I recently bought a prebuilt gaming PC in December 2024, and I've started facing overheating issues. When I play newer games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur Expedition 33, my PC heats up quickly and shuts down after about an hour. According to HWmonitor, my CPU temperature reaches 100 degrees Celsius while gaming, but it drops to around 40 degrees in just 10 seconds once I close the game. I've checked everything: the fans are set up for proper airflow (front intakes, back and top exhausts), they're all spinning, and the CPU cooler is installed correctly. The liquid cooler's pump seems to function, as one tube is hot and the other is cold. I've reapplied the thermal paste but still see no improvement. I'm considering getting a new liquid cooler, but I'm not sure if that will solve the problem since the current setup appears to be working fine. Any insights on what might be wrong? Here are my specs: CPU: Intel Core i7 14700KF, Cooling: 240mm Liquid Cooling, Motherboard: Z790-P, RAM: 32GB DDR5, GPU: GeForce RTX 4080 16GB, SSD: 2TB NVMe, Case: FG T770 RGB, PSU: 750W 80PLUS.
3 Answers
It's also worth noting that if you're not overclocking, your 240mm cooler should be fine, but the Intel 14th gen chips can pump out a lot of heat. If your BIOS settings aren’t managing the power limits, that might lead to thermal issues. Also, considering your PSU rating, a 750W unit might be a bit too tight with the power draw from the CPU and GPU. Upgrading to at least an 850W quality PSU could prevent shutdowns due to power issues.
If the cooler seems to be working but your CPU is hitting 100°C quickly, consider stress testing your cooler’s pump functionality. You can do this by lowering the radiator below the CPU block while it's running to check for liquid movement. Also, feel for heat around your cooler; if it’s too hot, you might need a more powerful cooling solution, like a 340mm AIO, especially for intense gaming.
I stress tested it, and it hits 100°C fast but isn’t hot to the touch right away. Should I look into different cooling options?
First off, double-check that you removed any protective plastic between the CPU cooler plate and the CPU itself. It's a common mistake that can cause overheating. Next, consider the size of your cooler; a 240mm AIO might struggle with a CPU as demanding as the Intel i7 14700K, especially if you're running heavy games. Make sure your cooler is pulling in cool air from outside the case rather than recycling warm air from inside.
I took off the CPU cooler and reapplied the thermal paste, but it didn’t seem to improve the temp. What’s the best way to check if the cooler size is sufficient?
How do I adjust the power limits in my BIOS? What should I set them to?