CPU Overheating and Thermal Throttling
What is this error?
CPU is reaching its thermal limit (usually 100C) and reducing clock speeds to prevent damage, causing FPS drops and stuttering during gaming.
Common causes
- dried or improperly applied thermal paste
- CPU cooler not mounted correctly (uneven pressure)
- stock cooler insufficient for high-TDP CPU
- case airflow restricted (fans blocked, no intake)
- dust buildup clogging radiator or heatsink fins
How to fix it
- Check temperatures with HWiNFO64
- repaste and remount cooler
- verify fan operation
- clean dust
- upgrade cooler if needed
Too many steps? Crashless can diagnose this automatically — checks your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known error patterns.
Get free AI diagnosis Detailed analysis
If your game runs great for 10 minutes then starts stuttering badly, your CPU is probably overheating. Open HWiNFO64 while gaming and check 'CPU Package' temperature. Anything consistently above 90C is a concern, and hitting 100C means your CPU is actively slowing itself down to survive. You can also check 'Thermal Throttling' in HWiNFO64 — if it ever says 'Yes', your clocks are being cut. First, check the easy stuff: is your CPU fan actually spinning? Open your case and look. Is the heatsink clogged with dust? A can of compressed air fixes that in 30 seconds. If your fan is spinning and it is clean, the issue is likely the cooler mount or thermal paste. Power off, remove the cooler, and look at the thermal paste spread pattern on the CPU. It should be an even thin layer covering the entire heat spreader. If it is dried out, only on one side, or barely makes contact, that is your problem. Clean both surfaces with isopropyl alcohol (90%+), apply a pea-sized dot of fresh thermal paste to the center of the CPU, and remount the cooler. Make sure all mounting screws are tightened evenly in an X pattern. If you are using the stock Intel cooler with a Core i7 or i9, the stock cooler is simply not enough — you need at least a tower air cooler or 240mm AIO.
When to seek help
If this error keeps happening after trying the fixes above, it may point to a deeper hardware or system issue. Consider professional help if:
- The crash occurs across multiple games or applications
- You see the same error after a clean Windows install
- Your PC is less than a year old (could be a warranty issue)
- You smell burning or hear unusual sounds from your PC
Or let Crashless do the deep analysis for you -- our AI checks drivers, temps, event logs, and 400+ known patterns automatically.
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