How to check cpu temperature

How to check your PC’s CPU temperature

Is your computer’s CPU too hot? If your PC starts spontaneously shutting down, locking up, or acting sluggish during intense tasks, overheating could be the issue, especially when the intense summer heat is scorching. Keeping tabs on your CPU temperatures is crucial when you’re overclocking your PC’s processor, too—you don’t want to accidentally push the performance pedal too far to the metal when you’re supercharging your pricey Intel Core i9-12900KS or AMD Ryzen 5800X3D, after all. Melting one of the best CPUs around is always a bummer.

this cooler will instantly send CPU temps plummeting

NZXT Kraken X63 280mm

Bizarrely, Windows doesn’t offer any way to check your computer’s CPU temperature. You could dive into your system’s BIOS to find the information, but that’s a lot of hassle to find a simple sensor reading. Fortunately, several free programs exist that make it easy to see your processor’s temperature. With that info in hand, you’ll know whether you’ll need to take more active steps to cool things down. We’ve included information on how to do that after the software recommendations below.

How to check your CPU temperature

The fastest, easiest way to check your CPU temp is using the aptly named Core Temp. Be mindful during installation though! Like many free programs, it tries to install bloatware unless you uncheck some boxes during setup.

Once installed, open Core Temp to see a no-frills look at the current state of your CPU, including an average temperature reading at the bottom of the window. If you want even more detail, click the Show hidden icons button in the system tray located at the right edge of your Windows taskbar. You’ll see a temperature listing for every individual CPU core in your computer.

Per-core CPU temperature readings provided by the Core Temp app.

Core Temp’s Settings menu allows you to tweak exactly what you’ll see in the system tray, and how you’ll see it, but the default configuration makes it dead-simple to see if your CPU is overheating or performing as expected.

Core Temp isn’t the only option though. HWInfo is an in-depth system monitoring tool that provides deep details about every piece of your PC’s hardware. If you choose to run it in sensors-only mode, scrolling down to the CPU section—the dedicated section, not the CPU temperature portion of the motherboard listing—reveals current temps and other nitty-gritty details.

NZXT’s Cam monitoring software.

NZXT’s Cam software is another popular option with a diverse skillset. Its slick interface is easier to read at a glance than those on most other monitoring tools, and the program shows all sorts of useful info about your CPU, graphics card, memory, and storage. Cam also includes an in-game FPS overlay and overclocking tools, among other features. You can use NZXT’s Cam mobile apps to keep tabs on your software when you’re away from your PC, too.

Open Hardware Monitor and SpeedFan are other well-regarded monitoring tools that can track system information. You’ve got options! But for simply checking your computer’s CPU temperatures, Core Temp’s straightforward focus can’t be beat.

If monitoring software (like HWInfo here) displays two CPU temperatures for Ryzen processors, look for the “Tdie” reading.

Mentioned in this article

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Finally, note that if you’re running an AMD Ryzen system, including 3rd-gen models like the ferocious Ryzen 9 5900X or the more modest Ryzen 5 5600X, you may see two different CPU temperature readings. You want the “Tdie” reading, depending on how the program you’re using displays the info. It’s a measurement of the actual heat on the die.

The alternative “Tctl” reading is the control temperature reported to your cooling system and sometimes includes a temperature offset to ensure universal fan speed behavior between the various Ryzen chips. Any of the programs above that list a single temperature account for the offset already.

What’s the best temp for your CPU?

One of our favorite CPU air coolers

Noctua NH-D15 6 heatpipe with Dual NF-A15 140mm fans

The maximum supported temperature varies from processor to processor. Most of the free monitoring software mentioned above lists the information as “Tj. Max.” That stands for the temperature junction, or the highest operating temperature of the hardware. If you don’t see the information for some reason, search the CPU World website for your CPU’s model number to find the information. Every program listed above displays your processor’s model number, so it’s easy to find.

But that’s the maximum temperature—the point at which your processor freaks out and shuts down to avoid damage. Running anywhere near that hot regularly is bad for the long-term life of your hardware. Instead, follow this general rule of thumb regarding CPU temperatures under load.

How to lower your CPU temperatures

If you’re regularly encountering high CPU temperatures, there are some steps you can take to try and fix the issue.

