Laptop keeps overheating, running at 80 degree C - plz help!

[DeionDavid]

I have a T42, and it keeps shutting down by itself when im running it for a while. I think it has to do with overheating problems because I'm using the Centrino Hardware Control prog and it says it is always around 77-85 degrees celcius.

What should I do to solve this problem because it shuts down on me liek 3-4 times a day. Do i need to resort to a reformat of HD?

[pianowizard]

Is ventillation around the computer reasonably good? You aren't putting the machine on a pillow or something, right?

[DeionDavid]

no im keeping the laptop on the dock port replicator II, i believe that's what it is called. ventilation should be ok i think.

also, should I not be running the laptop on maximum performance in the options of Centrino Hardware Control? because if i do, it always runs around 80 degrees, but if i put it to dynamic switching or a lower option, it will run at about 50-55 degrees

[christopher_wolf]

How long have you had the T42? It could be that the cooling system may need maintenance such as re-seating the fan and heatsink, some Artic Silver, etc.

Does the fan sound any different than it did before?

[sugo]

also, should I not be running the laptop on maximum performance in the options of Centrino Hardware Control? because if i do, it always runs around 80 degrees, but if i put it to dynamic switching or a lower option, it will run at about 50-55 degrees

When it runs in maximum performance it can get pretty hot and that mode is not needed for most users. Dynamic Switching adjusts cpu speed according to its load. It generally works pretty well.

[Hanson]

What are your voltage settings?

[jdhurst]

I can run my T41 at full tilt for hours on end and it has never exceeded 60 degrees at the CPU. Most of the time it runs less than 40 degrees. As others have suggested, try to look for a physical cause.
... JD Hurst

[AIX]

jdhurst, are you playing games? Is your GPU used at full capacity too? My T41 reaches 72 degrees when I play Civ4. That's 12 degrees above.. Is it anything wrong? Thanks.

[jdhurst]

I don't play games, but I have multiple processes running in multiple machines that can keep the CPU at 100 percent for long periods. That doesn't drive the video hard, and that may be the difference. ... JD Hurst

[dr_st]

That's not normal. Even if the CPU is at max speed all the time, it should not reach those temps while idle. Mine only reaches the high seventies after hours of crunching at 100%, and I never saw it go over 80C.

[FTC]

Hi,

That is a Dothan 1.7Ghz. If everything is OK and you are not running games, it should be at around 70 C MAX when running 100% for hours.
With arctic silver and slightly overclocked you should ba able to lower this to 60 C or alike. Even if running games it would add a couple degrees 5-7 to that numbers, but never the temp should reach the shutdown threshold (around 95 C)

So if yours is over 80 C, and sometimes does even shutdown, you are having a phisical problem with the heatsink/fan. Either it has incorrect contact with the CPU (or no thermal compound...), or the fan is not working properly, or the air exhaust is either dirt or blocked somehow.

[taishan]

That's not normal. Even if the CPU is at max speed all the time, it should not reach those temps while idle. Mine only reaches the high seventies after hours of crunching at 100%, and I never saw it go over 80C.

when i was running Warcraft III with my friends, my t43 reached pretty high temp..over 80C. Their P4 compaq laptop was not as high....

sigh....

[FTC]

when i was running Warcraft III with my friends, my t43 reached pretty high temp..over 80C. Their P4 compaq laptop was not as high....

Taishan, yours is sonoma based, and 1.86Ghz instead of 1.7. Both things would account for a couple degrees more over the case of this thread (Dothan centrino based 1.7Ghz).
In any case, if you did reach 80C with the machine in a well ventilated place (i.e over a table and not on your lap), it would for sure help to underclock that processor a bit (w/rmclock or NHC) and/or putting some good thermal compound to improve thremal transfer between CPU and HSF. (and also maybe on the GPU). I have been able to reduce temps significatively with those measures in my machines.