How to check your computer’s CPU temperature

Your computer has health needs too. While the working health of your PC is hinged on many important things, only a few can be as important as the temperature of major components like your central processor. Those are important stats for you to keep track of. From the reporting tools on your motherboard, to third-party apps, as well as software and hardware solutions — there are a number of quick and easy ways to be in the know when it comes to your CPU temperature.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through some tips on how to keep things cool when your CPU is running hotter than it should. Or you can simply get one of this year’s best CPU coolers. PCGuide has made a detailed list of these coolers so you might want to check that out, too.

Windows PC Apps

For a quick and easy access to your CPU’s temperature, there are a number of first and third-party apps that you can use for that purpose — and also to find out a lot more information. However, if all you’re interested in is monitoring the heat your CPU is generating, then the options listed below should do you fine.

Intel Extreme Tuning Utility

If your computer runs on an Intel Core processor, then, the best way to check your processor’s temperature is via Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU). While it is primarily an overclocking tool, it comes with a number of monitoring functions built in.

To find out how hot your CPU is with this program;

1. Download it from Intel’s download center and install it like any regular application.
2. Open the program and you’ll be presented with some information. Key information about your CPU will be in the lower panel of the main screen. The important thing for this guide is the “package temperature” and associated graph. These represent your CPU temperature.
3. The CPU Utilization percentage represents how hard your CPU is working. The higher the value represents a heavier the workload of your processor.

AMD Ryzen Master

If your device runs on any of AMD’s Ryzen processors, you can use the AMD Ryzen Master tool.

1. Download and install the program.
2. On the left-hand side, you should be able to view the CPU temperature monitor. It also has a graph, just like the Intel XTU — that plots your CPU’s temperature over time, going as far as to break it down by the core; so you can see individual heat signatures of each core.
3. The AMD Ryzen Master tool is able to give you average and peak readings; enabling you to monitor how hot your processor gets over a long period.

Hardware Monitors

If what you require cannot be met by any of the options given above, you can always go in for a hardware monitor. These typically come as part of fan controllers that use your onboard temperature sensors. Many, however, come with their own wired thermometers to provide you with additional information about how hot your CPU is getting.