CPU Over Temperature Error [FIXED]

In my experience, a CPU over-temperature error happens when your computer surpasses its thermal limit and can’t lower the temperature with its current hardware. When this error occurs, the computer can freeze, restart, or even shut down, and sometimes, it might even damage the CPU directly.

Keeping your computer’s hardware cool, especially components like the CPU, GPU, HDD, and others that work hard, is essential.

Key Takeaways

• CPU over-temperature error occurs when the CPU exceeds its temperature limit, leading to system issues and potential damage.
• Causes include overclocking, dust build-up, inadequate cooling, high ambient temperature, improper heatsink placement, and demanding applications.
• Fixing the error involves avoiding overclocking, cleaning regularly, upgrading cooling, reapplying thermal paste, monitoring ambient temperature, evaluating applications, and ensuring proper heatsink placement.

Causes Of The CPU Over Temperature Error?

Generally, this kind of error happens when your CPU produces a lot of heat and your CPU cooler is unable to remove that heat. Therefore, your CPU’s overheating and the CPU Temperature error could be caused by a variety of factors:

1. You might be overclocking your computer
2. The heatsink may have accumulated some dust
3. The CPU cooler you use might be inadequate
4. You might be using your computer in hot surroundings
5. Heatsink might not be correctly positioned over the CPU

Based on my experience, excessive temperatures, especially in the CPU, can cause computer malfunctions. Regularly monitor and ensure CPU temperature stays within a safe range, as demanding tasks can lead to increased temperatures.

How To Fix The CPU Over-Temperature Error?

Below are some of the common potential fixes to deal with the over-temperature of the CPU:

1. Deep Clean your computer to avoid dust build-up
2. Upgrade/Adjust the Cooling System
3. Reapply the Thermal Paste
4. Proper placement of Heat Sink

In practice, there are two primary ways to reduce CPU temperatures: enhance cooling systems or opt for a cooler-running CPU. Several methods can be employed to enhance processor cooling.

Deep Clean Your Computer To Avoid Dust Build-Up

I’ve personally encountered temperature increases in my PC due to dust buildup inside the case. This buildup can lead to heat absorption, impairing fan efficiency, reducing CPU cooling, and causing over-temperature errors. It was Julia Strax on Quora’s suggestion that helped me solve this issue. Regular cleaning is crucial, especially for laptops with limited ventilation.

Therefore, it is preferable to use a fan blower to clear any dust that may be present inside your PC case. To clear the dust that has accumulated inside your CPU heatsink, you can also use a compressed air can.

Upgrade/Adjust The Cooling System 

A Reddit user, pancakemonkeys shared a method with me to enhance the cooling capability of my system, which involved upgrading the cooling solution or making adjustments to the existing cooling hardware.

One effective approach is modifying the fan settings in BIOS, but it’s important to note that this setting is integrated into the motherboard and cannot be directly accessed from the Windows interface. This method was instrumental in resolving our cooling issues. 

To enter the BIOS menu, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the “Settings” option at the start menu to open your PC settings
2. Go onto “Update & Security.”
3. From the choices on the left, choose “Recovery.”

   

4. From “Recovery,” Select “Restart Now” under “Advanced Startup.” A new menu will appear after your computer restarts.

   

5. On the pop-up menu, select “Advanced options” and then “Troubleshoot.”

   

   

6. Select “UEFI Firmware Settings.” Choose “Startup Settings” if you don’t see this option.
7. To access and manage your computer’s BIOS for fan control, follow these steps:
   1. • Restart your computer.
      • During the restart, press either the F1 or F2 key (the specific key can vary depending on your computer) to enter the BIOS setup.
      • After entering the BIOS, navigate to the “Hardware Monitoring” section. In some BIOS setups, it may be labeled as “PC Health Status.”
      • Look for fan control options within the “Hardware Monitoring” or “PC Health Status” section to adjust fan settings.

   

8. Choose the “CPU Fan” Tab.

   

9. You can modify the following components once you’re in the fan settings:

• Choosing the type of fan (DC or PMW)
• Select the fan setting. Full speed, performance, and silent mode are the most popular selections.
• Selecting the temperature threshold point

Warning: You should try to keep your device’s temperature around 70°C.  

Reapply Thermal Paste

The best way to lower your CPU’s temperature is by applying/reapplying the thermal paste as per the suggestion given by the Redditor juliastrax1992. If you notice your CPU running at higher-than-normal temperatures or encounter frequent CPU temperature errors, consider removing and reapplying thermal paste.

This action can significantly help in lowering the CPU temperature, based on my own experience.

Replace hardened CPU thermal paste for improved cooling. Inspect the fan and heat sink, replacing the dried paste. Ceramic paste is safe and affordable, while liquid metal offers superior cooling with caution. Thermal pads come with pre-applied silicon paste.

Properly Place Heatsink

I found a solution on Reddit  by TheTruBronyOhOh, and it worked for me. A heatsink is a metal component that sits on top of a CPU and other computer chips, allowing heat to rise through a series of fins, thereby dissipating it. To ensure effective cooling, it’s crucial that the heatsink makes solid contact with the heat source.

The enormous quantity of heat generated by the CPU cannot be dissipated by a heatsink that is not properly installed. To reposition the heatsink on your CPU, unscrew it and then reinstall it so that it touches the top of your CPU. 

When Is CPU Overheating A Concern?

Experiencing occasional CPU Temperature Errors during gaming is normal, but frequent errors during regular PC use should prompt temperature reduction steps. Maintain CPU temperatures between 75-80°C for gaming and 40-60°C for light tasks, and address high temperatures with suggested solutions.