Cooling & Thermal Cheatsheet
Cooling & Thermal Cheatsheet
Thermal paste, cooler types, and airflow rules at a glance.
Temperature Targets
| CPU idle | 30߀“50 ?°C ߀” higher may indicate poor paste or cooler contact |
| CPU under load | Below 90 ?°C for most CPUs; above 95 ?°C triggers throttling |
| GPU idle | 35߀“55 ?°C |
| GPU under load | Below 85 ?°C; above 90 ?°C check airflow and fan curves |
| NVMe SSD | 40߀“70 ?°C normal; above 75 ?°C add heatsink or improve airflow |
Thermal Paste
| Pea-sized dot method | Centre of CPU IHS; pressure spreads it on mounting ߀” use for most CPUs |
| Do NOT over-apply | Excess paste insulates rather than conducts; keep it small |
| Clean with IPA 90%+ | Remove old paste from both CPU and cooler base before reapplying |
| Reapply every 3߀“5 years | Paste dries out over time ߀” degraded paste = higher temps |
Cooler Types
| Stock cooler | Included with CPU; adequate for stock clocks; noisy under load |
| Air cooler (tower) | Best value; large twin-tower coolers match AIO performance |
| AIO 240 mm | 2G— 120 mm fans; good for up to ~200 W TDP CPUs |
| AIO 360 mm | 3G— 120 mm fans; handles high TDP (200߀“300 W) CPUs |
| Custom water loop | Maximum performance; complex; pump, reservoir, radiator, blocks |
Case Airflow
| Intake: front / bottom | Cool air enters ߀” fit dust filters here |
| Exhaust: rear / top | Hot air exits ߀” no dust filters needed |
| Positive pressure | More intake CFM than exhaust ߀” less dust ingress |
| Clean filters | Every 3߀“6 months; clogged filters severely restrict airflow |