Hey everyone! I'm curious if a 51°C idle temperature for my i9 11900K is within the normal range. I'm using a Noctua NH-U12S cooler along with three case fans, so I was expecting the temp to be a bit lower. What do you think?
5 Answers
Idle temps can be a bit misleading. They don't really matter unless they're super high. As long as you're not hitting critical temperatures under load, you're likely fine!
Keep in mind that many factors can influence idle temps, such as your location and room ventilation. I have an i7 12th gen that idles around 48°C. Given my warm environment, I wouldn’t be too concerned about 51°C.
Make sure to check how much power your CPU is pulling while idle, and remember that room temperature plays a big role too.
If you're worried about fan noise, your cooler was a good choice. Just remember that case fans affect CPU temps less than you might think. I have a similar setup, and my temps idled around 52°C. It sounds normal to me as long as your temps under load are looking good!
Idle means your CPU is at 1-3% utilization. Check what your total CPU utilization is when you're seeing those temps. But honestly, idle temps aren't super concrete.
Exactly! There's no strict definition of idle—it just means nothing should be heavily running.
Yeah, exactly! Unless you're seeing crazy high temps, it's usually nothing to worry about.