Hey everyone! I’ve noticed that when I play games on my Linux Mint setup, my CPU temperatures soar between 90-95°C, but when I switch over to Windows, it usually stays around 70-80°C. I’m using an NVIDIA graphics card with an i5-12450H and 16GB of RAM. What might be causing this temperature difference, and how can I address it? Any tips would be appreciated!
4 Answers
This sounds like a typical Mint issue, but it’s strange because I run a much hotter RTX 5090 on Fedora and never hit over 78°C. Definitely check your cooling setup — maybe it’s a driver issue or something specific to how Mint is managing your laptop’s cooling.
Honestly, NVIDIA drivers can be a bit of a pain and might be using more CPU even on Windows. If you’re gaming on a laptop, check if the fan speeds on Linux match those on Windows. Sometimes manufacturers optimize cooling differently on each OS. Also, you could monitor your power usage with tools like `turbostat` or `nvidia-smi` in Linux to see if there’s anything unusual. This can give you a better picture of what’s happening under the hood.
There are several factors at play, from how different drivers manage temperatures to the sensors used to report them. Linux might be showing different temp readings or averaging them out differently. It might be worth digging around for articles comparing temp reporting in Linux and Windows. Also, consider increasing your fan speed to see if that helps with cooling.
You might want to install a tool like `lact` which can help control your GPU and its fans better. It could be a game changer for managing those temps!
I feel you on that! I hit 110°C on Fedora with my setup, so it really varies depending on the system and setup. Good luck!