Roll up your sleeves.

Hopefully that fixes the issue. If not, more intensive steps are in order. The thermal paste that transfers heat from your CPU to its cooler might have dried out if you’ve had your PC for a few years. That can cause temperature spikes.

If all that doesn’t help, your cooling solution simply might not be capable of keeping up with your CPU’s heat output, especially if you’re pairing a stock cooler or a modest third-party cooler with higher-end chips—and doubly so if you’re overclocking. Buying a new CPU cooler may be in order.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 ($44 on Amazon) is a solid, affordable air cooler. With its larger heatsink and fan, it’s a solid step up over stock AMD and Intel CPU coolers. Moving up in size and price, the Noctua NH-D15 ($100 on Amazon) is one of the most effective air coolers ever to hit the streets, but its large size might block memory access or not even fit in smaller cases.

How to Check the CPU Temperature in Windows

Keeping your CPU temperature in check is one of the foundations of looking after your computer.

Keeping your CPU temperature in check is one of the foundations of looking after your computer. The CPU is pretty much the brain of your computer, through which millions of calculations are made, tasks are prioritized, and data is turned into information on your screen.

A hot CPU can result in throttling, which can impact the clock speeds of your CPU and therefore slow it down. It can also cause BSOD crashes and cause your CPU to deteriorate quicker, giving it a shorter lifespan than it deserves.

To help you check your CPU temperature in Windows 10 and Windows 11, we’re going to show you the best tools you can use to monitor it.

Content

But First – What’s a “Bad Temperature”?

Unfortunately, it’s not immediately obvious what a good or bad temperature for a processor is. If you see your processor’s idle temperature is 30°C, is that a good or bad idle temperature? What about 40°, 50°, 60°, or 70°C?

If you want to know what your processor’s max temperature is, search the Web for the product page of your specific CPU, then find where it lists the max ideal temperature for your processor.

If the temperature is listed under something similar to “Maximum Operating Temperature” or “T Case,” then that’s the temperature which you should strive to keep your processor under most of the time. If it says “T Junction” (like above), the general advice is to keep things at least 30°C under this stated temperature. (For the above example, we’ll be striving to stay under 70°C.) Either way, if your PC is under this temperature for most (or, ideally, all!) of the time, you’re doing fine.

Gaming is an important variable here. If you’re playing graphically intensive modern games, then not only will your GPU be under load, but your CPU too. Again, CPU temperature limits vary greatly, but under heavy gaming load, it’s not uncommon for temperatures to soar into the 80s. In most cases this is perfectly safe (if a little hot on the palms for laptop users), and you only need to start worrying if you’re creeping up into the 90s.

Now that we know what the temperature limit is, it’s time to explore how to check CPU temperature in Windows 10 and 11. This requires the aid of third-party programs, which will help keep tabs on how hot the processor is getting.

1. Ryzen Master (AMD Ryzen CPUs only)

This may only apply to the lucky ones who own a Ryzen CPU, but if you do then it’s by far the most accurate way to track your CPU temperature. The reason for this is that it uses an AMD proprietary method to read the CPU temperature that other CPU monitoring software doesn’t have access to.

This makes sense, as Ryzen Master is widely used as an overclocking utility, which makes CPU temperature readings all the more critical.

To use it, simply open the app and you’ll see the temperature right there.

2. Throttlestop

We’ve waxed lyrical plenty about the undervolting tool Throttlestop here at Make Tech Easier. (Check out our undervolting guide for proof!) The lightweight tool lets you undervolt your CPU to only cool down temperatures and prevent throttling, which in turn allows your CPU to function more effectively.

It’s worth looking into undervolting if you want to cool down your CPU, but as an added bonus, you can also use Throttlestop as a CPU temperature monitor.

First up, you can see each individual core temperature right there in the main Throttlestop window, but you can also get your CPU temperature to appear in the notification area on your PC.

To do this, click Options at the bottom of Throttlestop, then in the middle, check the “CPU Temp” box.

Now, every time you open Throttlestop, you’ll see a little number in your taskbar notification area showing you your CPU temperature at that moment.

3. HWMonitor

This tool does a whole lot more than just monitor CPU temperatures, but on one single screen, you’ll find all the information you need and much more. In the main HWMonitor pane, you can scroll down to see your CPU listed with all its information.

