High CPU temperature

Hi, I bought a laptop. When the CPU is 100% loaded, the temperature rises to 100 degrees. Is this normal for a laptop?
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15ARE05
“lspci | grep -E “VGA|3D”
03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Renoir (rev ce)”

1 Like

I think it’s a bit too high. It depends on the work you are doing. When I render some movies, my cpu goes 100% and 103 °C. Not good but it goes like this for years and it still works, so… :man_shrugging:

I remember reading some messages about that model, saying it was caused by a bios update or an outdated bios.

Mobile CPUs are designed to run on high temps…so ur pc will be fine but ofcourse the lower the temp the better.
But if ur cpu thermal throttles then it is a design flaw of the lappy itself that it can’t keep the cpu temp under control & provide u the full power.

check if a process is always running on cpu
( top or htop )

see also with sensors-detect

Hi @gess and welcome to the forum!

About your question, it really depends on what you’re doing.
If your CPU reaches 100°C while normal use, like browsing the internet/ youtube/ email and stuff like that, than there’s an hardware problem.
If you are rendering or gaming for example (or doing anything that really stresses a CPU for that matter) than it’s not optimal but it is normal, especially if the laptop is equipped with a very powerful processor or it’s very slim!
Picking up on what @Lunix suggested, I would look for a BIOS update: read the changelog and see if your issue is common and if it’s solved by Lenovo.
You can even look into this link if you like, it describes how to modify fans speed to your liking, maybe you could set your fans to run at higher speed even at lower temperatures in order to prevent over-heating and thermal throttling.

Depends on the cooling solution. Some does thermal throttling, some simply use a more powerful thermal paste (e.g. liquid metal), some have double/triple big 12V fans, etc. But yes, mobile CPU CAN (doesn’t have to) reach 100°C and still working fine. Don’t ask for longevity, though, it’s normally not healthy.

Reading at Lenovo website, 15ARE05 isn’t that slim at 19.9mm, but 4700U is a rather hot CPU when pushed to the max. AMD’s 4700U/4800U/4800H have similar thermal profile, their main differences are only in SMT and min/max frequencies.

Non-flagship laptops usually come with a cheap thermal paste, I suggest replacing it with something like Thermal Grizzly’s Kryonaut. A max temp drop of 10°C or more is not uncommon while your idle temp might drop for a lower 5°C or so. Proven on my GL503VD.