Repeated software crashes on video rendering

Have you ever cleaned under the keyboard or removed the metal plate located under the keyboard. On that plate there is a part of the heat pipe that tends to get clogged (exhaust for the smaller fan) and makes the GPU Processor/Memory and a few other chips run real hot.

Can you go a little more in debth on what you mean by "Crash"?

Did the behavior always exist - or did it just start to happen. Did you just happen to clean the machine before it started happending. By clean - I mean pop off the CPU, clean the heat pipes, and then apply "gunk" and reseat the CPU? If so, then I would recommend that the CPU be once more removed, that all of the old "gunk" be removed from the CPU and Heat Pipe (It can be a bit difficult) and then use AS5 (rather than R/S Gunk) before reapplying the Heat Pipe. You only need a little bit of AS5 (about the size of a grain of rice). When using the various "gunks", less is generaly better than more. Also, if there are any "air gaps" between the CPU and the Heat Pipe, odd Heat Problems will appear under constant high level CPU usage patterns. In these instances, Mobmeter may not have time to "react" and display the spike in temperatures before the machine/program "crashes".

I think we are to something

When you cleaned the heat pipes, I am assuming that you removed the heat pipe from the top of the CPU, cleaned the vents and then reinstalled the heat pipe after applying some more of the Radio Shack "Gunk".

If this is true, then that is probably your problem. You need to once again remove the heat pipe and then gently scrape what you can from the bottom of the heat pipe and the top of the CPU. This stuff is real sticky and it takes a bit of effort. After you have removed most of the "Big Stuff", then use Q-Tips and Rubbing Alchol to get the rest off. This will take about a half hour or more. Also, there may be a "Tape" located within the "Gunk" as many of the units used a Heat Transfer Tape and it generally looks as if it is the top of the CPU - but it's not.

Once you have completely cleaned both surfaces, I would suggest "rubbing" it with a paper Coffee Filter (Close substitute for a lint free cloth) several times to kind of "buff" the surfaces. After that has been completed apply a small bead (about the size of a grain of rice) of either the Radio Shack "Gunk" or AS/5 to the center of the CPU. Place the Heat pipe on the CPU and gently (with a little bit of downward pressure) twiest the heat pipe to the left and then to the right (always maintain the downward pressure). Then screw down the heat pipe making sure that you maintain a constant pressure on it so that no air bubbles form between the CPU and Heat Pipe.

After you have completed, fire up the computer, enable Max Fans (As a precaution) and activate Mobmeter. Watch the temperatures. If they are too high from the "Get Go" or spike unreasonably, you may have to stop, wait a while for the CPU to cool and do it over again. Sometimes it takes a couple of trys before you get it right - sometimes not. Also, it takes a couple of months before AS5 "cures" so it might run cooler later than it does shortly after installation.

Let us know how things work out. The machine should idle somewhere between 38C and 42C (as reported by Mobmeter) without the Max Fans being enabled. The Prescott CPU's run a bit warmer than the 3.4 GHz CPU (Non-Prescott) I have; however, those should still be reasonable idle temperature ranges.

You can get AS5 from a variety of places. Try google search "AS5". Here is one site: http://cablecrazy.com/Merchant2/merc...ory_Code=THERM

I have not used them so I can't recommend for/against the site. It is provided merely as a basis for what the stuff costs.

If there is any tape remove and discard it - The AS5 or R/S Gunk will replace it.

I am not fully familiar with the R/S Gunk and it may or may not be OK (or it may be AS5 under another name). I'd probably, go ahead and try it and then if that doesn't work out well, get the AS5.