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Laptop running hot

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hot laptop
2K views 51 replies 11 participants last post by  TheGrimJeeper 
#1 ·
My laptop... not that old, has decided to start running crazily hot.

It occasionally shuts down because its got too hot.

Generally my laptop is only running Chrome - with a few tabs open, usually a video. rarely have any other applications running, but if I do it will be itunes.

I do use it on the bed but when im watching a video I have it raised up on a book so the vents are clear of the bed but it still overheats.

What is causing it and what can i do to stop it?
 
#8 ·
I did download Speedfan previously but couldnt figure out how it worked... will have another go, see if I can get the fan to come on more often
 
#11 ·
+1 on the fan clogged / full of rubbish. When you sit it on the bed there is a good chance that the duvet will cover both the in and out vents. sucking in dust/fabric particles with nowhere to go so it'll settle in there.

You could strip it and clean it out.

If your not confident with that you can clean it with compressed air through the vents but this is not as effective and I'd advise stripping it down.

If you do blast it with short bursts and restrict the fan from being turned by the force of the air. It'll turn it faster than the motor and could damage the motor or dislodge the fan/break it's mounting.
 
#15 ·
Your most likely problem is a clogged up vent. The fan sits in a a plastic cowl, which ports the hot air out, usually via a metal port full of fins. Behind the fins, dust, hair and clarts catch and clog and can create a felt like barrier.

Poking canned air at your vent from outside will blow the matted crap around and in the wrong direction.

What you need to do is take it to a *decent* computer tech and have them strip the fan down and clean it out. If its only a few months old, thermal pads/paste don't really need replacing, but might as well when its stripped.

Another cause could be a poorly designed coolin system or a poorly designed CPU.

I have a work laptop which runs an i7, we have 6 other laptops the same and they all overheat and all regularly have fan failures.

I have stripped all of them and reconditioned the fans, they still run very hot.

Best practice; don't lay it on a bed or soft surface. Ensure it is on a hard surface like a table or laptop stand/mat so that the vent is clear and if you can, raise the rear so that air can get underneath. A laptop cooling stand will help with this.

Dust.

Get rid of your dog/ cat.

Wear hazmat suit.
 
#17 ·
Cheers nev...

not sure about using a stand or whatnot whilst on my bed.

Will have a look more into taking off the back and having a bit of a clean

Playing music/video on Youtube plus other internet tabs and core temp is 92... I assume thats bad
 
#18 ·
92 is daft hot and can burn you. Your CPU will have a cut off temperature and when reached, will shut the power off. Its called a Thermal Event.

As I say, mine get very hot and that never gets past 85.

Get one of these if you dont want to use a stand in bed.

BYLLAN Laptop support - Majviken multicolour/white, - IKEA

Beanbag underneath, hard surface on top.

i would also take the offer of that stand.
 
#25 ·
What OS? Windows or Linux?

I would suggest you look at what is chewing CPU, either in

Windows: CTRL-ALT-Delete - Start Task Manager - Performance tab : what do the CPU graphs look like

Linux: command prompt - top - look at the load average (top right). >1 for a laptop doing not very much would be interesting.

Generally modern laptops run very cool if they are not working hard.
 
#28 ·
Just a nerdy point of order: load average doesn't measure CPU usage, it measures how many processes are waiting for the CPU and/or other resources like disk and network. It is possible to have a very high load average and yet a very low CPU load if lots of processes are waiting for I/O.

:nerd:
 
#29 ·
I had the same prob a few weeks ago, do you all remember?

Finally after much messing about getting absolutely nowhere, a good blast with compressed air about 30psi iirc, Sorted!

I only have a small compressor with a limited reservoir, but it's ok for small jobs that this ever shrinking old git needs to tackle? :D
 
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