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How much heat is too much heat?
18 May, 2005 in Laptops - General
Laptops, like Desktops, generate heat from the processor, memory, hard drive and video card. You notice it more with a laptop because it is up on the desk with you (or on your lap) instead of on the floor, and you are typing right above the heat sources. So, the question is how much heat is too much heat, and what can you do to help keep it cool?
Processors as a whole continue to get smaller over the years, while at the same time they are steadily increasing in power and performance. Even the Pentium M processors have continued to gain in performance while getting smaller in size. All this comes with a price that translates into more heat being generated than what was generated several years ago.
Heat isn’t abnormal; in fact it is expected since today’s processors are engineered to run within a certain temperature range which in turn requires good heat management. Most good laptops today also have a temperature control for chassis temperature. First, the fan turns ON or speeds up for active cooling when the temperature approaches the safe upper limit. Second, the CPU decreases speed for passive cooling when the temperature comes too close to the safe upper limit. Third, the system will shut down for critical cooling when the temperature exceeds the maximum safe upper limit.
Both Sager and PowerPro laptops are well designed to stay within the engineered heat range with a sophisticated heat sink and thermostatically controlled fans. Managing the heat in a laptop is very much like managing the heat under the hood of a car. Running at the proper heat range actually increases performance. The real key is how well the heat is managed and is there anything a user can do to help? Even though the optimum heat range can vary from laptop to laptop, there are some general principles governing how the user can help manage excessive overheating of their laptop.
Here are some simple suggestions:
> Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound: Consider using Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound between your processor and heat sink instead of the standard wax based thermal pad. Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound has shown that it can reduce the heat of your CPU by 6 to 12 degrees Celsius (11 to 22 degrees Fahrenheit).
> Periodically clean your laptop: Make sure that you occasionally clean your fans, and more importantly your heat sink. Depending on how dusty your environment is, once every 6 months should be good, or more often if necessary. It is easy to remove the heat sink (but not the processor) for thorough cleaning. A can of compressed air will do a nice job handling this task.
The first time you do this you might be amazed at the amount of "stuff" that has accumulated there. Once you have been amazed, you will tend to be diligent in your efforts to clean your laptop from time to time.
Please read your manual for instructions on how to access the heat-sink / processor area, and if you need further assistance, contact our 24/7 Customer Service at 1-877-774-1911.
> Laptop placement: Avoid placing your laptop directly on a bed, couch or carpet, or placing items (your lap, books, cables, clothes, paper, etc.) near the Air Intake / Outlet vents which will obstruct the air flow or block it entirely.
> Air Flow: We have a customer that is a CAD Engineer that purchased a Sager Laptop from us and did several tests on the laptop. He discovered that just lifting the laptop up in the back about a half an inch made a difference in cooling the laptop by several degrees.
> Laptop Tray, Cooler: You may want to consider purchasing a laptop cooler or laptop tray which will help your laptop stay cooler by several degrees Celsius. You can Google "laptop tray" or "laptop cooler" and you will find several types available.
> Keeping your lap cool: If you are looking for the convenience of actually placing your computer on your lap, we strongly recommend that you consider an Intel Pentium M/Centrino based laptop. Centrino laptops are thin, light, cool and quiet with long battery life. Even with the Intel Pentium M/Centrino laptops you need to be mindful of any air vents that may be located at the bottom of your laptop. There are several innovative products on the market today to help lessen the amount of heat that will be in contact with your body making it more comfortable for placing a laptop in your lap. Here are a couple examples: http://laplogic.com/current/html/products/lappads/traveler-overview.html or http://www.xpad4laptop.com/index.html
> Don’t Over Clock: Gamers ask whether it is safe to over-clock the CPU to gain faster speeds. This is definitely not recommended. The CPU performance has little to do with the overall performance in gaming. The GPU (video card) does most of the work in games and other 3D applications. Over-clocking GPU’s is not recommended either. The risk to benefit ratio is too low to really justify it, and any benefit is usually short lived when the next faster GPU comes out on the market anyway. Also, over-clocking voids your warranty and increases the amount of heat either the CPU or GPU produces, thus making the fans work harder to dissipate the heat.
> Tools: For those of looking to measure the heat of your laptop you may like to try using Mobile Meter (not compatible with all laptops). It is a great little tool for measuring the heat of your CPU and Hard Drive. It also measures your CPU speed and battery condition: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Oakland/8259/