Heating up

**Lucienne** · 2011-09-01 14:45

I'm a complete noob when it gets to technical stuff, but I've been told you guys don't bite, so here I go:

I got a new laptop recently that I use to play lol ffxiv on when I can't use my desktop. I'm using rather average settings and the game runs really fine. What concerns me is that as soon as i start the game, my fans start working like mad and my com gets rather hot. I'm using a chillpad.

Now, I found a thread on the topic on the official XIV forums, where people mention something about clock and turning it down.
What is this clock they speak of?
Am I supposed to change some sort of setting somewhere on my com?

This is what I have:
Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz
6GB
AMD Radeon HD6770M

**avelle** · 2011-09-01 15:48

Originally Posted by Lucienne

I'm a complete noob when it gets to technical stuff, but I've been told you guys don't bite, so here I go:

I got a new laptop recently that I use to play lol ffxiv on when I can't use my desktop. I'm using rather average settings and the game runs really fine. What concerns me is that as soon as i start the game, my fans start working like mad and my com gets rather hot. I'm using a chillpad.

Now, I found a thread on the topic on the official XIV forums, where people mention something about clock and turning it down.
What is this clock they speak of?
Am I supposed to change some sort of setting somewhere on my com?

This is what I have:
Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz
6GB
AMD Radeon HD6770M

Your fans are supposed to kick on full blast and be loud, that's what keeps your temperatures in check. Laptops also generally run hot because the components are all so close together and there's not a lot of air inside overall. If the machine isn't running so hot that you see weird artifacting on the screen, I really wouldn't worry bout it.

As far as clocks go, I can only assume they mean clock speed. Underclocking your CPU/GPU would possibly reduce heat, but would definitely reduce performance. I think you're worrying over nothing. You can try to Google around and see what typical temperatures are for your system and then install something like Hardware Monitor if you're really scared of overheating.

**Lucienne** · 2011-09-01 16:21

Thanks. If you tell me it's normal, I trust you. No sparks so far so I guess I'm good then. I haven't really played anything on a laptop before that would cause this kind of behavior and I don't want it to blow up on me when I'm abroad.

**Isiolia** · 2011-09-01 16:24

It's normal for a laptop to do that.

When a computer/chip uses electricity, the energy is dissipated as heat. The more power it uses, the more heat there is.

What modern computers, particularly laptops, do to combat this is not running the CPU/GPU at full speed if you aren't doing anything taxing. Uses less battery power, and means that the fans can keep things under control just idling at a low RPM.

When you fire up a demanding game like FFXIV, the computer shifts to running things at full speed/power. That creates more heat, and the need for the fans to run faster to compensate. Cooling/airflow is much easier to manage in a desktop, so the increase in noise may not be very much with those. On a laptop, with tiny fans spinning like little drill bits to try and push air through a tiny case...it'll get loud, and things will get hot.

**avelle** · 2011-09-01 16:28

Isiolia's explanation > mine.

edit: As a final note, just try to make sure you don't block the airflow to your fans, that's a recipe for bad news.

**Isiolia** · 2011-09-01 16:35

Originally Posted by avelle

edit: As a final note, just try to make sure you don't block the airflow to your fans, that's a recipe for bad news.

Definitely. Also pay attention for dustbunny buildup. I've seen some problems caused by clogged fans/heatsinks.

**Caiyuo** · 2011-09-01 16:35

Also if it remains hotter than you like afterward when the fans revert to a slower speed, there are programs that allow you to change at what temperatures and speeds the fans run, but that can obviously be dangerous if you were to set them lower than the default instead of higher.

**sruon** · 2011-09-01 18:11

FFXIV is notorious for that... I went to try changes today and managed to hit 110 °C (water boiling anyone?) where most games never break 90°C, and that's on a motherfucking desktop. I don't even want to imagine the kind of thing this game would do to a laptop.

**hey** · 2011-09-01 19:07

Originally Posted by sruon

110 °C

Uh, that sounds like a serious problem needing immediate fixing. Under 100% load, my cpu hits about 50c, and my gpu 66c. If you can get a desktop up to 110c, you need more cooling.

**Sol-Blackguy** · 2011-09-01 21:42

You could try undervolting, it's a pain in the ass to go through all the steps, but the payoff is a much cooler and much quieter laptop. Don't worry about damaging you computer either, the worst that could happen is a BSOD from trying to find the right voltage.

