Hot and Noisy SkyFire laptop

[beverley.fielden]

I am having the same problem as the person who posted below. I have a 3 year old skyfire laptop that I use as a spare to safeguard my precious optimus IV

The skyfires fans are very loud and I can feel the chassis becoming hot even when I'm just browsing google.
I took the advice on the other post and clean the fans with a can of air a soft tootbrush but its still hot and noisy.

I downloaded HW Monitor but I am clueless about the information it gives me. Instead I used GPU-Z to look at the temperatures. The intel graphics tells me its running at 60 - 65 degrees and that really scared me :sweatdrop: I think from what i read Im in big trouble






I wonder if I need new fans or something before the CPU burns out !!
Maybe thermal paste too . However I have no confidence at all in doing any of this myself. Of course the PCS warranty is out of date

 

[beverley.fielden]

Oh dear .....

This looks pretty scary .... I did not even open the game ... just the log on screen

 

[Scott]

Download coretemp and see what temperature your CPU is running at. That does seem extremely high though. It's likely that a re-paste is required on the CPU/Heatsink.

 

[beverley.fielden]

Thank for the advice.
How do I know what a critical temp is? I mean how hot before any damage is done to the CPU ?

 

[Oussebon]

The CPU can handle temps upto 100 degrees C (it usually gives the limit on the intel page: http://ark.intel.com/products/78931/Intel-Core-i7-4710MQ-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_50-GHz) , so it's not likely damaged. Indeed if the CPU hits that limit it will probably reduce its power to reduce or maintain the temperature (throttling), or shut the PC off if it can't. It's quite hard to actually damage a CPU. But the hotter components are run at over a long period of time, the sooner the wear out (as far as my basic understanding goes).

80 degrees is the kind of temp you might see under very heavy load with a warm ambient temp. So those temps are quite a bit too high I'd say.

 

[beverley.fielden]

Thank You,
Yes, at the moment I am only running google and general browsing. I was too afraid to open a game. but thanks for your reassurance.
I guess the next step is to find an engineer to do the thermal paste thing

 

[Scott]

Those temps are sky high I'm afraid. They shouldn't be anywhere near that at almost idling. I would definitely advise getting that CPU looked at sooner rather than later.

I guess it's not something that you fancy taking on yourself?

Just for your information...... I doubt the CPU would even run that high with the fans not working so it definitely looks like a paste (lack of) issue.

 

[ubuysa]

WAIT!

Have you cleaned the dust and fluff out of it yet? Old laptops build up a ton of dust inside that reduces the efficiency of the fans and blocks the heat exchangers causing overheating. It's a VERY common problem.

Before considering a repaste open up the laptop as much as you can and using a can of low pressure compressed air (made for cleaning computers) and a soft brush, clean away all the dust and fluff you can see inside. Pay particular attention to the vents in the case, the fan blades, and especially the finned radiators close to the fans. These are the heat exchangers and it's where the main cooling is done. You need a good airflow through these heat exchangers, they are however very good at trapping dust and fluff that greatly reduces the airflow and causes overheating.

A repaste may indeed be needed (the paste doesn't last forever) but a proper clean is always the first step with an overheating laptop.

 

[Scott]

As much as I agree with laptops clogging up etc, this is generally only noticed when using the CPU. At idle the fans shouldn't even be required, I know mine aren't, so whether they are working to full efficiency or not shouldn't matter until they are actually required.

I really don't fancy the chances of dust in the fans being the cure in this situation.

 

[vaudeville]

WAIT!

Have you cleaned the dust and fluff out of it yet? Old laptops build up a ton of dust inside that reduces the efficiency of the fans and blocks the heat exchangers causing overheating. It's a VERY common problem.

Before considering a repaste open up the laptop as much as you can and using a can of low pressure compressed air (made for cleaning computers) and a soft brush, clean away all the dust and fluff you can see inside. Pay particular attention to the vents in the case, the fan blades, and especially the finned radiators close to the fans. These are the heat exchangers and it's where the main cooling is done. You need a good airflow through these heat exchangers, they are however very good at trapping dust and fluff that greatly reduces the airflow and causes overheating.

A repaste may indeed be needed (the paste doesn't last forever) but a proper clean is always the first step with an overheating laptop.

I can't agree with or over-emphasise this comment enough. MY vortex was running like a dog and making a noise like a data centre in mid summer. Everything was running hot including CPU etc. I opened her up and cleared the dog/cat/human hair out of the baffles and what do you know - 9fps to 60 fps and fans hardly turning.

So worth trying at least. It's like a new laptop again. Seriously. Especially if you've not actually done it at all since buying and it takes no time at all.

 

[ubuysa]

As much as I agree with laptops clogging up etc, this is generally only noticed when using the CPU. At idle the fans shouldn't even be required, I know mine aren't, so whether they are working to full efficiency or not shouldn't matter until they are actually required.

I really don't fancy the chances of dust in the fans being the cure in this situation.

And you could well be correct. However, it makes infinitely more sense to make sure the inside of the laptop is clean before considering repasting. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[Scott]

And you could well be correct. However, it makes infinitely more sense to make sure the inside of the laptop is clean before considering repasting. Wouldn't you agree?

For the OP, most likely..... for me..... nope, can't beat a good re-paste regardless

 

[beverley.fielden]

I have no choice at the moment. This hot and sticky machine is my only access to the internet right now.

I can get the system cleaned out by a local professional computer company for £28 . Or I can buy paste , air can and long screwdriver on Amazon and have a go myself. Dear God thank you for Utube!

I borrowed a fan thingy that I sit the laptop on. I have not put any stress on the machine as I too scared.
I will take your advice and get it cleaned as soon as possible

 

[beverley.fielden]

For the OP, most likely..... for me..... nope, can't beat a good re-paste regardless

Im the OP but I can learn. I will take it onboard and make sure its clean inside !! A repaste !!! how hard can it be ???


I downloaded a WoW update and the fans went through the roof . I was not able to even enter the game (sobs)

 

[Scott]

That's getting way past dangerous.

If you're happy to have a go you need to completely strip it right back so that you can take the fans & heatsink off of the CPU. On some laptops this can be straight forward with access from the bottom, but with most it's a full teardown.

Get a piece (or a few pieces) of A4 paper and a marker. As you take screws out, put them in drawn squares with a location of where you took them from. Individually separate any sizes. For example, the lower cover may have 2 different sizes of screws, take note where the minority come from and generalise where the majority come from. That way when putting it all back together you know exactly where everything should go.

It's not a difficult job, but it is a VERY methodical one so you need to take your time and do it right.

The repaste simply involves cleaning off the old paste with IPA, allowing it to dry, an putting a very small pea sized blob of paste right in the centre of the chip. Once that's done, re-fit the heatsink. As it's your first time I would suggest a trial run.... re-fit the heatsink then take it off and see what your paste looks like. As long as it covers the chip and is a VERY thin layer then you are good to go..... clean it off with IPA and re-apply it exactly like you did before. If it doesn't look right, take it off and keep trying till you get it right.

Have fun