How can I reduce CPU temp while playing?

[DanJaker]

Hey guys,

Ive noticed while playing KSP my cpu temp rises quite a bit, which surprised me because its not a terribly graphically demanding game. I noticed it goes up to 80c at times. Now, I am playing on an Asus (laptop) i7 4710hq 8 GB Ram with a GTXm850 4GB - The laptop is only 1 month old, just bought it. I do use a cooling pad too. I do live near the Amazon in a tropical region where temps are a constant 30c throughout the year. But I do run what seems like more demanding games at a lower temp.

Edited June 30, 2015 by DanJaker

[Lord Aurelius]

KSP is actually a lot more demanding than you would think given the graphics. The amount of physics processing is much higher than most other games, resulting in a fairly high CPU load in addition to the graphics, and the game in general is not all that well optimized.

As far as reducing CPU temps, there's not too many options when you're using a laptop since you already have a cooler (make sure the cooler is actually feeding air into the intake vents on the laptop and not blocking them). Unless you can do something like play in an air conditioned room with lower ambient temperature (which if you're in a tropical location I would highly recommend since high temps + high humidity = low computer life expectancy), you're going to have to reduce performance to bring the temps down. Most gaming laptops have a shared cooling system for CPU and GPU, so you'll need to consider both when trying to get the temps down.

In the game settings, turn down the graphics settings as low as you can tolerate, the GPU usually generates more heat than the CPU so any load you can take off of it will help. Also, increase the physics delta (more time between physics frames) to reduce the physics load.

If the temps are still too high, assuming you're playing on windows, change the windows power settings to power saver mode and in the nvidia control panel change the card to power saver mode, this will throttle the hardware so it will use less power, and in turn generate less heat.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Lord Aurelius

[Lelitu]

CPU temperatures have nothing to do with how graphically demanding a game is, that's what graphics cards are there for.

Because of all the physics modelling going on in KSP, it's one of the most severely CPU demanding games available.

Unfortunately, there really isn't much of a solution except getting a better CPU cooler.

[DanJaker]

KSP is actually a lot more demanding than you would think given the graphics. The amount of physics processing is much higher than most other games, resulting in a fairly high CPU load in addition to the graphics, and the game in general is not all that well optimized.

As far as reducing CPU temps, there's not too many options when you're using a laptop since you already have a cooler (make sure the cooler is actually feeding air into the intake vents on the laptop and not blocking them). Unless you can do something like play in an air conditioned room with lower ambient temperature (which if you're in a tropical location I would highly recommend since high temps + high humidity = low computer life expectancy), you're going to have to reduce performance to bring the temps down. Most gaming laptops have a shared cooling system for CPU and GPU, so you'll need to consider both when trying to get the temps down.

In the game settings, turn down the graphics settings as low as you can tolerate, the GPU usually generates more heat than the CPU so any load you can take off of it will help. Also, increase the physics delta (more time between physics frames) to reduce the physics load.

If the temps are still too high, assuming you're playing on windows, change the windows power settings to power saver mode and in the nvidia control panel change the card to power saver mode, this will throttle the hardware so it will use less power, and in turn generate less heat.

Ok thanks, im going to try these later today, I really love the game and want to play, but dont want to fry my new pc.. so, im going to try everything I can.. (unfortunately we do not have AC, wouldnt want it anyway, but I do keep an external fan pointed at it when im playing)

[Requia]

Make sure the laptop is on a flat smooth surface so that the airflow at the bottom of the laptop is unobstructed, no cloth/carpet and for the love of god not actually your lap. If you like doing that get a tray to put it on top of. Also if any of the feet of the laptop are missing/damaged replace those.

Option 2: which will probably void your warranty (I don't know ASUS's general system policies, when I was with Dell it would have only voided the CPU warranty, most companies were far less forgiving about modifications, on the other hand if any company is gonna say 'go nuts' it'll be ASUS): Replace the thermal paste with something better (Arctic Silver is my goto).

[A-Stax32]

Try raising the laptop up using a couple pieces of wood.

Here is a picture of my setup:

The cloth under he wood is just there so that other people in the house don't complain about the table being scratched.

Come to think of it, you might even try directing a fan under the laptop if it is raised like that.

Another thing you could try is an application called speedfan. It monitors temperatures and can alter fan speeds to provide better cooling for you laptop.

Edited June 30, 2015 by A-Stax32
resize image

[DanJaker]

Try raising the laptop up using a couple pieces of wood.

Here is a picture of my setup:

http://i.imgur.com/AyT5RsI.jpg

The cloth under he wood is just there so that other people in the house don't complain about the table being scratched.

Come to think of it, you might even try directing a fan under the laptop if it is raised like that.

Another thing you could try is an application called speedfan. It monitors temperatures and can alter fan speeds to provide better cooling for you laptop.

Ok, yea like I said I do use a cooling pad, it is already elevated at all times.

[kiwi1960]

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but anyhow, here goes. I have a desktop, It has the standard CPU fan, and of course the PSU fan.

Here is where it gets interesting... I put one in the back, one in the front and four on the side. My CPU used to get as hot as yours but now, the temperature is OK... the hard drives (according to HDD sentinel) are running at 26c 28c and 24c... they used to get into the 40's ... my problem wasn't so much the game as the HDD's... they would cause the entire system to get hot, the game made it go slightly hotter still.

On your computer, Make sure the fan vent isn't blocked with fluff... and never put it down on the bed covers... I keep explaining to my wife not to do that and then she wonders why the laptop switches off without warning. The best idea so far is to raise the laptop and point a fan under it and blow air into it.

