Chicago
Track Your Order
0
3 temperature sensors I pay attention to outside of my CPU and GPU
Most of us keep an eye on our CPU and GPU temperatures during heavy workloads like gaming, rendering, or stress tests, but our PCs have a bunch of other components that can run hot under load. I used to think that as long as my CPU and GPU were under 80C, I was doing fine from a cooling standpoint. While you could argue that these two sensors matter the most, they don't always tell the whole story when you push your PC for extended periods.
For instance, if your motherboard's VRMs run hot, they may throttle power delivery, preventing your CPU from maintaining its peak boost clocks during demanding workloads. The same thing applies to PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 SSDs that can thermal throttle once their controllers heat up, leading to sluggish performance during large file transfers. Even your RAM can creep into uncomfortable territory if you're pushing for higher DDR5 frequencies or tighter timings. That's exactly why I pay attention to other temperature sensors using HWiNFO.
Motherboard VRMs
VRM temps reveal power delivery stability during sustained CPU workloads
If your CPU is struggling to maintain its advertised boost clocks by a noticeable amount despite its temps looking normal, there's a chance that your motherboard's VRMs are warmer than they should be. The motherboard's VRMs are responsible for regulating and delivering power to the CPU, and when they heat up, they can start limiting power delivery to protect the board. This isn't unusual if you use a high-core-count CPU like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D or Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.
On the bright side, it's actually pretty easy to avoid high VRM temps in the long run. In most cases, all you need to do is make sure the area around your CPU gets enough airflow. Of course, boards with beefy VRM heatsinks help, but even one well-positioned case fan can make a noticeable difference in VRM temps. I'll admit I don't check VRM temps nearly as much as I monitor CPU and GPU temps while gaming, but taking a quick look now and then gives me peace of mind that my system can hold its boost clocks.
NVMe SSDs
PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 drives can throttle quickly when they run hot
PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 SSDs are often praised for their blazing-fast speeds, but that level of performance is not without drawbacks. These drives generate significantly more heat than older PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs because their controllers are working at much higher throughput levels. When their temperatures exceed a certain threshold, which is typically around 80-90C, they will throttle their speeds to protect themselves. As a result, you might see speeds dip halfway through a large file transfer, export, or game installation.
This is exactly why it's important to keep an eye on your SSD temps, especially if you have PCIe 5.0 drives, since they draw more power and run hotter than PCIe 4.0 ones. If you're using your motherboard's M.2 heatsink for the SSD, it's not unusual to see high temperatures on HWiNFO. There's a reason why manufacturers often include chunky heatsinks, sometimes with a cooling fan, with Gen 5 drives. You don't need to constantly monitor them, though. A quick glance at the drive while installing a large game or moving big files tells you exactly whether your SSD is staying within a safe range.
DDR5 RAM
Higher frequencies and tighter timings can push kits closer to their thermal limits
We live in the era of high-speed DDR5 memory, and that means RAM temperatures are way more important than they used to be during the DDR4 days. DDR5 kits have onboard power management circuits and run at much higher frequencies, so they naturally run warmer, especially when you enable XMP or EXPO profiles. And if you push for tighter timings or higher voltages, temperatures can be even more of a problem. Sure, you may not see crashes right away, but high memory temperatures can still cause subtle instability during long gaming sessions.
Random stutters, minor hitching, and occasional system hiccups are just some of the things you can expect when your RAM runs hot. Ideally, you want your RAM sitting below 60C under load. Fortunately, keeping your RAM modules cool is pretty easy as long as your case has decent airflow. But if that's not enough, you can always get RAM cooling fans for cheap to push extra air over the DIMM slots. Most people won't need them, but it's worth the peace of mind when you're running high-frequency kits or pushing aggressive XMP or EXPO settings.
Don't overlook your other components when monitoring temps
You don't have to monitor the temperatures of your motherboard VRMs, SSDs, and DDR5 modules nearly as often as your CPU or GPU, but it's still worth checking them every now and then, especially if you push your system hard or run demanding workloads for long periods. Modern PCs are smart enough to throttle and protect themselves, but that protection usually comes at the cost of performance. If you ignore some sensors completely, you may have no clue why you're encountering random slowdowns, hiccups, or stability issues. That's why those few seconds you spend opening HWiNFO and monitoring all these sensors go a long way toward keeping your PC performing the way it should.
