Laptop overheating

[ARBrad]

UPDATE: So it would seem that this particular model of laptop is prone to this issue. It only has a single fan and a single exhaust vent. I believe most of the problem is coming from the GPU, which is currently 64 degrees Celsius idling, which heats up the rest of the computer.

How easy/hard would it be to replace the old fan and put in a stronger one? Or maybe cut a few more slits in the casing to allow heat to escape?

 

[dale]

Not recommended to cut more slits, as it breaks the intended air flow (which doesn't seem to be very well-designed, but still).

Also not recommended to work on the fan. Laptops are not designed to be easy to work with when it comes to replacing or changing parts (except for RAM and HDD).

BTW, how hot or dusty is your environment?

How old is this laptop?

Could we perhaps see some sort of performance log?

 

[ARBrad]

Not recommended to cut more slits, as it breaks the intended air flow (which doesn't seem to be very well-designed, but still).

Also not recommended to work on the fan. Laptops are not designed to be easy to work with when it comes to replacing or changing parts (except for RAM and HDD).

BTW, how hot or dusty is your environment?

How old is this laptop?

Could we perhaps see some sort of performance log?

Gotcha.

And my bedroom is in the basement, so it is relatively cool. It's also a mostly dust free environment (severe dust allergies, air purifiers and bi weekly dustings)

The laptops were made in '09, so I'm assuming 3-4 years old.

And how would I obtain such a log? Game Booster's diagnostic?

 

[dale]

If you are comfortable with Perfmon (performance monitor), you could use that.

So far we've gathered that your overheating issue is not due to:

• Usage out of the norm (you were only watching YouTube video)
• Cooling pad (although I'd still recommend you remove it)
• Bad environment (your basement seems ideal -- cool and dust free)

Which looks pretty grim because it looks more and more like something hardware... And with laptop, you can't do much with hardware.

So ... with some sort of performance log, we can decide if it's something on the software level at all.

 

[ARBrad]

If you are comfortable with Perfmon (performance monitor), you could use that.

So far we've gathered that your overheating issue is not due to:

• Usage out of the norm (you were only watching YouTube video)
• Cooling pad (although I'd still recommend you remove it)
• Bad environment (your basement seems ideal -- cool and dust free)

Which looks pretty grim because it looks more and more like something hardware... And with laptop, you can't do much with hardware.

So ... with some sort of performance log, we can decide if it's something on the software level at all.

Honestly, no idea how to use perfmon. I grabbed some data with Game Booster and SpeedFan (Core Temp doesn't go as in-depth for temp readings)
http://i.imgur.com/lv1OGLo.jpg
Game Booster report - HP G60-117us - Pastebin.com

This is both a good thing and a bad thing, I suppose. I guess if push comes to shove, I just run this laptop very lightly, or run it until it dies.

 

[dale]

Could you log again when temperature readings are bad? From your logs, they are on the warm side, but still OK.

 

[setishock]

When is the last time you took a can of air and blew it out real good?

 

[ARBrad]

When is the last time you took a can of air and blew it out real good?

A day or two after I bought it and last Tuesday. Compressed air on the exhaust vents and a vacuum on the fan.

 

[setishock]

Ugh a vacuum. That's too dangerous. Static can jump from the vacuum to the laptop or computer with enough power to fry it. But if you go that route put a toothpick through the vent over the fan blades through the blades. That keeps it from spinning too fast.
Then hold the vacuum over the exhaust vent. Next put the nozzle over every vent on the side and bottom. Don't forget to pull the pick out when you're done. If that doesn't help the temps to go down some, it's time to take it apart and that's not a project for the weak of heart. Take it to a shop and get an estimate of a clean up job.

My money's on you toasted the fan bearing with the high velocity air from the vacuum.

 

[ARBrad]

Ugh a vacuum. That's too dangerous. Static can jump from the vacuum to the laptop or computer with enough power to fry it. But if you go that route put a toothpick through the vent over the fan blades through the blades. That keeps it from spinning too fast.
Then hold the vacuum over the exhaust vent. Next put the nozzle over every vent on the side and bottom. Don't forget to pull the pick out when you're done. If that doesn't help the temps to go down some, it's time to take it apart and that's not a project for the weak of heart. Take it to a shop and get an estimate of a clean up job.

My money's on you toasted the fan bearing with the high velocity air from the vacuum.

I highly doubt that the vacuum killed the bearings in the fan, because it was overheating before this, which is why I broke out the vacuum in the first place. I might just take it apart myself, I have experience opening laptops and such, it's just a pain in the rear I was hoping I could avoid. Seems like there's no way around it, though. I'll give it a good cleaning and report back with the results.