[Goddess Bhavani]

I have a laptop of similar specs and live in equatorial hell where temperatures are like, 34 deg C and it feels like walking through a convection oven outside in the day (lol)

My gaming temps can exceed 90 degrees C and that's fine to me. The computer won't meltdown or anything so long as its vents are not blocked and fans are running. The max temperature for 4th Gen mobile i7s are something like 105 deg C and it will throttle itself down to avoid destruction.

I also had a decommissioned former office laptop, a T4400 dual core with discreet nVidia GPU running KSP at around the same temps.

If you're really worried about the heat just go to Advanced Power Settings and dial down the max. processor usage to about 80-90%. This will limit how far the Turbo Boost goes and cap the heat production, while reducing CPU throttling (this may give you more stable framerates, since, the Turbo Boost isn't smart enough to stop overclocking to the max until it reaches throttling temp).

A laptop cooler doesn't do anything in my opinion - at least, not in this kind of climate. It doesn't move air fast enough to compete with my collection of super powered desk and/or industrial fans. A strategically positioned desk fan and elevating the laptop off the desk is a marginal solution, escaping to an air conditioned room is best and highly recommended

Yes yes people will always tell me I am abusing my hardware but who cares, 30 years of equatorial hell living experience here, and never blown up a PC or laptop from gaming, ever.

Edited June 30, 2015 by pandoras kitten

[J.Random]

Replace the thermal paste with something better (Arctic Silver is my goto).

If you try LM-based solutions (e.g., something from Coollaboratory), you will never want to return to thermal paste. Depending on cooler (radiator/fan), environment and CPU load, you may easily shed some 5-10 degrees in idle and up to 20 degrees under heavy load. The only caveat is that it's a bit harder to apply, especially when you're doing it for the first time.

[Requia]

If you try LM-based solutions (e.g., something from Coollaboratory), you will never want to return to thermal paste. Depending on cooler (radiator/fan), environment and CPU load, you may easily shed some 5-10 degrees in idle and up to 20 degrees under heavy load. The only caveat is that it's a bit harder to apply, especially when you're doing it for the first time.

Harder how, they still on capacitive materials that you can't afford to spill, or different consistency?

(also I assume you mean Centigrade?)

[Laie]

Ahem... there's a mod for that. Maybe.

If your situation is worst when in SPH/VAB, you may want to try the FPS Limiter from Kerbokatz Small Utilities. That's actually a KSP mod, not a generic "tune your PC" kind of thing.

Apparently KSP goes rampant in vehicle assembly. I don't know if that mod really only clamps down on FPS, but I do know that my fans no longer spin up when I load a nontrivial vessel.

[J.Random]

Harder how, they still on capacitive materials that you can't afford to spill, or different consistency?

(also I assume you mean Centigrade?)

I guess you mean "conductive". Yes (it's metal, after all). What I mean by "harder"? Surface tension. It tries to stay in a ball, and it may take some effort to make it grip to the surface at first. You have to be gentle with it. Another caveat is that it reacts with aluminum, so you have to use a copper heatsink (but I don't think that's a big problem, you probably don't even look at full-aluminum coolers if you want performance anyway).

I mean Celsius degrees. Keep in mind, I don't guarantee you'll get that much from the LM, and if you look at reviews, they may call it exaggeration, but I'm speaking from my own experience: while my CPU stood at some 40C idle and up to 75C under load (at roughly 22-24C room temperature) with a thermal paste, with LM it was at 32-33C idle and never got higher than 55, maybe 60C under load.

[jkool702]

I have a very similar ASUS laptop, but a couple generations older (i7-3610QM, gtx660m) and I have found the CPU runs at about 80 C and the GPU runs at about 85 C when under load. Ive come to accept these is just normal operating temps

[oriramikad]

I have a very similar ASUS laptop, but a couple generations older (i7-3610QM, gtx660m) and I have found the CPU runs at about 80 C and the GPU runs at about 85 C when under load. Ive come to accept these is just normal operating temps

"Normal operating temps" must vary by laptop/manufacturer, then, because I have a Sager NP8651 (i7 4720HQ, GTX 970M, 8 GB RAM) that runs at 52-56C with KSP on highest settings. IMO, anything above 70C is worrisome.

[Requia]

I guess you mean "conductive". Yes (it's metal, after all). What I mean by "harder"? Surface tension. It tries to stay in a ball, and it may take some effort to make it grip to the surface at first. You have to be gentle with it. Another caveat is that it reacts with aluminum, so you have to use a copper heatsink (but I don't think that's a big problem, you probably don't even look at full-aluminum coolers if you want performance anyway).

I mean Celsius degrees. Keep in mind, I don't guarantee you'll get that much from the LM, and if you look at reviews, they may call it exaggeration, but I'm speaking from my own experience: while my CPU stood at some 40C idle and up to 75C under load (at roughly 22-24C room temperature) with a thermal paste, with LM it was at 32-33C idle and never got higher than 55, maybe 60C under load.

No, capacitive. Used to be really common with pastes ~10 years ago, end result is about the same if you don't clean up your mess though.

[CrasHReBooT]

If you were playing on a desktop pc, I would say that given the high environmental temperature of 30+, to install a liquid cooling kit. Since it is a laptop, if you have access to an air conditioned room, try playing in it with the temp set to 20C, it should help. If you don't have access to AC, have a fan blowing on your laptop and ensure air flows by the laptop vent grills, not against it for you don't want to neutralize the fans effects; at best this method will get rid of the excess heat faster, but you will still be operating at the high environmental temp.

[Windspren]

Run liquid hydrogen over it, using the same setup as the LV-N, and use it to power a NTR under your house to get to SPAAAAACE!!!!