You’ll see the voltage of each core, the amount of CPU being utilized and – most importantly – the temperature of each core. It displays the current temperature as well as the minimum and maximum temperatures.

There’s not a ton to dig into here because everything is displayed on that one screen. You can switch on a dark mode for those nocturnal monitoring sessions, switch on a status bar, and quickly save a log of your monitoring data with the Ctrl + S shortcut.

4. MSI Afterburner

Designed with gamers in mind, and for those who want to overclock their PCs, MSI Afterburner doubles as an excellent tool to monitor your PC temperatures. Note that MSI Afterburner doesn’t play nice with all CPUs, and is known not to show temperatures for AMD CPUs in particular.

Once you’ve installed and opened Afterburner, you should see a graph on its home screen showing you your GPU temperature, CPU temperature, and various other data.

If you don’t see temperature as an option, then your CPU might not be supported, but there is still hope! Under the the Monitoring tab, click the three-dotted menu icon below:

You’ll now see a list of plugins. You can link MSI Afterburner to another tool that monitors CPU temperatures, or alternatively check the “CPU.dll” option to pull in CPU temperatures.

To reorder the graphs and prioritize CPU temperature so it appears near the top, click “Settings” in Afterburner, then the Monitoring tab. Here you’ll see a menu where you can tick which things you want displayed on the home screen and drag to the top the things you want to appear near the top. Just drag “CPU1 temperature,” “CPU2 temperature,” and all the other CPU temperatures near the top of the graph, and click OK. They’ll appear on the home screen in the order you chose.

When you select the “CPU” temperature, you can also tick the “Show in On-Screen Display” box so that it appears in the corner whenever you enter the shortcut for bringing up the OSD. (You can choose what key you want this to be by going to the “On-Screen Display” tab in Afterburner’s settings.)

5. Open Hardware Monitor

Open Hardware Monitor is a nice solution for getting all your needed statistics in one place. This will be able to tell you what your CPU’s temperatures are as well as your GPU’s temperature, the voltages being used in your computer, and even how fast your system fans are going. This makes it a robust tool that allows you to keep an eye on all your system temperatures.

You can find your CPU’s temperature under the category with your CPU’s name in it. It will list a temperature for each core your processor has.

Many of these temperature monitors allow you to put readings on your taskbar. This is particularly useful if you’re doing system-intensive tasks and want to keep an eye on your temperatures without darting back and forth between the active window and the system monitor. If you’d like to see the CPU temperature in the taskbar, right-click the temperature itself and click “Show in Tray.”

If the reading ends up hiding in the “additional” icons section, you can drag it onto the main active tray. This means it’ll always be visible as long as you can see the taskbar.

6. Core Temp

If you’d like something a little more focused on the processor itself, Core Temp is a good choice when you need to check the CPU temperature in Windows 10 and Windows 11. It gives you everything you may want to know about your processor, such as its name, the cores it uses, and – most importantly – its temperature. It will even inform you of your processor’s T Junction limit, listed as “Tj. Max” above your temperatures.

If you’d like to see the temperature in the system tray, it should be enabled by default. If it’s not, click “Options,” then “Settings.”

Click the “Windows Taskbar” tab, then “Enable Windows 7 Taskbar features,” followed by “Temperature,” then “OK.”

7. Speccy

Another all-in-one suite, Speccy, comes as a nice package of various systems diagnostics, including the ability to check CPU temperature in Windows 10 and 11. As soon as you open Speccy, you’re shown all the relevant temperatures you need to know for a healthy laptop. It’s also great for digging up information on your system, so make sure you remember this application, should you need information about your operating system or motherboard, for instance.

If you click on “CPU” on the left, you can get more focused information on your processor.

If you’d like the temperature to appear in the tray, click “View,” then “Options.”

Click “System tray,” then “Minimize to tray,” followed by “Display metrics in tray,” then select “CPU.”

Now when you minimize Speccy, you can keep tabs on how hot your CPU is running as you do other things.

Help! My Processor Is Too Hot!

