How to monitor CPU and GPU temperature

In one of our previous articles, we told you how to overclock your hardware. However, pushing your hardware components to a better performance and speed might also increase your computer temperature and even damage your PC parts in the process. This is why it's important to use a hardware monitoring utility to keep track of the performance of your system and check the current CPU and GPU temperatures, fan speeds, etc.

A default solution, but a rather tiresome one, is using the BIOS. Users with Windows 7 or Windows 10 PCs need to restart their computers, hit the F2 key, head to Hardware Monitor window, and access the information they need, such as system temperature. Personally, I prefer using a third-party program to find the aforementioned hardware details, without restarting my PC every time I notice my computer isn't running at its full potential. Applications like Open Hardware Monitor, SpeedFan, and HWMonitor are some of the best GPU and CPU heat monitoring tools for Windows. They all are feature-rich, simple to handle, and provide you with accurate data.

Tutorial assets

You will need to download one the following software to follow along with this tutorial.

Download HeavyLoad

Download SpeedFan

Check CPU and GPU temperature

You can use any of the aforementioned programs to check the GPU and processor temperature on your Windows PC. These applications let you see the CPU temperature details, the current fan speeds, information about RAM usage, etc. Here I will show you how to check CPU and GPU temperatures with Open Hardware Monitor, an effective system monitoring utility that is open source and easy-to-use.

Step 1

Launch Open Hardware Monitor on your PC.

Step 2

Check the real-time GPU and CPU temperature info on the main window of the app.

Open Hardware Monitor

Optional: The application provides you with a quick solution for sharing the fetched information with a member of a computer service team. You can export the offered report as a TXT file.

GPU Temp monitoring utility enables you to check only the current GPU heat level. Core Temp is specialized in monitoring only the temperature of your processor.

Test your hardware temperature under load

How hot should a graphics card be? What are the values of a safe operating temperature for CPU? One way to find out the answers to these questions is to stress-test your hardware components. Programs like HeavyLoad enable you to test PC resources like CPU, GPU or hard disk to find out if your computer will run reliably under heavy load. Here's how to use the aforementioned app to test your hardware temperature under load:

Step 1

Launch the utility on your PC.

Step 2

Go to the main menu of the app and access the Test Options panel. Select the "Stress CPU" and "Stress GPU" options.

Selecting Stress Options In HeavyLoad

Step 3

Click the button that's under the File panel to start the stress test.

The interval for normal CPU temp (during heavy PC use - while using a video editor or playing game) is different from one vendor to another.

Software to reduce hardware temperature

Pushing your laptop or desktop PC to its limits will most likely increase the hardware temperature. One way to stop a computer from overheating or to reduce your laptop temperature is by using a fan control software, like SpeedFan. Besides helping you adjust the speed of your fans to reduce noise, this PC cooling utility also enables you to monitor the performance of your system. The application provides you with S.M.A.R.T. info, displays hard disk temperatures, etc.

Here's what you need to do in order to cool down a laptop with SpeedFan:

Step 1

Launch the app on your PC.

SpeedFan

Step 2

Make the necessary modifications in the Configure window of the app and click the "OK" button to apply the new changes.

SpeedFan Configure Window

Making hardware-related changes in this application without having the necessary computer knowledge might lead to serious PC issues. Request assistance from a PC service employee if you're a beginner-level user.

Conclusion

As you can see, it's very simple to monitor CPU and GPU temperatures on your Windows PC. However, taking the matter into your own hands to reduce the obtained temperature values is quite risky, especially if you're a beginner. So, pay extra attention if you decide to configure your hardware settings without requesting assistance from a specialized PC service worker.

Alternative downloads

GPU Temp free windows Free GPU temperature monitor that can display GPU core temperature and load... Download
HWMonitor free windows HWMonitor for Windows® x86/x64 is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages... Download
HeavyLoad free windows Intended to stress all resources of a PC (the CPU, RAM, hard disk... Download
SpeedFan free windows Program that monitors voltages, fan speeds and temperatures in computers with hardware monitor chips. Download