How to treat a overheated CPU?

marckh

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Jan 18, 2014
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I did not overheat my CPU, although, my AMD FX-8320 CPU, gets extremely hot when gaming. I am using the stock fan, and I am getting an aftermarket fan soon. I have read that my CPU should only touch 60 degrees and no higher, or else it'll overheat. I've only been above 60 degrees once, but other than that, it's almost always between 50-60 degrees. (under full load) I primarily play Battlefield 4 at high to ultra settings. My GPU is a GTX 780.

The point of this thread is, I was wondering, if my CPU happened to overheat before I manage to get a new CPU fan, how would I treat it. To be honest, I am not 100% what the term overheat implies. Does it mean it melts and is no longer functional, or it just crashes and would work but with damages? But back to the question, how would I treat my CPU, if it would overheat? And please do not suggest to not put it on full load until I get my new fan, I've already though about it.
 
Solution
50-60C at full load is perfectly normal.

If a CPU overheats it will:
1) Throttle (slow down the speed)
2) Shutdown (your PC will just turn off)

You can then turn the PC back on, although you should wait a minute or two to let it cool down. With the shutdown mechanism, it is near impossible to melt your CPU. You will simply shorten the lifespan if it is continually over 60C.

cklaubur

Distinguished
As long as you don't routinely overheat the processor, it should be ok. The computer should automatically shut down before it gets hot enough to damage the CPU. How well does air flow through your computer's case?

I'm not that familiar with the FX-series, but 60 degrees seems a bit low for overheating.

Casey
 

gumbykid

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Jan 15, 2014
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50-60C at full load is perfectly normal.

If a CPU overheats it will:
1) Throttle (slow down the speed)
2) Shutdown (your PC will just turn off)

You can then turn the PC back on, although you should wait a minute or two to let it cool down. With the shutdown mechanism, it is near impossible to melt your CPU. You will simply shorten the lifespan if it is continually over 60C.
 
Solution

marckh

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Jan 18, 2014
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10,530
Thanks alot for the answers. My case is an NZXT Lexa S, with 4 fans. 1 on the side panel, 1 on the top panel, 1 on the back panel, and one on front panel. I could not make room for all of those fans, as my motherboard does not support more than 4 fans at a time (including cpu fan).

I assume that I should be fine until I receive my new fan on monday. I was just worried that as soon as I pass 62 degrees, thats it for my cpu, and I would have to get a new one, but I guess that's not exactly the way it goes.