Laptop Runs Too Warm?

G

Gary Brown

Hi,

My new laptop runs much hotter than my daughter's. Do some of
them just run warmer than others or might I have a bad unit? I usually
run in power saver mode. It doesn't help that the cooling fan exits right
over my left knee.

Mine: Compaq Presario F527US: TL-53 (1.73GHz, 64b, dual core),
1GB, 80GB HDD
Hers: Toshiba Satellite M55-S3314: M740 (1.73GHz, 32b, single core),
512MB, 80GB HDD

Thanks,
Gary
 
P

Paul

Gary said:
Hi,

My new laptop runs much hotter than my daughter's. Do some of
them just run warmer than others or might I have a bad unit? I usually
run in power saver mode. It doesn't help that the cooling fan exits right
over my left knee.

Mine: Compaq Presario F527US: TL-53 (1.73GHz, 64b, dual core),
1GB, 80GB HDD
Hers: Toshiba Satellite M55-S3314: M740 (1.73GHz, 32b, single core),
512MB, 80GB HDD

Thanks,
Gary
Click to expand...

Open Task Manager with ctrl-alt-delete. Look at the tasks running on
both machines. At idle, you'd want the listed processes to be idle.
A process running at 100% is going to heat things up.

Second issue, is a bit more complicated. I've noticed this on my
desktop, and cannot explain it.

In the idle loop, the processor can execute the HLT instruction, and
a lower power state can be entered as a result. My machine, running Win2K,
used to do that just fine. I used a temperature monitoring program, to
see the effect.

I installed an antivirus product, and now the HLT feature doesn't seem
to be working. The processes on my machine are idle, but the power
state is not dropping as before. The result, is a higher idle operating
temperature for the processor.

I installed RMClock, and it has its own Idle Loop task that can be
installed. The RMClock idler runs instead of the system idle task.
The RMClock idler uses HLT. When RMClock is installed and that is
enabled, the processor does run cooler.

I don't know if the original change in behavior, was caused by a
Trojan on the machine or not. I still cannot trust my machine, even
though it scans clean.

Note that, the two laptops use processors from different companies.
One is single core and the other is a dual core.

I wanted to look up the AMD processor on amdcompare.com, but AMD
has replaced the site, with a new slick looking page on another
server. Too bad that you cannot get any data on their processors, while
using the web site! Otherwise, I would have been able to compare the
TDP of the two different processors. The processors won't have exactly
the same power dissipation, and that is another reason they'll run
at different temps and heat outputs.

Paul
 
K

kony

Hi,

My new laptop runs much hotter than my daughter's. Do some of
them just run warmer than others or might I have a bad unit? I usually
run in power saver mode. It doesn't help that the cooling fan exits right
over my left knee.

Mine: Compaq Presario F527US: TL-53 (1.73GHz, 64b, dual core),
1GB, 80GB HDD
Hers: Toshiba Satellite M55-S3314: M740 (1.73GHz, 32b, single core),
512MB, 80GB HDD

Thanks,
Gary
Click to expand...

Yes, some will be perceived as hotter running even if
producing the same heat due to the laptop size, design and
orientation of the heatsinking and fan(s), fan speed, where
they exhaust, intake air area, the speed (frequency and
voltage) resulting from the power savings mode, and probably
a few other things that don't come to mind at the moment.

Some will not only be perceived as hotter but actually be
so, due to variations in actual load of the running
OS/apps/etc. As for comparing the heat produced from the
two CPUs, you can get the datasheets for them from Intel's
website to compare, though at idle I wouldn't have expected
there to be enough difference to matter as much as the
aforementioned other factors.
 
K

kony

As for comparing the heat produced from the
two CPUs, you can get the datasheets for them from Intel's
website to compare,
Click to expand...

Oops, as Paul pointed out, it'd be AMD not Intel and
datasheet specs are more scarce for those, but a web search
might dig up the info.
 
G

GT

Gary Brown said:
Hi,

My new laptop runs much hotter than my daughter's. Do some of
them just run warmer than others or might I have a bad unit? I usually
run in power saver mode. It doesn't help that the cooling fan exits right
over my left knee.

Mine: Compaq Presario F527US: TL-53 (1.73GHz, 64b, dual core),
1GB, 80GB HDD
Hers: Toshiba Satellite M55-S3314: M740 (1.73GHz, 32b, single core),
512MB, 80GB HDD
Click to expand...

You might find that the cooling fan is actually an intake fan and the
exhaust is round the back or side somewhere. In which case you are
completely blocking all airflow and the thing is bound to heat up! I have
the same problem with my 2 laptops - I don't know why they call them
laptops, when you can't actually use them on top of your lap!
 
G

Gary Brown

My new laptop runs much hotter than my daughter's. Do some of
them just run warmer than others or might I have a bad unit? I usually
Click to expand...

FWIW: to clost the issue:

I measured tempuratures with a thermocouple at various points on
each laptop. They were essentially the same except for at the
exhaust grills. My daughter's laptop has a large exhaust grill on the left
side. Mine has two smaller exhaust grills on the top, left corner that aim
partially downward. The exhaust from the rear grill of my laptop is about
10C hotter than the exhaust from my daughter's laptop. This hot air
directed down on the knee apparently makes the entire unit seem
hotter. My TK-53 CPU consumes a lot more power than her M740 which
accounts for the hotter exhaust.

Thanks to those who responded,
Gary
 
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