only thing you can do is replace the faulty video card fan with a new one, or try it.

Install a more efficient cooling system

You can also install a good higher performance 3rd party Aftermarket GPU cooler on your graphics card. And if you think the stock cooler/fan heatsink (HSF) isn't doing a good enough job, then you can install a water cooling system for the card to bring down the GPU temperature.

Note: Aftermarket Coolers only work with reference graphics cards or graphics cards that have a standard PCB size.

Increase airflow inside the PC case

Improper or poor airflow inside the computer case can also cause the temperature of the graphics card to rise. To improve the airflow inside the PC case, you can install additional exhaust fans.

Hello, friends! In this article, we will discuss about the temperature of computer components. How and with what to measure them, what they should be and, most importantly, what to do if the temperature is above normal.

So. It all starts with an imperceptible increase in noise from your system unit or laptop. The heatsinks slowly become clogged with dust and the fans need a higher rotational speed to maintain normal temperatures, which increases the noise level accordingly. This is the first sign that something is wrong and a minimum of diagnostics is needed in order to get off with a slight fright. But since this is not noticeable, no one pays attention to it.

Then, when the cooling system fails, there is a drop in performance. The computer starts to slow down. The system intentionally reduces the performance of the components or one of them to keep the temperature normal. This is a protection function against damage. Sometimes reboots occur at the most interesting moment of the game, or for no reason a blue screen pops up. For me, this is a clear sign that it is necessary to open the computer case and see what's what. If the computer is under warranty, then you need to take it to a service center.

The last stage is the failure of the component. Basically, this can happen due to a failure of the cooling system. For example, the fan on the video card has stopped. In order not to bring this up, let's figure out how to control the temperature of your computer components.

The main ones for me are the temperatures of the processor, video card and hard drive. It is convenient to measure them using the AIDA or HWMonitor program. AIDA is a paid program, but it has a trial period of 30 days. The trial version does not show the temperature of hard drives, so let's add HWMonitor to it.

You can download utilities from official sites using the links below.

AIDA64 Extreme Edition will be enough for us

On the official website of HWMonitor on the right in the section Download the latest release choose the Setup version, so as not to unpack

Both programs are downloaded and installed. When you first start AIDA64 warns that this is commercial software. Click OK

In order to see the temperatures, go to the Computer section and select Sensors

Temperatures will be displayed on the right.

Slow down hard.

In this state, the computer can be left for an hour, and if after the test continues, then most likely everything is fine.

It is also important to monitor the processor load. If it starts to overheat, then throttling will turn on - skipping cycles. I have never had this, so I can only assume that there will be a non-standard picture. In this case, the test can be stopped and go to the 3rd paragraph.

Normal component temperature

For different components, the normal temperature will be different. Here I will try to give a safe framework.

CPU temperature

It seems to me that it is necessary to build on the maximum temperature indicated on the manufacturer's website. At least firm Intel in specifications specifies the maximum critical temperature. For example, for Intel® Core™ i3-3220 it is 65 °C

The description of the critical temperature is as follows

That is, the operating temperature under load should be less.

The critical temperature for different models varies. Please refer to the specification for your model. For example, for Intel® Core™ i3-4340 - 72 °C.

That is, for Intel processors it would be nice if the temperature under load was< 60 °C.

For AMD processors, I could not find any temperature values. Since my AMD A8-3870K processor warmed up under load to 68 ° C, we will take it to 70 ° C.

We decided on the temperature under load.

Idle temperature.

I will be calm if it is up to 40-45 ° C, regardless of the processor company.

————————————

How to find Intel processor specifications. We take and set our processor model in Google or Yandex. You can view it in HWMonitor

or in the properties of your computer (Start > right click on the icon Computer > Properties or Control Panel\System and Security\System)

That's all that I was able to successfully apply to bring the temperature of computer components into a decent and safe framework.

Conclusion

Let's summarize about the normal temperature of computer components.

Intel processor - up to 60°C under load.

AMD processor - up to 70°C under load.

Without load we will take 40-45°C

Graphics cards up to 80°C under load. No load up to 45°C

Hard drives 30 to 45°C

I do not monitor the temperature of the motherboard and there were no critical situations.

Try to clean your computer from dust during the May holidays and there should be no problems.

Thanks for sharing the article on social media. All the best!