What is the Normal and Safe Motherboard Temperature

The safe motherboard temperature is anywhere from20°C to 80°C. However, this completely depends on yourcooling setup, themotherboard’s build quality,ambient temperature, andairflow/ventilation.

Unlike CPUs and GPUs, there’sno one standard valuewhen measuring motherboard temperature. Thescattered sensorsacross the PCB are the ones that detect how hot it is (in different locations).

In this guide, I will share my test results to help you get an idea of the safe temperature limits. Also, I will provide handy tips on how to check the motherboard temperature and ways to prevent/solve overheating issues.

But before anything else, let’s quickly learn what Motherboard temperature sensors are.

Motherboard Temperature Sensors – A Brief Overview

Every computer component draws a certain amount of power to function. So, it’s pretty obvious for heat to be generated throughout the motherboard.

The more these components operate, the greater will be the heat generation. But note that thetemperature isn’t constant everywhere.

The hottest regions of the motherboard are where the basic components exist (mainly the processor and graphics card).

Modern boards are equipped with several sensors that help us get the reading of every location. These are usuallyscattered in and around the major sections–CPU socket,PCIe/DRAM slots,VRM (Voltage Regulatory Module),CMOS,chipset, etc.

Well, the exact number and where they are soldered completely depends on how the PCB is designed. Meaning, one motherboard can havesix to even ten sensorswhile the other may include justtwo or three!

How to Monitor Motherboard Temperature

My go-to method to check temperature is using ahardware monitoring utility. Apps likeHWMonitor,AIDA64, andHWiNFO64display all the sensors on your board with their live readings.

you may even utilizeBIOS Utility, anOEM tool, or anInfrared thermometerto do the needful. Let’s discuss each of them in detail.

Through Hardware Monitoring Tools

you may find a plethora of hardware-monitoring utilities that help measure the temperature of different components, including the motherboard. My personal favorites areHWMonitorandHWiNFO64.

Take a peek at the comparison screenshot above. Look at theTemperaturessection under yoursystem model/manufacturer.

Don’t get confused with the CPU and Socket labels here. These are simply the sensors on the motherboard.

Yourprocessor’s actual temperatureis usually1 to 2 degreeshigher. To verify this, navigate to your CPU section and look forpackage and core readings.

When checking the motherboard temperature on myMSI MAG B550M MORTARmotherboard, HWiFO64 indicates an additional sensor (T15).

Turns out this one isn’t quite relevant and may even display wrong values (as stated by an HWiFO64 staff). The other sensors are pretty much self-explanatory.

However, the nomenclature can be different on othermotherboard models. According to HWMonitor, here are the temperature sensors on myASUS PRIME B450 PLUS:

As you may see,TMPIN0,TMPIN1, andTMPIN2aren’t indicated by a specific label. So, we do not know what they correspond to.

A simple trick should work here. As I mentioned earlier, the CPU and GPU are the hottest ones. Keeping that in mind, you canmake a guesswhere the sensors could be located.

In the case above,TMPIN0indicates sensors close to the CPU.TMPIN1is the general system/motherboard sensor. And,TMPIN2is the one near the PCIe (with nographics card installed) and chipset.

This could be totally different on yours. In fact, you may even come across different names. For example,TZ00andTZ01are on most laptops. Where one sensor isnear the CPU socketand the otherclose tothe chipsetor MOSFETs.

It would have been easier if motherboards included the sensors in the manual. Sadly, that’s not the case (as far as I’ve tested on multiple boards ofMSI and ASUS).

Advanced users with the right knowledge may physicallyinspect the PCB markings.

From Motherboard OEM Application

While third-party tools are the preferred choice among most professionals, you may still stick with your manufacturer’s recommended application.

I’ve listed down the utilities for the most popular brands. You may download it from your product’s support page online.

Some of the aforementioned tools might only show one motherboard reading. If so, note that it’s only displaying the information related to one sensor. You need tokeep an eye on other valuestoo.

Now, let’s see how accurate a motherboard utility can be. For demonstration, I launched bothHWMonitorandMSI Center. As shown above, the values remain almost similar (so, you may expectaccurate readings)!

Via BIOS

While theUEFI/BIOS utilityincludes a hardware monitoring section, you’re not blessed with complete sensor detection. Meaning,there’s only one fieldshowcasing the motherboard’s temperature.

