Checking Your PC Temperatures

Monitoring your CPU and GPU temperatures can help determine whether your system is cooling correctly or experiencing thermal throttling.

Temperatures naturally increase while gaming or performing demanding workloads.

The important part is determining whether your components remain within their expected operating range.

Checking GPU Temperature in Task Manager

Windows can display GPU temperature directly through Task Manager on supported systems.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

  2. Select Performance.

  3. Select your GPU.

  4. Look for GPU Temperature.

Leave Task Manager open while testing a game if you want to monitor how temperatures change under load.

Checking CPU Temperature

Windows Task Manager normally does not display CPU temperature.

For more detailed monitoring, you can use a trusted hardware monitoring application such as:

  • HWiNFO

  • HWMonitor

  • MSI Afterburner

These utilities can display temperatures for your CPU, GPU, motherboard, storage devices, and other sensors.

What Temperatures Are Normal?

There is no single temperature that applies to every CPU or GPU.

Temperature limits vary based on:

  • CPU or GPU model

  • Laptop or desktop design

  • Cooling solution

  • Fan configuration

  • Room temperature

  • Power limits

  • Workload

Modern components are designed to operate safely within manufacturer-defined temperature limits and can reduce performance if temperatures become too high.

What Is Thermal Throttling?

Thermal throttling occurs when hardware reduces its operating speed to control excessive temperatures.

This can result in:

  • Lower FPS

  • FPS drops

  • Reduced clock speeds

  • Stuttering

  • Lower benchmark scores

  • Inconsistent performance

If performance becomes worse after gaming for several minutes, checking temperatures is a good troubleshooting step.

How to Reduce High Temperatures

If your temperatures appear unusually high:

  • Make sure your fans are working.

  • Clean dust from your PC.

  • Make sure vents are not blocked.

  • Verify that your CPU cooler is installed correctly.

  • Improve case airflow if necessary.

  • Avoid placing a desktop inside an enclosed cabinet.

  • Use your laptop on a hard, flat surface.

  • Check whether thermal throttling is occurring.

Need Help?

If your PC is overheating or losing performance under load, contact EXM Support with your CPU model, GPU model, temperature readings, and a description of when the issue occurs.