Summary
Information about spikes in systems with Intel® Core™ processors and what is normal
Description
- Are temperature spikes a concern on Intel® Core processors, specifically when playing games?
- When the processor load is changing, then the reported temperature can increase and decrease rapidly (sometimes called temperature spikes). Need to know if this is normal or an overheating issue.
Resolution
Temperature spikes are not necessarily a cause for concern.
When the system is idle, the temperature of the processor is not as high as when the system is running a workload. Having temperature spikes, or having high or maximum temperatures while running a workload—such as games—isn't necessarily cause for concern. Intel processors constantly monitor their temperature and can rapidly adjust their frequency and power consumption to prevent overheating and damage.