In most models, this is the reading of the general sensor. Exactly the one that we saw earlier asSystem temperatureinHWMonitor.

Some even claim that this is an average value. It’s probably true as most manufacturers use theirspecific algorithmto display a single temperature.

Even so, I recommend utilizing the aforementioned software-based utilities to get a detailed understanding of your overall system temperature.

In BIOS, I’m pretty sure the indicated temperature sticks somewhere from20 to 50°C. In case the reading is going higher than expected,  it’s definitely a matter of concern. But this alsodepends on the cooling setup and ambient temperature.

Well, the system sensors are usually away from the CPU socket and that part of the motherboard shouldn’t heat up so much. In such scenarios, yourPC might even fail to POST.

Use Infrared Thermometer [Optional]

This isn’t the best way to measure motherboard temperature as thevalues aren’t accurate(usually low). In fact, I wouldn’t recommend going for it if the hardware monitoring application is already working fine.

However, Infrared thermometers can come in handy if your motherboard’s temperature sensors areshowing inaccurate readings. On the safety side, make sureyou’re properly groundedand don’t touch the running motherboard.

The above image is a clear demonstration of how to get the reading. We have used theFLIR ONE Pro Thermal Imaging CameraonMSI MAG B550M MORTAR. And here’s how its readings compare with HWMonitor:

As you may see, the temperatures aren’t accurate, especially in the case of the CPU. And the same happens if you utilize a dedicated GPU instead of an integrated.

The thing is – hardware monitoring apps show us the reading ofsensors that lie beneath the heatsink. Using an IR thermometer means we are measuring the external temperature. It won’t be possible to get an accurate temperature this way.

Apart from the main components, you’ll only notice a small temperature difference with the others. So, no worries!This way, you’ll still be aware of what’s happening with your motherboard temperature.

Extra Tip:Some motherboards offer a dedicated2-pin temperature sensor header. you may connectthermistor cablesthat keep track of the internal temperature. Check your user manual and look forEC_Temp,T_Sensor, and similar indications to confirm whether your motherboard supports it.

Safe Operating Temperature for Motherboards

By now, you know there’s no one standard motherboard temperature. So, to know the safe limits, you need to understand theideal values for every sensor.

Since the CPU and GPU are the hottest components, the sensors near them will show high readings. Just know that their safe operating limit is between20 and 80 degrees.

When running intense applications, it’s fine for the temperatures to reach90 to 95°C. In case the CPU and PCIe sensors hit above 100°C, the components start to thermal throttle. So, yourPC slows downandmay even crash.

The lower the better, right? Well, not exactly! The motherboard’s overall temperature should be at leasthigher than the ambient temperature.

If it goes below that, water droplets may form after the moisture in the air condenses, which is even worse than overheating.

So, the general sensor (Sys/Motherboard) should be reading anywhere from20 to 50 degrees. But this depends on your surroundings too. Say the ambient temperature is 30 degrees. In that case,60 to even 70°Cwon’t be considered bad.

Like the Sys sensors, the MOSFET and chipset temperature generally read between20 to 50°C(or a maximum of 60 to 70). Well, that was the case with me. Yours could be different!

To understand this even better, I tested temperatureson a few mid-range setups. And on three different test cases – after the PC starts, when performing web-based tasks, and when stress testing the CPU. The ambient temperature was about 20°C with stock coolers (thenumber of case fansvaried).

Results and Findings:

From here, we can confirm that only the CPU and GPU sensors can reach alarming temperatures. If you see high readings in the chipset, MOSFET, or even the general motherboard sensor, there are four possible cases:

Motherboard Overheating? Here’s How to Lower Its Temperature

Alaggy system,loud fans, andfrequent crashesare possible signs that your motherboard is overheating. The major reasons includehot surrounding temperature,excessive dust buildup,failing components/circuitry, etc.

We have a detailed guide onfixing motherboard overheating issues. Here are the summarized solutions and prevention measures to help lower the temperature:

Even afailing PSUcan indicate numerous problems in your system. There’s a high chance it could have caused your components to overheat.

Note that high temperature even indicates that yourmotherboard is showing signs of failure. But if it’s a new board, I highly recommendcontacting your vendor.DOA (Dead on Arrival)is a common issue and if you think that’s the case, you’ll need to replace the mainboard.