100 Degree Celsius Laptop Temps!!!!!!!!!!!

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amk09

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Mar 29, 2010
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K so I'm starting to get worried if I am ruining my laptop or not. I have a Gateway FX p-7805u and game pretty heavily on it. Currently I'm playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and although I have to play on low settings I really haven't had any problems with the game (been playing since the beta.)
But as of late, my fps will drop drastically(like 5-10 fps) for approximately 2-3 minutes, then return to back normal framerate (which is about 50 fps), and this drop in fps happens about every 20 minutes, and it's starting to get EXTREMELY annoying, especially when I'm in the middle of battle and am forced to sit in one spot for 3 minutes until I have a playable framerate again.

I recently started monitoring my system temperatures and have come up with some alarming information. Earlier tonight I started my Hardware monitoring program after I turned my computer on, then proceeded to play BF:BC2 for about an hour, and these are my current temp stats.

Current Min Max
ACPI(?) - TZS0 58C 47C 98C!!!!
TZS1 58C 47C 95C

Core 2 Duo P8400
-Core 1 44C 32C 85C
-Core 2 44C 34C 85C

Nvidia 9800m GTS
-GPU Core 47C 40C 93C

Hard Drive
-Assembly 52C 30C 61C



Min was what my laptop was idling at when I first turned it on, and Max was while I was playing BF:BC2.


Am I crippling the components inside my computer by letting them get this hot?

There isn't much I can think of to cool it down, the laptop has exceptional air flow around it and underneath it(I have it raised up at all times so there is about an inch of space underneath), maybe there is some dust built up inside or something. Do you guys have any suggestions on how I could cool this puppy down? This just doesn't seem safe.

I'd really appreciate the help!
 

amk09

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Yea I'm definitely NOT buying a laptop cooler because there have been studies down that passive cooling is the most effective method and I have my laptop set up so it has maximum air flow all around it. I think the first thing I'll do is try to clean the dust out, should I open it up or just blow some canned air into the vents?

Thanks for the help.
 

Aidan Rooney

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Mar 25, 2013
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I'm having the same problem as you :S My cpu gets up to about 96 degrees Celsius, yesterday i thought it melted as everything stopped working, but it seems to be ok now, i hope. Will using a vacuum cleaner be more effective than blowing?
 
Besides possible dust build up, the thermal might have gone bad. Clean out all dust as best as possible. If you are still experiencing high temps, then the thermal paste might dried up.

Cleaning out the old thermal paste and applying new thermal will require you to take the laptop apart. Check online for guides or videos that shows you how to do it.
 

Vengaence

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There's potentially 3 or 4 reasons for this issue:

1) Laptop being used on incorrect surface: Despite being called a laptop, if you operate a laptop on your lap (basically any soft material), there is no gap beneath the laptop for cool air to be pulled into the intake vents. Laptops must be operated on hard flat surfaces such as a standard table or even a dinner tray so the rubber feet on the bottom of the laptop provide a gap to allow for cool air to enter.

2) Laptop cooling solution is dirty/dusty: After 1-6 months of normal usage, dust generally will begin to collect in the metal fins and the fan of the laptop cooler internally. Get a can of compressed air (often called a "duster") from an electronics store such as radio shack, best buy or the like and blow air through the vent slots in the bottom of the laptop. If you want to do an even better job, remove the plastic access cover on the bottom of the laptop and thoroughly clean with the compressed air. An example of a duster locally available for most folks: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dust-Off+-+Jr.+3.5-oz.+Compressed-Air+Duster/3878254.p?id=1051384166079&skuId=3878254&st=compressed%20air&cp=1&lp=1

3) The laptop cooling fan has failed: Most laptop fans run at very low speeds during idle conditions, and you'll hear them kick up in speed when the load on the CPU or graphics unit goes up. Most laptops have fairly loud fans, you should clearly be able to hear the fan and feel hot air exiting the exhaust area on the side or back of hte laptop during heavy applications. If you can't, find the fan and make sure it's spinning freely. You may need to remove the plastic cover on the back of the laptop (usually just philips screws and sometimes a couple of plastic tabs/snaps) to do this. If the fan is bound up you may need to replace the fan, which is specific to the manufacturer/model.

3) Thermal compound between the heatsink and the CPU/GPU is compromised: A thermal compound is used between the CPU and the aluminum/copper heatsink inside the laptop to make sure heat is conducted out of the CPU effectively. This compound fills the microscopic gaps between the surface of the CPU and the heatsink metal that touches it and makes for a perfect connection. Usually this heatsink is attached to the CPU with a pattern of screws (3 or 4). You can obtain thermal compound (sometimes also called thermal grease) from most electronics stores. Remove the laptop back cover, remove the heatsink from the CPU, and clean away the old thermal material carefully without getting the material onto any contacts or circuits. Apply roughly a 2-4mm bead of thermal compound to the CPU surface.. then evenly tighten the screws back down on the heatsink. it's important to lay the heatsink down evenly. An example of a thermal compound available for most folks locally: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2216879

4) The laptop is poorly designed and not well suited for heavy applications/gaming: If the laptop is an economy unit, and not a gaming model, often the heatsink/fan is inadequate for heavy applications. If this is the case, you can potentially help the situation by purchasing a laptop cooler pad that the laptop sits on, which is usually a plastic shell with some fans in it. It will help force a bit more air through your laptop. This can help but clearly is still not as effective as a having a gaming laptop to start with.

There are a few other possibilities, but this covers 99% of cases. Let me know if you have any further questions.

 

Vengaence

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Mar 25, 2013
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I'd like to add a few other comments to the post above. You can check your CPU temperature accurately with a program called Coretemp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/). You can also download a gadget for the desktop that works with coretemp to display CPU temps on your desktop at all times as well as CPU load (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/addons.html).

A general guide for intel mobile CPUs in regards to temperatures:

100C is usually the absolute maximum operating temperature and the CPU will generally shutdown if it hits this temperature
90-95C is usually throttling range, the CPU speed or voltage will be reduced automatically to try to avoid hitting 100C
80-90C is pretty typical temperatures for non-gaming laptops under load
70-80C is pretty typical temperatures for gaming laptops under full load
35-50C are pretty typical idle temperatures when the laptop is not loaded (idle). Often you may see temps or 60 or 70C just sitting at the desktop though if your antivirus or other background services are running clearly.
 
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