• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

CPU temp very erratic

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

Kaotic Nootrl

Registered
Joined
Jan 20, 2017
Hi, is it normal for my cpu temps to be jumping around like crazy at times? like from 27 to 33 to 60 at times? usually its at a steady 25 but sometimes (like right now) its jumping around alot. I reapplied thermal paste about 3 weeks ago. Could this mean that I applied it incorrectly? (even though it sits at good temps even under load most of the time). Thanks.
 
Depends on a lot of factors. What programs are you running, their desire for CPU thread time, a BIOS setting, non-uniform TIM, encryption. Run HW Monitor and post up a screeny, CPU-Z as well. That should be informative.
 
Check CPU utilization in task manager and see if the temp spikes correlate to the CPU uses going up. If so, it's normal behavior.

The next question to ask is what app is causing your CPU usage to spike.


 
Are you using the stock OEM cooler or a large aftermarket CPU cooler? The more efficient the cooler is the less pronounced temp spikes will be.

But I would echo what JrClocker said. Check task manager to see if the temp spikes coincide with certain processes. It could be that you have malware using your computer for a spam bot or some other nefarious purpose.
 
Should have nothing to do with TIM, more a matter of CPU use, as stated by the gentlemen above.

Download prime95, run a blend test and check where max temps sit after 20 minutes or so.

Edit: and if you are using windows7, update being broken, the OS will check for update every 5 seconds, lol! that might explain...
 
Back