You will get a few different temperature readings when you use various monitoring tools to monitor your GPU’s temperature.
Most tools will show you temperature readings such as GPU temperature, hotspot temperature, and VRAM temperature.
In this article, we explain the difference between those temperature measurements. We also discuss the GPU hotspot temperature in detail.
Table of Contents
What Is GPU Hotspot Temperature?
GPUs have multiple temperature sensors inside the GPU die, arranged in a grid-like pattern. The hotspot temperature is the highest reading of all those sensors.
GPU Temperature Vs. Hotspot Temperature Vs. VRAM Temperature
When you monitor your GPU temperature using tools like HWiNFO, they will show you a few different temperature readings, including GPU temperature, hotspot temperature, and VRAM temperature.
The GPU temperature is the average temperature of all temperature sensors inside the GPU die.
And the hotspot temperature is the highest temperature of all the temperature sensors inside the die.
The VRAM temperature, on the other hand, is the temperature of the VRAM chip inside the GPU.
How Important Is GPU Hotspot Temperature?
Temperatures higher than 125℃ can permanently damage the silicon structures inside the GPU die.
The hotspot temperature reading is closer to the highest temperature inside the die, so it should be sufficiently below the 125℃ threshold to be safe.
Typically, the threshold of concern for hotspot temperature is around 110℃. So hotspot temperatures higher than 110℃ are usually not safe and can cause permanent damage to the GPU.
The hotspot temperature is especially important if you have an efficient GPU cooler, like a liquid GPU cooler. With such efficient coolers, the temperature gradient inside the GPU die can be significantly high, and the average GPU temperature can be much lower than the highest GPU die temperature. So, in this case, you should pay more attention to the hotspot temperature to keep the GPU safe.
On the other hand, the GPU temperature, which indicates the average temperature inside the GPU die, should usually be below 95℃ to be safe.
The GPU VRAM temperature is also equally important. Typically, VRAM chips can handle temperatures up to 110℃ with no issue. So if your VRAM temperatures are under 110℃, you don’t have to worry about it.
As you can see, GPU temperature, hotspot temperature, and VRAM temperature are all equally important. As long as your GPU temperature is below 95℃, hotspot temperature is below 110℃, and VRAM temperature is below 110℃, you don’t usually have to worry about it.
How To Measure The GPU Hotspot Temperature?
You can use various monitoring software to measure the GPU hotspot temperature, and the most popular tools include HWiNFO, HWMonitor, and GPU-Z.
What Is The Normal GPU Hotspot Temperature?
GPU hotspot temperature depends on your GPU and the GPU load.
Usually, the hotspot temperature can be 10 to 15℃ above the average GPU temperature, and as long as it is below 110℃, you don’t have to worry about it.
Can High GPU Hotspot Temperatures Damage Your GPU?
By definition, the hotspot temperature is higher than the average GPU temperature. So it is normal to have a hotspot temperature 10 to 15℃ above the average GPU temperature.
GPUs can also throttle down automatically when they get too hot. They use both the average GPU temperature and GPU hotspot temperature for this throttling. So higher GPU hotspot temperatures won’t cause any permanent damage to your GPU.
However, you should always try to keep the hotspot temperature within safe limits, especially if you’re overclocking your GPU.
Final Thoughts
GPUs have multiple temperature sensors inside the GPU die, and the hotspot temperature is the highest reading from all those embedded temperature sensors.
On the other hand, GPU temperature is the average of all the temperature readings inside the GPU die, and VRAM temperature is the temperature of the VRAM chip inside the GPU.
GPU temperature, hotspot temperature, and VRAM temperature are all equally important to keep your GPU from overheating.
As long as your GPU temperature is below 95℃, hotspot temperature is below 110℃, and VRAM temperature is below 110℃, you don’t usually have to worry about it.