**hey** · 2011-09-02 00:45

Originally Posted by Sol-Blackguy

You could try undervolting, it's a pain in the ass to go through all the steps, but the payoff is a much cooler and much quieter laptop. Don't worry about damaging you computer either, the worst that could happen is a BSOD from trying to find the right voltage.

Maaaaaan, i haven't even tried to push it much (just lowered it a little since i don't want to repeatedly crash my laptop testing different settings right now), and my laptop is running ~10c cooler under load. Thanks for the tip.

**sruon** · 2011-09-02 11:05

Originally Posted by hey

Uh, that sounds like a serious problem needing immediate fixing. Under 100% load, my cpu hits about 50c, and my gpu 66c. If you can get a desktop up to 110c, you need more cooling.

GTX470, it's pretty much a barbecue regardless of the usage.

**Jefe** · 2011-09-02 12:35

Yep, it's normal and I wouldn't recommend you to undervolt since it's gonna be a pain in the butt. Avoid playing power hungry games w/ your laptop ;x

Originally Posted by Isiolia

When a computer/chip uses electricity, the energy is dissipated as heat. The more power it uses, the more heat there is.

I know it may sound counterintuitive BUT the more electricity a transistor uses the less heat is produced. This is because there's little or no resistance between emitter and collector.

**tornfleshofsoul** · 2011-09-02 13:50

I have the same problem with my Dell XPS M1530 Laptop. I've read up on my model and everyone complains about it over-heating with no solutions. I can even over-heat just watching videos. Mostly it's during games though. Hell.. I over-heated and shut down once playing Heroes of Might and Magic 3. Starcraft 2 is a challenge for me to play without dying. Anyone know any good solutions short of getting a different laptop?

**Cyn** · 2011-09-02 13:57

Originally Posted by sruon

GTX470, it's pretty much a barbecue regardless of the usage.

Assuming you're talking about GPU and not core temp, that's still hot. Might need better air flow in your case.

Originally Posted by tornfleshofsoul

I have the same problem with my Dell XPS M1530 Laptop. I've read up on my model and everyone complains about it over-heating with no solutions. I can even over-heat just watching videos. Mostly it's during games though. Hell.. I over-heated and shut down once playing Heroes of Might and Magic 3. Starcraft 2 is a challenge for me to play without dying. Anyone know any good solutions short of getting a different laptop?

Have you checked it to see if there's a lot of dust inside? Clogged air filters and heatsinks don't work very well, so if it's dirty blowing it out will make it run much cooler.

**avelle** · 2011-09-02 14:13

Originally Posted by tornfleshofsoul

I have the same problem with my Dell XPS M1530 Laptop. I've read up on my model and everyone complains about it over-heating with no solutions. I can even over-heat just watching videos. Mostly it's during games though. Hell.. I over-heated and shut down once playing Heroes of Might and Magic 3. Starcraft 2 is a challenge for me to play without dying. Anyone know any good solutions short of getting a different laptop?

Re-pasting the GPU will generally yield better temperatures, but I don't think you wanna go there. I'd definitely check for dust bunnies like Cyn suggested.

**tornfleshofsoul** · 2011-09-02 14:19

I check for dust every couple months, checked again just now. There's next to nothing. How easy/hard is it to upgrade the fan in a laptop? I haven't really looked into it.

**avelle** · 2011-09-02 14:32

Originally Posted by tornfleshofsoul

I check for dust every couple months, checked again just now. There's next to nothing. How easy/hard is it to upgrade the fan in a laptop? I haven't really looked into it.

When you checked, are you just looking at your vents or are you actually opening up the machine? The vents can look clean but the insides might tell a different story.

**tornfleshofsoul** · 2011-09-02 14:38

Machine is full open. fan blades are clean, small layer of crud on the very bottom plate of the fan, but took a q-tip to it and it;s nothing. vents were sprayed with air, all clean. I had a cheapy cooling pad before, it basically had a small fan and crapped out in like a month. looking into a new one now.

**Olo401** · 2011-09-02 15:42

Originally Posted by sruon

GTX470, it's pretty much a barbecue regardless of the usage.

470s & 480s in general have a tendency to run REALLY hot under load.. it's just the way the chip was designed. You'll get some variance depending on the manufacturer's choice of cooling. A good aftermarket GPU air cooler & specialized thermal compound might be able to get you down to high 80s-low 90s. Or, if you have the money, get a water block.

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