Overheating is one of the most common PC problems, and it rarely means your hardware is broken. More often it is a sign that cooling has degraded over time.
1. Confirm it is actually overheating
Use our CPU Benchmark to push your processor for a few minutes. Then check the temperature. On Windows, open Task Manager or use HWiNFO to read your CPU package temperature. If it hits 95°C or higher and then slows down noticeably, thermal throttling is active.
Normal idle temperature should be 30-50°C depending on your cooler. Under load, most laptops sit between 75-90°C before throttling.
2. Check your fan
Open our Fan Noise Meter while your system is under load. If you hear nothing or only a faint whir when you know the CPU is working hard, your fan may be stuck or dead. Listen for grinding or clicking sounds as well — bearings wear out.
On many laptops you can visually check the fan through the bottom vents. If it is not spinning when the system is hot, it needs replacement.
3. Clean out dust
Dust is the number one cause of overheating in systems over a year old. Turn your PC off, open the case or bottom panel, and check the heatsink fins and fan blades. If you see clumps of dust, use compressed air to clear them. Pay special attention to the exhaust vents.
A layer of dust on a heatsink acts like insulation — it traps heat instead of letting the air carry it away.
4. Check your thermal paste
Thermal paste between the CPU die and the heatsink dries out over two to four years. When it hardens, heat transfers much less efficiently. If your PC is a few years old, has been running hot, and the fan is clean and spinning, dried paste is the likely culprit.
Replacing thermal paste requires removing the cooler, cleaning both surfaces with isopropyl alcohol, and applying a fresh pea-sized dot. It is straightforward on a desktop but more involved on many laptops.
5. Improve airflow
Make sure your PC is on a hard, flat surface. A laptop on a bed or carpet blocks its bottom intake vents. Desktop cases need positive air pressure — more intake fans than exhaust — and cable management that does not block the front intake path.
Even a simple stand that lifts a laptop an inch off the desk can drop temperatures by 5-10°C.
6. Repaste and test again
After cleaning and repasting, re-run the CPU Benchmark and watch the temperature curve. If it stays under 85°C under load and does not drop clock speed mid-test, you have solved it.
When to replace the cooler
If everything is clean, the fan spins, and paste is fresh but temperatures are still high, the cooler itself may be undersized for your CPU. For laptops, this sometimes points to a failed heat pipe. In that case, a cooler replacement (or a laptop cooling pad) is the remaining option.
The bottom line
Dust, dead fans, and old paste cause 95% of overheating cases. Start with the Fan Noise Meter and CPU Benchmark to isolate the issue, then clean and repaste. Most overheating problems cost nothing to fix.