Real World Thermal Performance or "Is it drivers or heat this time?!"

Joined
May 23, 2025
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As a general query...I have asked support and I asked the warranty repair service on the two occassions (one for each machine) I have sent mine in.
Previously a raider GE and currently a Titan 18HX AI A2XWJG (if it matters)
Basically, nowhere can I find an indication on what MSI think is normal performance. The raider had a motherboard failure where overheating may have been a component and the Titan seems hot even for a machine I was expecting and am told runs hot. At idle on anything other than Eco Silent the CPU temp sits at least in the 80-90oC range and running anything other than a text editor otherwise puts it up to the high 90s with occassional 100+
Supposedly just how it is but since the start of last week I have been getting frequent K-mode and other low level crashes. There were lots of updates last week from nvidia, Realtek audio, Win 11 so hard to tell if it was one of those but every time I experience major instability I wonder about the thermals as a cause of generic unexpected shutdowns.
This week was pretty bad as it was almost constant but seems a bit better since a repair re-install of Win 11. It hasn't been completely resolved yet.
Anyone have a clear idea? I don't custom modify any settings so it is all default. I do wonder if the AI mode in MSI center is more trouble than it is worth or if MSI center itself is a problem but it at least gives a decent overview of system state. This machine has also been back to base shortly after I got it due to a faulty AC adapater connection port and so will have been in theory checked at source but despite asking there is no report or comment which is disappointing.
 
Seems like you are setting under AI mode in MSI Center, how about setting it in performance mode or balanced mode?
When the CPU temp reaches up 80-90 or even 100, how is the fan speed?
And since you have two laptops, you might need to check the problem separately. The Raider GE and Titan 18 HX AI belong to different generations and use different thermal designs, power limits, and platform configurations, so their expected behavior and possible root causes may be different.
 
Thanks.
The fans are spinning and get up to decent 5k+rpm with air flowing.
Crashes less often in the other modes but its still happening. In ECO-silent the idle temps are at a more reasonable 50-60oC
Not particularly keen on reinstalling everything as I expect this is not a hardware issue (yet) and I have been here before with the problem mysteriously disappearing after some other updates.
I only bring up the other machine because while they have been great to use, this feels like a recurring theme and MSI seem tight lipped on what "normal" is supposed to be which strikes me as odd. The general thermal behaviour has been similar since I've had it and immediately post service so I have assumed it is as expected but the crashes always make question it.
 
It is quite difficult to help you regarding to the roughly information...
According to the spec from Intel website, this CPU is available to reach up to 105 degree celcius, and MSI would set the safety temperature around 100 degree. So the temperature on your laptop is not a problem for now, it might be related to the software or the SSD/RAM.
The laptop crash with any error code? BSODs?
Have you changed the SSD/RAM or any settings in BIOS?
 
Lots of BSODs starting last week, I wasn't so much trying to solve those so much as work out what normal should be.
But I appreciate the engagement as it is quite possible I may have missed something.
No I haven't changed any hardware or BIOS settings but I have updated it on a couple of occassions since purchase.
Incessant BSODs, startup loops even in safe mode. Stability improved after I did a repair reinstall of Windows but haven't gone as far as a clean reinstall just yet.
The error codes are multiple and the crashlogs point to multiple causes.
K_mode exception errors are the commonest along with 0x3B but it seems to be a general problem.
So far leaving in ECO-Silent which is the only consistent way to keep the temps away from the 90+ range. I may just do that for a while.
 
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