If the above methods lead you to discover that you have quite a toasty processor, don’t panic. There are many solutions you can use to bring your processor down to a more reasonable level. We published an article about how to cool down your CPU, so see if the solutions there will help bring your CPU down to a more manageable heat.

Checking the Heat

Being a vital part of your laptop, an overheating processor is a cause for concern. With third-party apps, however, you can easily check CPU temperature in Windows 10 Windows 11, and ensure your processor is working as cool as it should.

Want to do more laptop maintenance? Then read our guide on how to check whether a USB drive is bootable in Windows 10 as well as our guide on installing unsigned drivers in Windows 10.

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7 Best Tools to Check GPU and CPU Temperature on Windows Computer

Monitoring the CPU temperature is probably one of the best things you can do to take care of your Windows computer. And modern CPU temperature monitor tools can help you with this.

But why do you need it in the first place?

The thing is, all PCs emit heat. However, it can take a limited amount of heat, beyond which hardware can get damaged. The PC has many parts, such as a hard disk, motherboard, and more, and gets heated while working. The heat is normal before a threshold, and it can severely damage the CPU if not regulated.

So, when you experience the temperature rising abnormally, you could encounter an abrupt system shutdown. Its performance may slow down that you or employees may feel while working. Worst case scenario – heat can damage the motherboard, necessary chips, or other devices inside the CPU.

To avoid all these and protect your system and its performance, you must monitor your computer CPU using a CPU temperature monitoring tool.

So, let’s understand a bit about this tool, its significance, who needs it, and then the best CPU temperature monitors to consider.

What is a CPU temperature monitoring tool?

CPU temperature monitors are software tools to check the temperature of your CPU, voltage, fan speed, battery, etc., and offer accurate information. Collecting these metrics from sensors can help you take remedies to prevent your CPU from damage.

These tools come with many useful features, such as:

To use these tools, follow this simple practice:

Who Needs a CPU Temperature monitor?

From everyday computer users like busy professionals to gamers, CPU temperature monitors can be a handy tool for everyone. It’s because many factors can raise the CPU temperature, such as:

CPU temperature monitors are useful, especially for:

Gamers: They use high-end video games that require high-performing computers. So, when they play video games, the temperature can increase. Also, gamers replace some parts to make it more powerful and overclock their computer to make online games run more smoothly. These can further raise the CPU temperature.

Graphic designers: Like gamers, graphic designers also require high-performing computers to carry out their designing process without killing time.

Professionals: Professionals who need to access their computer for hours experience heated computers. They may also encounter viruses like file and system infectors and macros; worms from the internet, network, or emails; and Trojans like Rootkit and backdoor. All of these can raise CPU temperature.

What CPU temperature is normal?

There are three categories you can position CPU temperatures into:

But what should you do if the temperature exceeds 80 degrees Celsius?

Benefits of using CPU temperature monitors?

Helps increase computer performance

Due to increased CPU heat, the computer performance affects. You may experience slower speed while working that can kill your productivity. Hence, using a CPU temperature monitor helps you ensure your computer runs at optimal speed.

Prevents the PC from heat damage

Excessive heat can damage your CPU and its parts severely. As a result, it will start malfunctioning and shutting down abruptly. The CPU temperature monitor can detect this temperature and let you take preventive steps in time to avert possible damages.

Increases the longevity of the computer

Suppose you can ensure the CPU is safe from excessive heat, humidity, and other damaging factors by employing the CPU temperature monitor. In that case, you are increasing the lifespan of your computer system.

Ensure the uptime and reliability of the data center

To get optimal uptime and reliability in a data center, favorable environmental conditions for the computer are necessary. It includes recommended levels of temperature, power, humidity, etc. Hence, you must monitor your server rooms using both internal and external sensors.

So, let’s look at some of the best CPU temperature monitors to help you regulate your computer CPU’s heat to ensure its peak performance, longevity, and reliability.

Core Temp

If you are concerned about your computer’s CPU temperature, try Core Temp’s latest version, to check the temperature. It is a compact, robust, small footprint, and no fuss program to monitor CPU temperature and other information.

It displays the temperature of every individual core of the processor in the system. You will see fluctuations in temperature with the varying workloads in real-time. It is motherboard agnostic, and every central processor has a Digital Thermal Sensor inside all its products.

