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safe cpu temps WHILE gaming

A

Arkrival

Junior Member
Hello, I am wondering what a safe temp is WHILE gaming. I have an i5-2500k cpu and I've been checking my temps every 10 minutes or so while gaming and it just keeps rising. It sits pretty cool around ~40c when idle. I just usually alt tab for a while once it hits 80c to let it cool back down. I just got the processor so I'm trying to take care of it as much as possible. Will definitely be going to buy a better cpu cooler soon. How hot would you say It can go and still be considered a safe temp? I have a lot of case fans which seems to be helping the overall temp in the case but doesn't seem to be making a difference on the cpu.
 
What Kind of cooling solution are you using? If your using the Heat-sync that comes with the CPU, Your temps are probably on par... Which is not very good. IF you are using an aftermarket you may want to recheck your Heatsync, and that it is seated well on the CPU.
 
Spook said:
What Kind of cooling solution are you using? If your using the Heat-sync that comes with the CPU, Your temps are probably on par... Which is not very good. IF you are using an aftermarket you may want to recheck your Heatsync, and that it is seated well on the CPU.
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Yes I am using the Heat-sync that came with the cpu. What's a good aftermarket heat-sync that you would recommend?
 
The most popular choice (and the one I have on the same processor) is the Hyper 212+ by cooler master. Its pretty big though, so check the inside of your case to ensure it would fit (same with ram slots).
 
last gen chips seem to get a little buggy over 70-75*c so i would try to stay in the 60s if you can figure it out. . .if you are using the stock heatsink you shouldn't be overclocking too high for the time being you can seriously damage your chip as it is not intended to dissipate substantial thermal wattage.
 
I would definitely get an aftermarket cooler if I were you. I'd personally recommend a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ as stated earlier or if your case can't fit that get a Cooler Master TX3.
 
60-65C at full load is a good range to stick to. My 2500K at 4.4 tops out in the low 60C range under Prime94 or Linpack. In most games it usually gets into the high 50C range.

The latest Sandy Bridge chips are very efficient in terms of power draw. Even when overclocked to the 4.4 GHz range, they don't draw more than around 130W.
 
While running at stock speeds, the CPU should be able to operate normally at least up to 85 degrees C. Intel CPUs also have quite good thermal protections, so it is very unlikely that the CPU will die from overheating (as long as you don't explicitly disable power management stuff in BIOS).
 
Umm... you're running at default speeds and getting 80C?

I think before getting a new CPU cooler, you should double check that the pins are properly seated on your current cooler. I don't think even the crappy intel cooler will show 80+C while gaming at stock speeds.
 
Intel recommends 50's to 60's C on load is normal for processor

It can go to 70's but then your playing with fire.. might blow up.
 
if u used the paste that came on the stock hsf i would use an after market paste droped my temps on my 2500k about 7 c from 78c to 71c
 
I just don't see how 2 can read around 50c and then one reads my temps at 100c+, what a drastic difference. I don't know which one to actually go by. I will be buying a better heatsync as I mentioned but I'm also scared to spend more than 30 min. on a game right now if controlcenter is reading me accurate numbers.
 
tweakboy said:
Intel recommends 50's to 60's C on load is normal for processor

It can go to 70's but then your playing with fire.. might blow up.
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You are wrong. :colbert:

You are thinking about AMD CPUs. They aren't as tolerant about higher temperatures as Intel CPUs. GPUs (from both AMD and Nvidia) are also really tolerant of high temperatures. Oh yeah, they won't blow up either.
 
Arkrival said:
I just don't see how 2 can read around 50c and then one reads my temps at 100c+, what a drastic difference. I don't know which one to actually go by. I will be buying a better heatsync as I mentioned but I'm also scared to spend more than 30 min. on a game right now if controlcenter is reading me accurate numbers.
Click to expand...

RealTemp and HWM give more reliable readings. Don't worry about safe temps. Game as long as you wish and if there's a heat issue your computer won't fry or blow-up, it'll just freeze or get a BSOD. Then you'll know there's a problem.
 
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