Is 101–103°C with thermal throttling during 90% of a short Rocket League session normal for an MSI gaming laptop?
Hi,
I have an MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW gaming laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX. I am experiencing heavy stuttering and short freezes while playing Rocket League, so I monitored the laptop with HWiNFO64.
After approximately 7 minutes of gameplay, I recorded:
- CPU maximum temperature: 103°C
- CPU average temperature: approximately 94°C
- Core Thermal Throttling: detected during approximately 92–93% of the monitoring period
- Package/Ring Thermal Throttling: approximately 87%
- Average CPU package power: approximately 44–46 W
- GPU temperature: approximately 62°C
Only some of the P-cores appear to reach extremely high temperatures and throttle heavily, while the other cores remain considerably cooler. Some individual P-cores showed thermal throttling during 60–86% of the test.
The test was performed:
- With the original MSI charger connected
- On a hard, flat surface with the air intakes unobstructed
- Without any overclocking or undervolting
- With different MSI Center power profiles
- During Rocket League, which should not be an especially demanding game for this laptop
The CPU has a maximum junction temperature of 105°C, but it is getting extremely close to that limit and appears to be throttling almost continuously. The GPU temperatures seem completely normal.
I understand that gaming laptops normally run hot, but is this amount of sustained thermal throttling normal? Could the large temperature difference between the P-cores indicate uneven thermal paste application, poor heatsink contact or another cooling-system problem?
Could this explain the stuttering, and would you recommend sending the laptop back under warranty?
I purchased it in September 2025, so it is still covered. I have not opened the laptop or modified its cooling system.
P.S. HWiNFO and MSI Center are displayed in French because my Windows installation is in French. The relevant column headings are:
- Réel = Current
- Minimum = Minimum
- Maximum = Maximum
- Moyenne = Average
- Limitation thermique du cœur = Core Thermal Throttling
- Étranglement thermique du paquet/anneau = Package/Ring Thermal Throttling
- Consommation d’énergie totale du CPU = CPU Package Power
- Performances extrêmes = Extreme Performance
- Équilibré = Balanced
Thanks for your help.