Extensive T42p usage: Overheat?

[agarza]

I like to download lots of stuff off the net. On the nights I close the lid of my T42p. I leave the CPU undervolted to 0.618V (600MHz) but suddenly the fan triggers for a few minutes and shuts off. During the day, I'm also downloading stuff (I use FlashGet and tend to download from hosting sites like RapidShare).

My question is if the Wi-Fi card (downloading at 210kb/s) for at least couple of hours repeteadly during the course of a day could case so much heat that combined with the FireGL T2 (underclocked to 70MHz
) could cause the CPU to reach more than 48C even if it's undervolted?

If I raise the laptop, the bottom of the case under the touchpad and a little higher (which is where the GPU is located) are very hot.
I can't blame the thermal compound as my T42p has Zalman STG1 which IMO is far better than AS5. Another thing to consider is that outside temps are 25-29C, so that could be factor.

If the CPU runs at Max. Performance the fan would never shutoff.

I suffered a lot with my old T30 because the fan wouldn't ever shutdown, and my machines are in the same room I sleep in.

Any thoughts..?

[Temetka]

Remove the fan.

Clean everything with rubbing alcohol.

Add some AS5. Arctic Silver 5.

Re-install the fan.

That should help lower your temps.

I do not know if constantly undervolting the CPU will damage any of the system components.

[agarza]

Thanks for your reply: My Thinkpad is new, I just get it last August. I've changed thermal compounds to better, the only gain is when the CPU produces too much heat so that it sometimes stay in the hi 50. Merely said, the T4x series heatsinks are not designed to literally cool down the processor when this is not producing lots of heat. The heatsink works better with the CPU emitting heat and transferring it efficiently to the heatsink via a good thermal compound.

I just wanted to know if people around here tend to leave their Thinkpads T4x running all day long 24/7 and see if there are no much overheating (not to cause a crash) but basically the bottom of the laptop getting too [censored] hot

[Temetka]

Well my T41P get's warm but never to the point of being uncomfortable or too hot. I don't think the T42/T42P series would put out all that much more heat.

Do you have the short or long HS and Fan assembly?

[agarza]

I have the long assembly.

[Temetka]

Hmm...

Are you having anything like Seti or Prime95 running in the background? I ask because from your information, your hardware sounds more than up to task as far as cooling is required.

[antelope]

I have a 1.5 year old T42 and so far I have not had a problem with heat. It is on (and docked) most of the time. A lot of the time it is just processing email and EI and sometimes Autocad, Excel, Word etc too.

[skanky]

get either the fan control utility or nhc+t43 acpi file (dont worry it works for all t4x machines, and my t60 too) and use it to modify the thresholds of when the fan comes on/off. check the "TP utility work area" forum for links to dl.

i have a t41 which stay on all the time and i can sleep with it on and im very sensitive to sounds when its quiet (ie night)

[agarza]

Well, I forgot to post that the laptop have a 2nd hard disk in the Ultrabay, this may explain the raise in temps.

I use TPFanControl always, the fan is triggered at 52C and stopped at 50C, no problem there, is just that when the laptop is running at 1.8Ghz, the fan wouldn't every shut down, wonder if it's a design flaw

[Temetka]

Well then try the obvious: remove the 2nd hard drive and see how it goes.

I also 2nd the recommendation for trying out tpfancontrol.