High CPU temperature with low CPU utilisation

[Provoker [One Grumpy Russian]]

Hi all and apologies if this was discussed elsewhere, but I have a weird problem with the Last Of Us.

My CPU temp is hovering around 78-85 degrees in this game, while CPU utilisation is on only around 10% (with GPU being at 100% and around 80 degrees).

There is only one other game where I have similar issues and that is Hunt Showdown but I was able to pin it down to easy anti cheat heating up the cpu every now and then.

I did check my cooling and did undervolt the CPU, updated BIOS and drivers etc, liquid cooling seams to be working fine and I recently cleaned it all and re-applied thermal paste etc, but the issues is till there. I am not sure what else to try aside from uninstalling the game...

I do play in 4k on high settings as set by NVIDIA GeForce Experience app

My specs:
CPU - i7-12700KF
GPU - ASUS TUF RTX 3080 12gb
32 GB RAM
MSI tomahawk motherboard
Thermaltake 850 PSU
Liquid cooling - thermaltake TH240

[Steve (Dawn's Hubby)]

This comes up from time to time in the forums and and the general consensus is that games don't really cause heating issues, but they do expose cooling issues. Even if a game runs your CPU and GPU at 100 percent, you shouldn't be overheating.

Of note is that your CPU TJUNCTION is 100°C, so I don't really know if you need to worry too much about the heat unless it increases. Your fans should respond if the temp goes higher.

This game runs my CPU and GPU (both of them) at over 95 percent consistently at my current settings and I don't have any over-heating issues. My CPU is even unlocked, which should cause it to heat even more. I don't have any liquid cooling.

Your CPU (some just run hotter than others), your case, your CPU fan and heat-sink (size etc), how much airflow your case fans are moving (based on the number of fans, size and speed) and how freely air can move through your system (nothing is blocking or slowing the intake/exit like when placing the tower on a shelf close to a wall etc) are all factors you didn't mention you took into consideration.

Like you, I am a 4K gamer (with this game at max in-game settings and DLSS), however, I don't use the NVIDIA Experience default settings, because I get much better results from the NVIDIA Control panel by customizing the settings around my hardware configuration and sometimes for the specific game itself. I have an unlocked I9-9900K running at 4.85 GHz and I have a 4080 GPU.

I will say it's strange if you are indeed getting heating issues with only ten percent CPU usage. I don't know why that would happen, other than what I mentioned and/or perhaps making a mistake with the cooling systems. Try this:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005791/processors/intel-core-processors.html

TLDR: Based upon what you have told us (assuming no user error) it seems the temp is really okay. It's likely you need a better heat-sink/fan combo and/or a more efficient case/case fans better suited to handle the amount of heat being generated by your GPU and CPU if you want to drop your temps even further. Make sure your airflow is not slowed or blocked by where you place your case.

[Steve (Dawn's Hubby)]

You may find the information here of use as well:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005597/processors.html

[animal_PLANET]

Originally posted by Provoker One Grumpy Russian:

My CPU temp is hovering around 78-85 degrees in this game, while CPU utilisation is on only around 10% (with GPU being at 100% and around 80 degrees).

What are you using to display that info? Is that an average usage of all cores? Do you look at core usage for each and the power for each?

That utilization may only be showing for your E cores which really arent used during gaming. So your P cores will actually have usage and that will be making the CPU run hot.

Check on that.

[Provoker [One Grumpy Russian]]

Originally posted by Steve (Dawn's Hubby):

You may find the information here of use as well:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005597/processors.html

Thank you for the advice and links. It does look like I'm not 'technically' overheating, based on my system, but it does look like that I may have some P core E core process issues due to Windows needed a clean install ((((

[Provoker [One Grumpy Russian]]

Originally posted by animal_PLANET:

Originally posted by Provoker One Grumpy Russian:

My CPU temp is hovering around 78-85 degrees in this game, while CPU utilisation is on only around 10% (with GPU being at 100% and around 80 degrees).

What are you using to display that info? Is that an average usage of all cores? Do you look at core usage for each and the power for each?

That utilization may only be showing for your E cores which really arent used during gaming. So your P cores will actually have usage and that will be making the CPU run hot.

Check on that.

thank you it may be part of the issue