The DTS gives higher and more accurate resolution temp readings as compared to conventional thermal sensors. You will find DTS in recent x86 processors by AMD, VIA, and Intel. Core Temp is simple and easy to use, allowing you to perform high-level expandability and customization.

Core Temp has a platform for add-ons and plugins that extend the functionality by adding new features. If you wish to check the temperature of the CPU from outside, it is possible in both Windows or Android phone devices. The latest version has graph view, memory utilization, and listing processor load/temperature.

Download CoreTempMC and Core Temp Gadget to improve color, size, and information text. You can see support for AMD Zen 2 and Zen 3 APU, Intel Rocket Lake, Preliminary Alder Lake, Meteor Lake in the new version.

Download the tool and see a lot of vital information on the go. It supports Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2016 server, 2012 server, 2008 server, and 2003 server. Processors it supports are Intel, AMD, and VIA x86.

NZXT CAM

NZXT CAM is best for monitoring your gaming PC CPU temperature. It can manage temperature, devices, and performance from a single app. It is an efficient, easy-to-use, and fast application that gives you access to control everything on the computer.

NZXT CAM allows you to see what is going on inside your computer, from the processor’s load to bandwidth consumption. You can also see the work of applications on every machine and quickly track the issues to enhance the performance of your computer.

When you are in a game, track temperatures, bandwidth, FPS, and more with super stable and low impact in-game overlay. NZXT CAM supports time played, current FPS, GPU/CPU temperature, battery level, GPU/CPU load, and many more.

It offers a beautiful and intuitive interface from which you can control fan speeds, PSU voltages, case lights, and more. Download the next-gen CAM software and start checking the CPU temperature.

Speccy

Need to find why your computer is so hot?

Speccy has the information you want to know. It is a lightweight, advanced system, and fast information tool for the computer. Speccy is a place where you can get a quick summary of the result, or you can dive deeper into your PC’s hardware to make purchasing and upgrading decisions.

In a single interface, you will find every detail so that you can save your time to get stats like motherboard, CPU, graphics cards, RAM, and more. Become a pro in solving problems before they happen by seeing the temperatures of the critical components.

It gives you access to save your results as an XML, text file, or snapshot to share them easily. Check the specs of your computer and see whether it needs diagnosis for any issues. The tool helps you boost the performance of PCs without upgrading their hardware. Download the free version to get advanced PC insights or buy the tool to get more features.

Open Hardware Monitor

Open Hardware Monitor is open-source software that monitors fan speeds, load, clock speeds, voltages, and temperature sensors of a computer. It supports many hardware monitoring chips that are found on mainboards.

The tool reads the core temperatures sensors of AMD and Intel processors to check the CPU temperature. It also displays sensors of Nvidia and ATI video cards along with SMART, hard drive temperature.

You can see the values on the main window in the system tray and on a customizable desktop gadget. Open Hardware Monitor runs on 64-bit and 32-bit Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and x86 based Linux OS without installation.

In addition, it comes up with new features and bug fixes. It can now detect ITE IT8655E, IT8686E, and IT8665E super I/O chips and improves its AMD GPU support, AMD GPU, and CPU labels. It also enhances the Nuvoton NCT679XD super I/O RPM calculation for fans.

HWMonitor

Do you need to monitor the temperatures, fans speed, and voltages of your computer?

Try HWMonitor – a hardware monitoring program and allow it to read PC systems health sensors. It handles standard sensor chips like Winbond ICs, ITE IT87 series, and others. It can read video card GPU temperature, CPUs on the die core thermal sensors, and hard drive temperature through SMART.

HWMonitor supports Intel Alder Lake, DDR5 memory, and the Z6xx platform and uses the latest version 1.44 for Windows with AMD Ryzen 5300G, 5300G, and 5600G APUs. It also supports AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT and 6900 XT GPUs.

HWiNFO

HWiNFO is a diagnostic and professional system information software system for operations like hardware analysis, reporting, and monitoring for DOS and Windows.

Always get in-depth information on the hardware with the latest standards and technologies. Also, monitor the system components accurately for failure prediction and actual status and customize the interface using various options.

Access extensive reporting through multiple reports, interfacing with different add-ons and tools, and status logging. It supports the AMD and Intel family of processors, graphics cards, and chipsets. In addition, it helps find overload, performance loss, and overheating.

