Laptop overheating issues

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rickryan.com

rickryan.com

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Dec 9, 2009
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Had a bit of a learning curve this weekend. I brought home a 500 gig HD to upgrade my wife's computer. It's a Compaq Presario CQ60, just like my gigging PC. I did the same HD upgrade last week on mine with no probs so thought I'd do the same thing for her.

The machine kept turning off in the middle of the HD clone. After some detective work, I finally determined that the unit was overheating. She said it had been starting to turn off on her at school as well. Downloaded a utility called CPUID Hardware Monitor and confirmed her box was WAAY hotter than mine. Mine runs roughly 100 degrees F whereas hers was running 196. Ended up putting her box on a laptop cooler and blew out the fan with compressed air. She's at 117 now. FWIW, the final step of blowing out the dust reduce temps about 10-20 degrees. Best I can figure, she uses her box every day in a very dusty environment (classroom). It appears that dust build up actually was making her box thermal. I'll probably pop the case off and re-do the thermal paste under the fan but thought I'd share what I found out here, in case any of youse guys are having the same issues.

FYI
 
rickryan.com said:
Had a bit of a learning curve this weekend. I brought home a 500 gig HD to upgrade my wife's computer. It's a Compaq Presario CQ60, just like my gigging PC. I did the same HD upgrade last week on mine with no probs so thought I'd do the same thing for her.

The machine kept turning off in the middle of the HD clone. After some detective work, I finally determined that the unit was overheating. She said it had been starting to turn off on her at school as well. Downloaded a utility called CPUID Hardware Monitor and confirmed her box was WAAY hotter than mine. Mine runs roughly 100 degrees F whereas hers was running 196. Ended up putting her box on a laptop cooler and blew out the fan with compressed air. She's at 117 now. FWIW, the final step of blowing out the dust reduce temps about 10-20 degrees. Best I can figure, she uses her box every day in a very dusty environment (classroom). It appears that dust build up actually was making her box thermal. I'll probably pop the case off and re-do the thermal paste under the fan but thought I'd share what I found out here, in case any of youse guys are having the same issues.

FYI
Click to expand...


I must be the only person in the entire world, without laptop overheating issues... :dontknow:

I keep mine closed, because I use external monitors -- one would think that would be worse, especially when using huge monitors, and keeping them stuck under my desk...

Anyway, for S&G, I ran the little program you mentioned (make sure you don't allow it to install the addons with it). My security software also flagged it, and denied communications to the ask server ;)

So, I ran it on my two lappies:

ACER Core i5 in my office. Office temp is 89 degrees rights now, and lappy is 6 feet from the gas space heater.

Both cores are below 100F, and HDD is in the 80s.


ASUS Core 2 Duo in man cave. Temp is 69 degrees, and lappy is stuck into a cabinet.

Both cores at 113F, and HDD at 95.


Kinda makes you wonder how valid that data is... ;)



I agree, you should blow them out on occasion -- I set the compressor at 120 PSI when I do it.

But also consider -- I chain smoke, and use a gas heater right in the room with the computers. Most of the dust adheres to the yellow gook from smoking and heating, so much of it doesn't come off with a blow out...

Just my thoughts... :)
 
BTW, just something to check...

Let it run for 10 hours or so, then pull the battery out, and check the temp of the battery (you can use your hand for that, unless you have a cool non-contact thermometer).

Many laptops aren't intelligent enough to shut off charging when the battery is fully charged, thereby heating up the battery, and the entire insides of the computer. That's also the biggest cause of battery failure, and fires in lappys.
 
I did even more tests...!

Got some time on my hands -- accounting is finally done :)



Anyway, I tried putting spacers under the ASUS, to see if the temp. would change. So I raised it about 3/4" of an inch, using rubber feet from one of my unused speaker stands.

NADA, Null, nothing -- temp still the same after about 30 minutes...


I can't see any way to appreciably cool it down from the underside, other then setting it on a block of ice.

Cold air goes down -- not up. Simple convection thing, and a law of nature... ;)



Don't worry, I'll be going back to work tomorrow, and stop working on laptop heating/cooling theory for 5 days... :D
 
ahoustondj said:
I use these to keep mine cool. You can get them at the Dollar Store or Walmart.

http://www.ourdjtalk.com/album.php?albumid=41&pictureid=438

http://www.ourdjtalk.com/album.php?albumid=41&pictureid=434
Click to expand...

Raising your laptop will have no cooling effect.

In fact, my tests have shown that.

There are generally no vents on the bottom of laptops, so there is no convection through the bottom, and out the top/sides.

Heat will not escape from the bottom -- it will rise.
 
SoftJock Rick said:
Raising your laptop will have no cooling effect.

In fact, my tests have shown that.

There are generally no vents on the bottom of laptops, so there is no convection through the bottom, and out the top/sides.

Heat will not escape from the bottom -- it will rise.
Click to expand...

Actually, that depends on your laptop. On my unit(s), the vents are on the bottom and the footers aren't very high. Put that thing on a soft surface and your ventilation is closed off. It made a 10 degree difference between surfaces on my units.

I'm inclined to think that, perhaps, the AMD do, in fact, generate much more heat than an Intel chip does. Apparently, the vent design on the CQ60 is bad. Add dust to that and I can see why the wife's machine has started having problems.
 
thats why I get several laptops a week come in for a good cleaning

once done they are cool and dont have to have a clean till they start over heating
its all the crap that clogs the vents
 
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