You can check your graphics card and processor temperatures while gaming using virtually any hardware monitoring program. For this example, we will use HWMonitor.
You can download it from the following link:
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor
After downloading and installing the program, you need to follow these steps:
- You need to find out and remember the maximum allowable temperature values for your processor and graphics card. You can find these in the specifications for your processor and graphics card on the manufacturers' websites.
For Nvidia graphics cards: https://www.nvidia.com/en-eu/geforce/graphics-cards/compare/
For AMD graphics cards and processors: https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers
For Intel graphics cards and processors: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark
You can also find various reviews of your graphics card online and compare your average temperature readings with theirs.
- Launch HWMonitor, then launch the game, and continue playing until the issue occurs.
- After the issue occurs, open HWMonitor and check the temperature readings for the processor and graphics card (find their names in HWMonitor and open the "Temperatures" tab).
In the Value column, the current temperature is shown; in the Min column, the minimum temperature observed since the program started; and in the Max column, the temperature observed since the program started.
- You need to compare the current temperatures of the graphics card and the processor with the maximum permissible values from point 1; they should not approach or exceed those limits.
You should also look at the maximum temperature reached during testing – it must not exceed the maximum permissible temperature of the graphics card and processor by more than 5–10%.
If you notice signs of overheating in your components, follow these recommendations:
- Set the graphics card and processor parameters back to default values (if you have changed them – so‑called overclocking of the processor or graphics card) in accordance with the specifications, and then repeat the temperature testing.
- Dust inside the computer can cause overheating issues. Contact a certified specialist to clean the computer from dust and replace the thermal paste on components if necessary.