overheating laptop - solutions?

aqueoushumour01

I had a great plan to upgrade my laptop, but before installing my brand new hard drive my laptop has suddenly just started to turn off, I think due to overheating because it has recently started to get VERY hot. I have been running CPU intensive software and the base gets so hot that it practically burns my leg when I put the computer on my lap.

So I'm looking for solutions. The fan is still working but it's possibly not strong enough - how expensive are good fans? I have also read about a 'chill pad' that you put your laptop on and it supposedly cools it. I really don't want to have to by a new one so has anyone got any thoughts?

planemad

I use a chill pad in work, its good and keeps the laptop cool.

Leigh_Albone

The problem with laptops is that they are mis-named

They are not menat to be used positioned on your lap, reason is clothing can block the vents and leave them prone to overheating as you describe.

Try using the laptop as you nee dto use it on a hard surface such as a desk or coffee table,

Also look at the vents and see if the are clogged with dust, if so use a natural fibre (horse hair) paint brush to clean them.

See if this solves the problem and post back

Leigh

aqueoushumour01

yeah i've read that it's best to use laptops on a hard surface - I usually put mine on the bed which may be part of the problem. I've opened up the fan and there is a bit of dust there. I've read that shooting compressed air into the vents works well - anyone tried this?

In the meantime I've put an external fan directed underneath the laptop and it's working a treat so far, although not practical for the long term so I may look into getting one of those chill pads. I can only seem them for sale in the USA, although a couple of people are selling them on ebay.

are there any software solutions i could try to help the computer run at a lower temperature?

nearlyrich

I have had my laptop on my lap for most of the evening looking for a holiday, it isn't even warm, some laptops use desktop processors that run hotter etc...

vyseyboy

You could feasibly reduce the clock speed and Vcore core voltage of the laptop CPU. How you would do this (and indeed whether or not it is possible,) would depend on the model of the laptop, and in particular what BIOS it has.

To enter BIOS settings, you usually press a key soon after power-on, and usually it's DEL, F1, F2 or Esc.

Make sure you know what you're doing beforehand! There's lots of material on the web about this. Google laptop underclocking and undervolting. Getting it wrong could cause damage, but if you understand what you're changing the chances are slim.

Also, reducing the clock speed of the CPU would of course make the laptop slightly slower, but the benefits would probably outweight the deficits.

PROLIANT

I find the AMD(hmm) chips and non-mobile Intel Pentium class chips i.e. Pentium 4 inherently run hotter than a job-specific processor like a mobile-core 2 duo, also if you work the !!! off your cpu with resource intensive apps then the thermal gradient will go sky high leading to problems, modern machines use the heat-pipe technology to transfer heat from the die of the cpu out through an exhaust system on the side of the machine which is governed by the speed/efficiency of the fan underneath, as suggested by the other poster I would use a cool pad for the machine under these conditions.

aqueoushumour01

a cooling pad sounds like the best option - has anyone actually been able to get one of these in england. American sellers have go them on ebay uk so it looks like that is my best bet

PROLIANT

I use this supplier at work and they are very good, here is a link to the soloution; http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/factfinder/search.asp?querytext=laptop+COOL+PAD

vaio

There is a bit of software called “notebook hardware control” which will tell you the cpu and disc temperature and on mine at least has the ability to run the cpu slower if the temps goes above a trigger point

GoldenEye

My laptop gets hot too and that's with it on a hard cool surface. It gets noisy as the fan kicks in.

Placing a laptop on your lap affects male fertility! I read this somewhere. It increases the temperature of the scrotum or something! If your a teen or a young man I would think twice about it. If you're an old guy, then you have nothing to worry about. Just thought I would add this to the conversation.