Xideus
07-02-2006, 02:20 PM
I have an Acer TravelMate 8100 with the 1.86 GHz processor, and default 512 mb of RAM, upgraded to 1.5 gb of RAM (with a second 1 Gb stick).
I need a cooling pad for the 8100. Which one do I choose? And what else can I do to reduce overheating while playing games, and still maintain max performance?
I managed to melt my mobo cuz of this problem. For months I had problems with the laptop overheating while playing games. It would last a few hours or even just 30 minutes. The CPU would heat up from 65 degrees to 85 degrees. For awhile, the laptop would just shut off when it reached this point. When it would shut down, the screen would fade to white. Then, when it booted up, it showed only the white screen. The mobo had melted down. :(
I sent in the laptop to Acer for repairs. They had to replace the mobo to get it working. It was about a month past the one year warranty, and about two weeks past the official purchase date. They said they might have covered the cost, but they refused to honour the warranty since it was not through an official re-seller. So, I got stuck with a big bill (standard Acer repair charge), in American dollars from a Canadian repair shop!! Well, I can't afford to do that twice. :( Cuz of this experience, and cuz they are not cheap to fix, I plan to avoid Acer laptops in the future.
Okay, so the mobo was replaced, problem solved? No!! The same problem is evident, and I am right back where I started, albeit with a new mobo.
During the previous year, overheating seemed to be less of a problem. I think it was because it was the winter months, and also because last summer I was living in a different place with better ventilation in the room with the laptop. However, I wonder if something else was at fault, as well. Like a voltage setting? Either default, or one that got changed by accident? However, I have NO idea how to test all the default settings. The only way I can be sure it's back to the original factory settings is to wipe the HD, and reinstall Windows. (Acer repair left windows alone)
Throughout this whole endeavour, never did they suggest how I may run my laptop cooler, either a hardware or software solution. They aren't very helpful. :(
Is there only one fan in this laptop? I am wondering if the CPU cooling solution inside the laptop is broken somehow. How is the CPU cooled exactly?
I started testing things just this week using Notebook Hardware Control. I only just discovered that 'Battery Optimized' mode using NHC brings the temp way down, by 10 or 15 degrees, when it's activated while the AC adapter is plugged in. I will continue testing this solution, and compare the performance of this versus max. performance. The main difference is that the CPU runs at 800 MHz instead of 1.86 GHz. Strangely, setting the mode to 'Dynamic Switching', where it still drops the CPU speed to 800 MHz, didn't drop the temp by the same amount. Only 'Battery Optimized' has a dramatic effect. Any ideas why?
Of course, I still want to run the CPU at full speed, and get full performance while in-game with ANY game (BF2, EQ2, etc.). I have Omega drivers installed, still not clear what gain I get from those, but it doesn't seem to affect the temp problem. Omega drivers versus default 8100 drivers seems to carry the same temp ramp for games. At least, both were used while the CPU temp was hot, and the video card driver seems to have no effect on how hot it runs. Except that it runs hot during games, when the video card is doing the most work?? But the video card didn't melt.
I need a laptop cooling pad to avoid a repeat of the mobo melt-down. What laptop coolers can anyone recommend, and what effect will they have on the CPU temp in-game?
Also, I found that NHC allows you to set a mid-point for the CPU speed. What would be a good mid-point for this laptop? I would like to test this some more...
Until I get a cooler, I'm going to stick with 'Battery Optimized' to save myself another head-ache.
I need a cooling pad for the 8100. Which one do I choose? And what else can I do to reduce overheating while playing games, and still maintain max performance?
I managed to melt my mobo cuz of this problem. For months I had problems with the laptop overheating while playing games. It would last a few hours or even just 30 minutes. The CPU would heat up from 65 degrees to 85 degrees. For awhile, the laptop would just shut off when it reached this point. When it would shut down, the screen would fade to white. Then, when it booted up, it showed only the white screen. The mobo had melted down. :(
I sent in the laptop to Acer for repairs. They had to replace the mobo to get it working. It was about a month past the one year warranty, and about two weeks past the official purchase date. They said they might have covered the cost, but they refused to honour the warranty since it was not through an official re-seller. So, I got stuck with a big bill (standard Acer repair charge), in American dollars from a Canadian repair shop!! Well, I can't afford to do that twice. :( Cuz of this experience, and cuz they are not cheap to fix, I plan to avoid Acer laptops in the future.
Okay, so the mobo was replaced, problem solved? No!! The same problem is evident, and I am right back where I started, albeit with a new mobo.
During the previous year, overheating seemed to be less of a problem. I think it was because it was the winter months, and also because last summer I was living in a different place with better ventilation in the room with the laptop. However, I wonder if something else was at fault, as well. Like a voltage setting? Either default, or one that got changed by accident? However, I have NO idea how to test all the default settings. The only way I can be sure it's back to the original factory settings is to wipe the HD, and reinstall Windows. (Acer repair left windows alone)
Throughout this whole endeavour, never did they suggest how I may run my laptop cooler, either a hardware or software solution. They aren't very helpful. :(
Is there only one fan in this laptop? I am wondering if the CPU cooling solution inside the laptop is broken somehow. How is the CPU cooled exactly?
I started testing things just this week using Notebook Hardware Control. I only just discovered that 'Battery Optimized' mode using NHC brings the temp way down, by 10 or 15 degrees, when it's activated while the AC adapter is plugged in. I will continue testing this solution, and compare the performance of this versus max. performance. The main difference is that the CPU runs at 800 MHz instead of 1.86 GHz. Strangely, setting the mode to 'Dynamic Switching', where it still drops the CPU speed to 800 MHz, didn't drop the temp by the same amount. Only 'Battery Optimized' has a dramatic effect. Any ideas why?
Of course, I still want to run the CPU at full speed, and get full performance while in-game with ANY game (BF2, EQ2, etc.). I have Omega drivers installed, still not clear what gain I get from those, but it doesn't seem to affect the temp problem. Omega drivers versus default 8100 drivers seems to carry the same temp ramp for games. At least, both were used while the CPU temp was hot, and the video card driver seems to have no effect on how hot it runs. Except that it runs hot during games, when the video card is doing the most work?? But the video card didn't melt.
I need a laptop cooling pad to avoid a repeat of the mobo melt-down. What laptop coolers can anyone recommend, and what effect will they have on the CPU temp in-game?
Also, I found that NHC allows you to set a mid-point for the CPU speed. What would be a good mid-point for this laptop? I would like to test this some more...
Until I get a cooler, I'm going to stick with 'Battery Optimized' to save myself another head-ache.