A good idle temperature for your GPU is about 30-40 degrees Celsius. To ensure your GPU has a long life span, keep an eye on your temperature to ensure that things are running smoothly.
I have been in IT for a few years. But first and foremost, I am a gamer. So, ensuring my GPU is in tip-top shape is one of my many priorities. One of the best ways to do that is to monitor temperatures.
Is your fan louder than usual, or are you just concerned about your GPU temps in general? Either way, keeping an eye on your GPU temps is a great practice to ensure that your hardware is not overheating.
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Key Takeaways
- Your GPU should be at about 30 degrees Celsius when it is not actively working and pushing itself.
- When under stress, your GPU should never reach higher than 80 degrees Celsius, or risk overheating
- You can take some steps if your GPU temp is too high.
Idle Temp for GPU
To know when your GPU temps are higher than they should be, you first need to know what they should be normally. The normal idle temperature of a GPU should be between 30 and 40 degrees.
Since your GPU is not working or being put under stress and is simply running if temp should be moderate, if you notice that your temp is too high, there may be some underlying issue.
When your PC is doing nothing but reaching temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius, you could be in danger of your GPU overheating and damaging the hardware.
Monitor Your Temperatures
While gaming, you may notice that your fans get a little louder. Usually, this should not be a cause for alarm. Just going based on the sound of your fan alone will not suffice when it comes to checking temps.
You can open the task manager by pressing ctrl+shift+escape to open the task manager. Go to performance, then select GPU. You can see in the image below that the GPU is currently at 43 degrees Celsius.
If you want to view your temps while in-game, you can download overlay software, like MSI Afterburner. It will also give you more detailed information on your gaming performance, which you can see below.
What to Do if Your Temps Are Too High?
GPUs have built-in safety measures to help keep them from getting so hot that they catch on fire or something of the sort. They will begin to slow down once temps get too high to manage the high temps. But frequent exposure to extremely high temps can cause damage.
Clean Your GPU Fans
One of the leading causes of high GPU temps is dirty fans. Fans clogged with dust and debris have to work harder to try their best to keep the GPU within a safe temperature. The dust will also obstruct the airways, suffocating your hardware.
Pull out the GPU, use a soft brush and compressed air to dislodge the dust, and remove it. Once the dust is removed, place the GPU back into place and see the temperatures drop.
Re-Arrange Cables
It is possible that the way your cables are routed you are constricting the fans’ airways. Re-arrange your cables to be out of the way.
The Environment
Even just your environment can affect GPU thermals. For example, your GPU temps may rise by using your computer in a particularly hot room without much airflow.
What Happens if My GPU Overheats?
Your GPU overheating could lead to permanent damage. Cutting your GPU’s lifespan down a lot and eventually even lead to hardware failures.
Final Thoughts
Idle GPU temps are between 30-40 degrees Celsius. If you notice that your idle temps are higher than that, you can clean out the GPU fans to avoid your GPU overheating.
