X201 overheating - should I replace it instead of upgrading?
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 10:31 pm
I was planning today on ordering more RAM, an SSD and a new 9-cell battery for my X201. But the problem I've detailed below has made me think - is it worth putting down that money (probably about $400 AUD) on my X201, given these issues that are beginning to crop up, or should I just buy a new one? (X230 or even one of the Ivy Bridge equipped Edge models)
My X201 shuts down when I tax the CPU for a long period (video transcoding, archiving, etc). I've installed tpfancontrol and monitor it with RealTemp while trying to transcode video and I've seen what it sorta does now. It'll be locked at full speed, get to about 98 degrees (seven degrees from the shutoff point), the fan will kick into full speed at this point (seems kinda late), it'll creep up to 100 degrees, then the multiplier lowers to 9x (so my CPU runs at below half speed) and the temperature plummets to the mid 50s.
The fans slow down, eventually the clock speed goes back up, the fan remains slow until around 99 degrees, when it will again hover at around 100 degrees at full speed with full speed fan... and again the clock speed will drop, and the temperature goes to the mid 50s.
This process repeats until somehow the fan kicks in just too late, the laptop cracks 105 degrees, the screen goes dark, and 5 or so seconds later it'll turn off. I understand the X201 is known for these overheating issues - I keep the internals clean but we're heading to warmer months in Australia so the issue is getting worse. What can I do to fix it? I've made the tpfancontrol timings more aggressive but the temperature sensor in tpfc is still not as high as RealTemp, so it still eventually goes over and shuts off.
Decisions! Any help?
My X201 shuts down when I tax the CPU for a long period (video transcoding, archiving, etc). I've installed tpfancontrol and monitor it with RealTemp while trying to transcode video and I've seen what it sorta does now. It'll be locked at full speed, get to about 98 degrees (seven degrees from the shutoff point), the fan will kick into full speed at this point (seems kinda late), it'll creep up to 100 degrees, then the multiplier lowers to 9x (so my CPU runs at below half speed) and the temperature plummets to the mid 50s.
The fans slow down, eventually the clock speed goes back up, the fan remains slow until around 99 degrees, when it will again hover at around 100 degrees at full speed with full speed fan... and again the clock speed will drop, and the temperature goes to the mid 50s.
This process repeats until somehow the fan kicks in just too late, the laptop cracks 105 degrees, the screen goes dark, and 5 or so seconds later it'll turn off. I understand the X201 is known for these overheating issues - I keep the internals clean but we're heading to warmer months in Australia so the issue is getting worse. What can I do to fix it? I've made the tpfancontrol timings more aggressive but the temperature sensor in tpfc is still not as high as RealTemp, so it still eventually goes over and shuts off.
Decisions! Any help?