Thinkpads Forum

I am having a problem with overheating and it appears the heatsink isn't doing its job. I set the machine up on its side with the fan up while it's running and the fan cover off. The fan starts to run, but the copper piece that is supposed to wicfk away heat stays cool. (just slightly warmer than room temperature) then the machine shuts down. I have already resetaed the heatsink with thermal grease. I need someone else to tell me if what I am feeling is normal. I would expect that by the time the machine shuts down, the copper piece should be too hot to touch comfortably.

With my experience on my friend's n100, it should be too hot to really set you hand on within a few minutes of running. It sounds like the thermal compound isn't doing its job. Don't take this the wrong way since it's a serious question and not an accusation, but do you have experience with re-seating heat-syncs (it sounds like you've done it before)? Are you sure the old stuff was completely clean, you had good quality compound, and you got a thin enough layer? Is your processor running at full speed? Try a tool like speedfan to watch your temps, processor speed, and fan rate. If it all checks out, it may just be doing its job better than most, and your CPU has an issue.