The tool also monitors various hardware and system parameters covering GPUs, CPUs, peripherals, drives, motherboards, etc. You can export the result into CSV, HTML, and XML reports. Moreover, it will also show various shapes like tables, OSD, tray icons, etc., to display the result. Download the software and start analyzing what is happening inside your PC.

AIDA64

Are you searching for an industry-leading diagnostic, benchmarking, and system information solution for engineers and corporate IT technicians?

Go for AIDA64. It has a hardware detection engine that provides in-detail information about the software and offers diagnostic support and functions for overclocking. It also monitors the sensors to gather accurate temperature, fan speed, and voltage readings, while the diagnostic function helps detect and prevent hardware issues.

The tool offers the benchmarks of measuring each hardware performance and the whole system. Also, AIDA64 Engineer is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows editions, including Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10.

You will get more than fifty pages of information on the hardware configuration, installed programs, security applications, Windows settings, and software licenses. It performs system stability tests by using a multi-threaded stress module. It also includes a hard disk, OpenCL GPGPU, and SSD video adapter stress testing and gives accurate results all the time.

SensorPanel helps build the custom panel that perfectly suits the design to monitor all the sensors, utilization, cooling system, and many more. The latest release supports VFD and LCD screens and monitors sensor values remotely on tablets and laptops.

AIDA64 displays the measured values on the OSD panel, Desktop gadget, Razer SwitchBlade LCD, Logitech G15/G19 Gaming Keyboard LCD, and System Tray icons. For this, you require Intel Pentium or later processors, 80 MB free space, and Windows operating system.

Bonus tips to keep CPU healthy

Conclusion

Excessive temperature can do severe harm to your computer. It may be due to dust, viruses, using high-end video games, or other intensive tasks. Whatever be the case, take care of your computer and prevent its CPU from getting heated with the help of the best CPU temperature monitoring tool and improve its performance, lifespan, and reliability.

How can I check the temperature of my CPU in Windows?

Does Windows provide a means to check my CPU temperature natively?

If not, are there any software tools which can reveal this information?

10 Answers 10

Actually this information is given to OS by the BIOS, but you will need an application to expose the information. You can find a lot of applications to do this:

There is no built-in Windows utility to do this, so you need to use another tool.

My personal favorite is SpeedFan. SpeedFan can monitor CPU temperatures, GPU temperatures, S.M.A.R.T. data, hard disk drive temperatures, and more; and if you want to you can also adjust fan speeds with it too.

You might want to take a look at HWMonitor, which shows a wide variety of system sensors.

For a more «advanced» tool (showing much more information), you may want to use HWiNFO.

*** First note that I have only used NVIDIA System Monitor and have no user-knowledge of other tool software for this purpose.

If your PC has an Nvidia graphics card, or installed monitor software, their System Monitor tool is available at nvidia.com. IT IS AMAZING.

Add the program to your desktop and you can open the program and instantly know CPU, GPU, and hard disk drive temperatures, as well as memory % in-use, vital multi-core CPU % in-use for each, net data transfer speed and identifies CPU clocking speeds and more.

It also shows fan speeds and allows you to change their settings from auto to manual control easily (I use this feature as a temperature spike preventive on hot Summer days).

I physically clean the inside of my pc more often since I used this program to record a 30° CPU average temperature drop after a good cleaning.

I’m really surprised that MSI Afterburner has not been mentioned. Downloads from the offical MSI website and is the most trustworthy I can see in the list above. It’s a really great tool and does lots of monitoring, not only GPU but CPU and other temperatures as well. Nice system tray icons.

No, there is no native Windows 7 method to monitor temperature; a third-party utility is required. Coverage of all temperature sensors (CPU, graphics, motherboard, and hard disk drive) woule be ideal.

Windows does not provide the necessary tools for monitoring your CPU temperature.

For third-party applications I recommend Core Temp. It displays the current, minimum and maximum temperature for every core. It also includes an «always on top» mode or it can display the current temperature from your system tray.

It shows the CPU as well as hard disk drive temperature with a simple UI. It has some really awesome features if you are using it on a laptop. To clear some myths about batteries, please read this article.

