Hello,
I have noticed my trusty old laptop has started to heat up more lately, before it used to idle around the 40C mark but for the last few days it has gone up to around 50C - 55C.
After doing some research and watching youtube disassembly videos - Last night i decided to clean the fan and heat sink which required me taking the whole thing apart ( i had to take the screen and all sorts off just to get to the fan! ) surprisingly the fan an heat sink were relatively clean and unclogged - i gave it all a dust and brush down anyway - everything went back together and worked ok but the temperature has not reduced any. Given this is it worth applying some new thermal paste, as a rough guestimate what kind of temperature reduction would it provide ?
I should probably have taken a picture when i was in there but i noticed there is not much of the old thermal paste actually on the chip, it seems to mostly be on the circuit board around it ?
The laptop is not overheating, fan works and the temperatures scales back ok when under load - i just dont like that it has gone up 10C when idle.
Laptop is a dell inspiron 1501 - CPU is AMD inspiron 64x2 TL 50 1.6
cheers.
Laptop 10C hotter at idle - new thermal paste?
If it heats up at idle, and cools down when doing something, I don't think the problem is the thermal paste because the CPU generates more heat when doing something than when idling. Or it should. Maybe something is running in the background, causing the CPU to heat up at idle. Does it do the same thing if you boot a CD with the puppy pfix=ram option, then let it sit idling for a while? How are you running Puppy?
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stu90
Hi Flash,
D-lite and Exprimo puppies are both frugal install on the hard drive in the same partition as my full Bodhi install.
I don't think it is something running in the background as the temperature readout on all three Os's is in the same ballpark - I did try running a live USB of Bodhi which produced the same results, i haven't tried a USB install of pup yet but my gut feeling is it will be the same.
D-lite and Exprimo puppies are both frugal install on the hard drive in the same partition as my full Bodhi install.
I don't think it is something running in the background as the temperature readout on all three Os's is in the same ballpark - I did try running a live USB of Bodhi which produced the same results, i haven't tried a USB install of pup yet but my gut feeling is it will be the same.
I have looked under heatsinks before and found spotty application of the compound. It might be worth a try, but make sure you don't get a bubble of air in there that would defeat your purpose. Also think about your fan bearings, if they are drying out and the fan slowing down, you won't be getting enough air. Make sure the fan is not full of dust, and the various openings that let air into the computer too.
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technosaurus
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consider the fan on/off/speed setpoints
for instance:
if the fan turn on setpoint is 50C and it only gets to 45C when idle, then it wouldn't turn on.
Then say the turn off setpoint is 30C and you go idle, the fan will keep running at full speed till it gets down to 30C and continue to heat up to its equilibrium value of 45 ... not hot enough to turn on the fan.
... extrapolate this into fan speeds if there are multiple temperature setpoint (most newer laptops will have this to reduce power consumption)
... BTW if you poke around with /proc and /sys you can usually see/adjust the setpoints ... may need to Google around a bit though
for instance:
if the fan turn on setpoint is 50C and it only gets to 45C when idle, then it wouldn't turn on.
Then say the turn off setpoint is 30C and you go idle, the fan will keep running at full speed till it gets down to 30C and continue to heat up to its equilibrium value of 45 ... not hot enough to turn on the fan.
... extrapolate this into fan speeds if there are multiple temperature setpoint (most newer laptops will have this to reduce power consumption)
... BTW if you poke around with /proc and /sys you can usually see/adjust the setpoints ... may need to Google around a bit though
Check out my [url=https://github.com/technosaurus]github repositories[/url]. I may eventually get around to updating my [url=http://bashismal.blogspot.com]blogspot[/url].
Stu90
have noticed about the same in two year old hp. in dpups run hotter at idle close to 60C but in 528 versions the high 40's to 50C.
when update ppm always takes cpu to it's limit and temps around low 70's in dpups.
my solution was to take a office desk type fan, maybe 8-10 inch on a swivel so can point up. use that as a base for one side of my laptop and pile of books on other side. probable doesn't sound secure but on my desk it's rock solid.
when temps hit 70's that fan can lower to 50's quick. low tech high efficiency.
have noticed about the same in two year old hp. in dpups run hotter at idle close to 60C but in 528 versions the high 40's to 50C.
when update ppm always takes cpu to it's limit and temps around low 70's in dpups.
my solution was to take a office desk type fan, maybe 8-10 inch on a swivel so can point up. use that as a base for one side of my laptop and pile of books on other side. probable doesn't sound secure but on my desk it's rock solid.
when temps hit 70's that fan can lower to 50's quick. low tech high efficiency.
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technosaurus
- Posts: 4853
- Joined: Mon 19 May 2008, 01:24
- Location: Blue Springs, MO
- Contact:
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stu90
Hello everyone and thanks for the replies.
Seems to be a bit of a strange beast this laptop - having spent the morning googleing fan control it seems it has no fan control settings in the Bios - no typical fan control files in proc or sys - and none of the fan control applications will work on it.
I don't think airflow is the problem as i already have it propped up with a good air gap all round - and i have now tried multiple other pups on both HDD and USB with the same results.
I am getting the feeling that perhaps something hardware wise has broken or burn out - this laptop has given me several years of good daily use, perhaps it is now time to retire it.
cheers.
Seems to be a bit of a strange beast this laptop - having spent the morning googleing fan control it seems it has no fan control settings in the Bios - no typical fan control files in proc or sys - and none of the fan control applications will work on it.
I don't think airflow is the problem as i already have it propped up with a good air gap all round - and i have now tried multiple other pups on both HDD and USB with the same results.
I am getting the feeling that perhaps something hardware wise has broken or burn out - this laptop has given me several years of good daily use, perhaps it is now time to retire it.
cheers.
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stu90
Just to update - i bought some Arctic Cooling MX-4 - Thermal paste (*link below) applied it today and so far it has made absolutely no difference in temperature at all 
I made sure to clean all the old gunk off the CPU and cooler - then applied this stuff - i read to apply it sparingly, perhaps i didn't use enough - i am going to take the laptop to bits again and make sure it is in contact with the cooler.
http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php ... _id=172527
update part 2 - well it seems it was only just touching the cooler, so i put a little bit more paste on for good measure and let it spread out even when i tightened the cooler back onto the top - of course it has made no difference to idle temperature.
I made sure to clean all the old gunk off the CPU and cooler - then applied this stuff - i read to apply it sparingly, perhaps i didn't use enough - i am going to take the laptop to bits again and make sure it is in contact with the cooler.
http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php ... _id=172527
update part 2 - well it seems it was only just touching the cooler, so i put a little bit more paste on for good measure and let it spread out even when i tightened the cooler back onto the top - of course it has made no difference to idle temperature.
Stu90,
The most effective way I have found of applying cooling compound, is to put some on, and spread it thinly, an old credit card is ideal for this. Don't put much on.
I have found taking the cooler out and washing it under a tap, giving it a scrub with a toothbrush if necessary helps. After, put it in the oven at low heat, approx 70 degrees C for about 15 mins to make sure its absolutely dry. Then let it cool and re-install.
HTH
Paul
The most effective way I have found of applying cooling compound, is to put some on, and spread it thinly, an old credit card is ideal for this. Don't put much on.
I have found taking the cooler out and washing it under a tap, giving it a scrub with a toothbrush if necessary helps. After, put it in the oven at low heat, approx 70 degrees C for about 15 mins to make sure its absolutely dry. Then let it cool and re-install.
HTH
Paul