I recently installed The Last of Us on my PC, which has a 9800X3D CPU, and while the shaders were loading, I noticed a brief temperature spike to 96C. Typically, my CPU runs at about 39C when idle and around 55C during gaming. The high temperature dropped to 66C and then 48C within two seconds, which seems too quick for a temperature drop without the fans ramping up. Is this spike an anomaly, or should I be worried about my cooling? I plan to check Cinebench to get more insights into my CPU's performance.
5 Answers
The heat from the CPU takes a bit of time to dissipate, so it's normal for it to cool down quickly after a peak. I've seen similar behavior with my setup, and I wouldn't worry too much unless it becomes a regular issue.
The CPU can easily spike when loading shaders, especially if it's pushing close to 100%. It's almost like a quick stress test, which can cause those brief temperature jumps. It's common during heavy workloads.
Yeah, I noticed that too! Under heavy loads, even during gaming, my temps have been close to that.
What cooler are you using? Temperature spikes can vary quite a bit depending on your cooling setup.
I have a Cooler Master Atmos.
You might want to check out HWInfo 64 to monitor your CPU temps in real-time. It provides a graph view that can be really helpful for tracking transient temperature spikes.
It’s pretty rare for CPUs to hit 96C, but if it was just a fleeting moment, it’s usually nothing to worry about. Your CPU should handle 95C fine, but you might want to ensure you're not consistently hitting those numbers during normal gameplay.
Cinebench did show temps around 92-95C. I guess it's better to keep an eye on it.
That makes sense; I just didn't expect it to drop so fast.