I have also installed SpeedFan, but rarely do I use it. It is pretty complicated to use plus risky if you don’t know what you are doing.

System Information Viewer can check the temperature of each CPU core along with the temperature of other devices that report their values such as memory controller hub, HDD, SSD, GPU, UPS, etc. SIV is designed for Windows 10, 8.1, 8.0, 7, Vista, XP, 2016, 2012, 2008, 2003, 2000 and NT4. Windows 95, 98 and Me are also supported. Most processors that can run Windows are also supported including AMD, Intel, Itanium, DEC Alpha, VIA. Enormous menu has search function to locate which system information value you want to inspect. Rated 4.2/5 on Softpedia.

MooO System Monitor lets you choose by checkbox what to display allowing you to create a desktop widget that can sit off to the side. Was a Softpedia Editor’s Choice when it was reviewed long ago, it’s on its 64th update (2019/6/15) now. Most recent review (on Chip.de, in German) rates it 4.2/5 last year. Runs on Windows XP/Vista/7/8.1/10 in 45 languages. Skinable and supports up to 8K monitors.

Speccy (by Piriform/CCleaner) Something simpler from somewhere you’ve heard of, provides basic information in an easy to use traditional styled GUI. Online help file and Menu Find feature to locate the menu you need. There are free and paid versions (and no ADs, just that free version has no support). This is the same company that created Defraggler, arguably the best disk defragmenter (by far).

SIW, along with a temperature display, offers a number of other functions such as displaying passwords hidden behind asterisks, NAC changer, Network Tools, Monitor tester, Browser cookie and history explorer, along access to Windows tools and settings. Available in free (Community Supported) and paid versions. Has a GitHub for viewer utilities.

🌡️ 13 Best CPU Temperature Monitor Software To Download For PC

The PC temperature monitoring software has become an essential tool especially when your computer performance gets slower and you need to diagnose the core problem. Plus if you love to play modern games or are in a habit of overclocking your PC then you need to take a closer look at your overheated CPU, increased fan speed, or voltage fluctuation.

While you run resource-intensive tasks overheating can cause serious hardware problems. Besides your CPU should run between a normal temperature range. But to know what is the normal temp limit you need the best CPU temperature monitor software for Windows 10 PC that shows you the live temperature of your CPU.

Table of Contents

Quick Summary on the Best CPU Temp Monitoring Software

What are the Best CPU Temperature Monitor Software For Windows 10 PC?

In this article, we have listed the all-time best CPU temp monitors. The programs mentioned here are Free to download. These temp monitors are free from malware display accurate temp readings.

You will also feel that each PC monitoring software has its bells and whistles. So, it will be up to you to decide which CPU temp monitoring software for Windows you like the most.

1. Core Temp

Starting with the list of best CPU temp monitoring software we have placed AlCPU Core Temp in the first place. Why because it’s a lightweight, compact, yet powerful tool that will help you monitor your PC’s CPU temp. This tool is designed to perform only one task and that is to display individual CPU core temp, voltage, model, frequency, and TJ.Max ratio.

This tool displays the most accurate temp readings without any fuss. Just download and install Core Temp’s latest version on Windows 10 and open it ( During installation makes sure that you uncheck all unwanted bloatware ). It will add up in the system tray to keep you on top of your temp readings. This temp monitor support all x86 based processors of Intel and AMD.

To show you quick and accurate readings Core Temp utilizes Digital Thermal Sensors (DTS) that all x86 CPUs placed on them. You can also download Core Temp on Windows 11, 10, 7, 8, Vista, and XP.

To prevent computers from overheating this tool has an overheating protection feature. When your CPU gets too hot it automatically put your PC to sleep. Besides the basic Core Temp program, users can download add-ons to increase its functionality. For Example, you can Download the Core Temp Monitor app that allows users to monitor devices on Windows and Android phones

2. HWMonitor

HWMonitor is the most popular CPU temperature monitoring tool cum system hardware monitor. Not only you can monitor what your current CPU temp is, but you can also get a complete picture of your PC’s internal hardware. At a glance, you can see core voltage, operating frequency, load, GPU temp, fan speed, storage devices, and many more.

