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What Is A Good GPU Temp? (Definitive Guide)

What Is A Good GPU Temp Cover

There is no denying that having all your components run at the best possible temperatures is one thing every PC gamer wants.

However, there is no such thing as a perfect temperature because every now and then, there are things that can come in the way and ruin the experience for you.

For starters, a lot of people have talked about GPU temperatures being too high or CPU temperatures, for that matter.

The point here is that you need to know about what is a good GPU temp before you go ahead and decide if you are running into issues or not.

In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the most basic things about GPU temperatures, so you do not find yourself in any confusion.

What makes GPUs get hot?

A GPU is an electrical component with a lot of transistors and is able to deliver a lot of power. There are a lot of things that can make a GPU get hot.

Ideally, your GPU temperature should not be going higher than it is when it is in an idle state. If you are seeing temperature spikes even when the GPU is not actively doing anything, you might be having an issues.

A faulty thermal compound application could be one of them, or worse, a faulty GPU. Any sort of use in which the GPU is going to be utilized will result in increased temperature.

What Is a Good GPU Temperature for Gaming?

There was a time when I used to freak out if the temperature of my GPU crossed 75 degrees because I was under the impression that it was about to die, but over time, I have realized that it is not the case.

Over time, I have realized that GPUs are incredibly resilient and are made in such a way that they know how to keep the temperatures under check, and unless there is a faulty part inside your GPU, the temperatures will not go above the safe limit.

image of an nvidia gtx gpu on benchmarking setup
Credits: Daniel Hatcher

I would say that the best temperature while gaming should be under 80C. Anything higher than that, the GPU could start thermal throttling to bring the temperatures down.

So, as long as you are hovering around the 80s, or even mid-80s, you are good to go, and there is nothing to worry about, to be honest.

What Factors Impact Your GPU’s Thermals?

As far as the GPU temperatures getting affected, there are a several factors that have an effect on GPU’s temperature, and it does not normally vary.

For starters, games are going to impact your GPU’s thermals. The more demanding the game is, the higher the temperatures are going to be.

However, modern GPUs are made in such a way that they can manage to sustain their temperatures even when they are running really demanding games.

Next up, your PC’s airflow is another thing that affects the temperatures. If you are running in a tight space, you are bound to run into issues.

Especially if you are running in a vertical mounting position, then the temperatures are likely to increase because of how close the GPU is to the case window.

Another factor that impacts the thermals is the bad application of thermal compounds. This normally occurs in really old GPUs that have been in use for some time.

The thermal paste simply loses its effectiveness, and you have to reapply it to ensure nothing goes wrong.

How can I check if my GPU’s temperature is too high?

Running into higher temperatures is a problem for a lot of people, but if you are paying attention, you will realize that things are not going t be as complicated as you might think.

For starters, if GPU monitoring is one thing that you want to do, there are a number of ways through which that can be done.

image of nvidia gtx gpu inside a pc
Credits: Daniel Lezuch

For starters, you can just go ahead and start using MSI Afterburner to see what the temperatures are. Not just that, there are also a lot of tools, such as NZXT CAM, that will tell you your GPU’s temperature. HWID is another solid choice.

Additionally, this is a cool trick, but if your GPU has RGB lighting, you can program the lighting to start showing a certain color when the temperature reaches a certain threshold.

However, if you want to have the best hands-on experience with monitoring the GPU temperatures, the safest thing that you can do is use MSI Afterburner’s on-screen display that will show you the GPU’s temperature at all times.

How to Lower Your GPU Temperature?

Thankfully, there are a lot of ways you can lower your GPU temperature, and we are going to take a look at a few of them so you can have a better understanding. Let’s not waste time and have a look.

#1- Make sure the fans on your graphics card are running

There are a lot of things that can contribute to your GPU running really hot, and one such thing happens to be the fans on your GPU.

Modern-day GPUs don’t turn on their fan until they hit a certain temperature, but sometimes, a bug in the software can cause the fans to not run at all.

If you are gaming and you notice that you are hitting higher temperatures and the fans are still not spinning, you might want to check what the cause is.

You can try restarting your computer and even unplugging and plugging back the GPU to see if that solves the issues.

Sure, if you are playing a game that is not as intensive, your GPU might not need to rack up the fans, but that cannot always be the case.