If you are confused on what readings are useful and which to ignore then read our post on how to read HWMonitor. If you are new to this software then that post will help you understand HWMonitor.

We are a big fan of this computer temperature monitor because once you download HWMonitor you won’t need to ask that old rusty question that how to check CPU temperature on Windows PC.

3. SpeedFan

SpeedFan may be older than Windows XP still it’s the best CPU temperature monitor software in 2021. Not only does it gives you accurate temp readings but it also lets you control PC fan speed. You can easily increase the CPU fan speed of your desktop PC or laptop so that it remains within the ideal RPM range. The whole purpose is to prevent overheating and enhance PC performance.

SpeedFan is a free and reliable utility for Windows PC but it lacks support for Mac OS. Mac users can use a Mac fan controller to manually change the fan speed.

You can set up a warning in case the CPU temperature gets high. This way it will send you an email or pop-up notification to let you know that the computer temperature is getting high.

Download ALmico SpeedFan’s latest version, it is one of the best fan speed control software for windows. With this PC temp monitor, you can easily set up RPM to 100% under extreme circumstances.

To show accurate readings SpeedFan uses digital temperature sensors (DTS) placed on processors and provides reliable temperature readings. This free tool also supports Windows 7, 8, Vista, and XP.

4. MSI Afterburner

If you are a gamer and you want to push your gaming experience to the next level then MSI Afterburner is the best CPU temp monitor. It’s a PC overclocking tool with a built-in ability to monitor CPU, GPU, and fan speed.

If you know what you are doing then you can push your system’s graphical performance beyond its limit. MSI afterburner can help you to keep in touch with your system’s overall performance. Its new beta version is highly compatible with the windows 10 64-bit version.

MSI Afterburner also lets you monitor FPS while playing games. If you are new to this tool then you can enable the FPS counter in MSI Afterburner and constantly monitor the frame per second while playing your favorite games. Although Microsoft has introduced a built-in FPS counter in Windows 10 it’s not catchy as compared to this tool.

5. HWiNFO64

If you need a robust temp monitor that gives you tons of information instantly then HWiNFO64 is the best choice. It’s a complete system hardware monitor that not only displays CPU temp but also shows you GPU temp, drivers, mainboards, frequency, voltage, CPU and GPU model, Fan speed, and many more.

Those users who want to know what specs their PC has should download HWiNFO64. Most big organizations use this tool to diagnose and fix PC problems. Just like Core Temp this tool also has overheating alter feature.

To enhance usability users can also download add on and plug-ins to add a customizable sidebar that displays CPU performance with bars and graphs

Users can download this tool in two versions i.e. HWiNFO32 for Windows 32-bit and HWiNFO64 for 64-bit Windows OS.

Users can copy or save data in CSV, XML, HTML, XHTML format. It’s a malware-free tool that uses fewer resources. Advanced users can also run benchmarking tests.

6. NZXT CAM

Another best CPU temp monitoring software that gives you the complete package. It can monitor CPU temp, GPU temp, RAM usage, voltage, frequency, fan speed. You can also run a stress test using its benchmarking features and overclock PC.

However, as a starter, NZXT CAM is the reliable temp monitor for Windows 10 and its preceding version. It was developed to efficiently run NXZT products but now millions of users use this tool because of its overwhelming and easy-to-read interface.

NZXT CAM’s latest version supports all kinds of intel and AMD CPU and GPU hence it shows accurate readings without eating up your RAM or Disk usage.

Just like MSI Afterburner, CAM also has an in-game FPS counter that gives you real-time readings on your FPS while running the game. This tool also has overheating alert feature that gives you an instant notification in case your CPU temp is rising unexpectedly.

7. Corsair Link 4

Corsair Link 4 software allows you to check your PC’s CPU temperature while giving complete control over your case fans, lighting, compatible Corsair power supplies, and Hydro Series liquid CPU coolers that work together for optimal cooling and performance.

Corsair Link 4 gives you an instant summary of how your system is performing, and you can monitor the temperature of your components. You can also allow this tool to automatically adjust cooling to meet your demands without even opening your case.

There are five main panels in Corsair Link: System, Groups, Graph, Power (AXi or HXi only), and Options. You can choose a variety of modes available that easily configure a custom fan curve for you.