#2- Improve airflow for your computer

The next thing that I would suggest is that if you are running into high temperatures again and again, it could very well be because of the airflow of the computer.

image of a gaming pc with 10 fans

I do understand that most people tend to ignore that because modern cases are all about aesthetics and not so much about functionality, and in such a situation, I would highly suggest that you are improving the airflow, so you know that you are getting something that works right.

#3- Lower the room temperature

The ambient temperature or the temperature of your room can also be a major reason as to why you are running into high temperatures.

If you are facing such an issue, I’d highly suggest that you are making arrangements to lower the room temperature, so nothing else goes wrong in the process.

Installing an air conditioning or turning it on can help a lot. Even something as simple as opening the door or windows can help you a lot in the process.

#4- Increase your graphics card’s Fan Speed

The next thing that you can do is turn on and increase the fan speed of your GPU. By default, the GPU decides how to handle the speed of the fans.

But if you are experiencing higher temperatures, you can download MSI Afterburner or a similar tool and use it to increase the card’s fan speed. It barely takes a few minutes but can have a good effect.

#5- Improve your computer’s cable management system

This is a hit-and-miss, but sometimes, the cable management can impact the thermals of your GPU. However, this is the case of incredibly small cases, and you will not be running into issues with larger cases.

image of a white medium size gaming pc

Still, I would highly advise you to clean up the cable mess, at least on the front, so the air can pass without any obstructions.

#6- Reapply the thermal paste

This is something that you should only do if you are equipped enough because anything otherwise can cause serious issues. Simply put, sometimes, the thermal paste starts drying out, and this can cause the temperatures to shoot up.

I do understand that this is nothing serious, but applying the thermal paste on a GPU is a bit trickier and definitely voids the warranty. So, before you proceed, I’d highly advise you are being careful about it.

#7- Overclocking your graphics card may not be worth it

Most of the times, an unstable overclocking can result in the temperature spiking up, and that is never really a good thing.

If you are facing such an issue, I would highly suggest that you revert back to your original settings before things get out of hand and your GPU ends up running into more issues than you might think. It is not at all something you want to experience.

What Temperature Is Too Hot for a GPU?

Now that we have explored multiple ways of handling GPU temperature and whether or not it gets hot, the next step is to start looking at just what temperature is too hot for the GPU.

I believe I have mentioned this before, but GPUs are smart enough to figure out when they are running too hot, and when that happens, they start thermal throttling themselves to prevent anything from going wrong.

image of a guy unplugging his gpu from pc

Thankfully, you can actually reduce the temperatures and even monitor them before something goes wrong, so there is nothing really to worry about, and you will be good in almost every situation.

Does high CPU/GPU temperature affect lifespan?

Yes, higher CPU or GPU temperature can affect lifespan, but there is no concrete time frame as to how that can happen. A lot of components running at higher temperatures can outrun components running at lower temperatures.

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– My Final Verdict:

So there you have it. If you have been confused over the GPU temperature and what temperature is perfect, then this post is for you as we break down everything you need to know so you can go ahead and run your PC without any issues that might otherwise come in the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: IS 80C hot for a GPU?

Nope, while gaming or performing other heavy tasks, 80C is the perfect temperature, and you should not really run into any issues.

Question 2: How hot is too hot for RTX 3060?

As stated before, as long as your GPU is performing at 80C or lower, you should not be having any thermal issues whatsoever.

Question 3: How hot should RTX 3080 get?

Even after 2 years of intense gaming, the RTX 3080 normally hovers between the mid-70s during gaming and around 30 to 50C during idle, depending on the ambient temperature.

Question 4: What is the safest temp for GPU?

Anything below 80C is the safest temp for GPU; however, this is for when the GPU is under load.

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Furqan Shahid

Furqan Shahid

Reader, writer, and gamer. I started my gaming journey with NES and back then, it was the greatest thing that I had ever put my hands on.

For me, it was the best thing in the world. However, as I progressed into the world of gaming, it soon dawned on me how this rabbit hole is a never-ending one and soon gaming turned from my passion to my profession. I have been gaming for 24 years and have extensive knowledge about not just platforms, but building computers as well.

My Expertise is in Computer hardware, PC Gaming, Video Games, Software and Apps, Computers, and Laptops.

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