Hi guys. I'm wondering if my 9-month-old laptop's idle temperature of 45-60 deg Celcius is considered high. It's always been like this since the day I bought it but I'm worried it might fry my CPU and GPU in no-time at all. My average room temperature is 30 deg C (tropical all year). Under heavy loads (e.g. gaming, simulations, extreme multi-tasking), it can go up to 85-100 deg C most of the time. My CPU threshold is 105 but it's way too near and I don't think it can withstand that much amount of heat for long periods of time. I do understand the fact that it only has one fan and ventilation is a privilege for a small-sized notebook.

SPECS:
ASUS A42JK-VX059
Intel Core i5-520M (2.4GHz; up to 2.93GHz with Turbo Boost)
8GB DDR3-1066 RAM (upgraded from the stock 4GB; maxed out)
ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5145 (1GB dedicated VRAM)
14" LCD panel (LED backlit) (1366x768)
(I guess that's all the specs needed that's relevant here)

I hope you guys can comment on this. Thanks!

Quote from hiroshima guy :

my 9-month-old laptop

Quote from hiroshima guy :

It's always been like this since the day I bought it

Quote from hiroshima guy :

I'm worried it might fry my CPU and GPU in no-time at all

Probably not going to get fried in no time at all then.

Seriously though, you should consider buying a laptop cooler like this (UK website, I'm sure you can find similar things from a Singaporean eTailer or local PC shop). They generally plug into a free USB port and contain one or more cooling fans that blow air directly onto the bottom of your laptop. As you note, living in a tropical climate (with a high ambient temperature) puts extra stress on the cooling of the laptop (cooling is generally quite marginal on laptops even in moderate climates).

edit: You can also try clearing any dust from ports on the laptop's chassis, but if it's been like this from day one dust probably isn't that much of an issue.

I did at one point consider buying and using one of those coolers but I find it slightly bulky since I'm used to playing games on a flat surface (or doing anything at all). Raised surface always strain my arms after a while of usage. Thanks for the suggestion anyway, I'll reconsider that idea!

On second thought, are you sure my laptop is supposed to be that hot at idle? What worries me most is the temperature at heavy load...

100°C is kind of high, but on the other hand there is no way of knowing how accurate the temp readings are. If there are some vents on the bottom of the laptop, you might try putting some support between the laptop and the desk to create extra room for the air to flow. Four plastic bottle caps do the job for me and it reduces the temp by as much as 10°C.
Windows can to control the speed of CPU fan, is it possible you have it set to run as slow as possible and kick in only if the CPU temp gets really high?

Quote from hiroshima guy :

I did at one point consider buying and using one of those coolers but I find it slightly bulky since I'm used to playing games on a flat surface (or doing anything at all). Raised surface always strain my arms after a while of usage. Thanks for the suggestion anyway, I'll reconsider that idea!

Quite a lot of them (the newer ones mostly) are using low profile fans so they aren't that big. If you're going to be using the laptop mainly on a desk (or other flat surface) you could get some form of wrist support to help you out (e.g. this).

Quote from hiroshima guy :

On second thought, are you sure my laptop is supposed to be that hot at idle? What worries me most is the temperature at heavy load...

The problem with laptop cooling is that it costs space. With consumers wanting more and more computing power and thinner and thinner laptops the manufacturers are forced into a position where the cooling on a lot of models is on the verge of dangerous. They simply can't make enough room to put proper fans and ventilation in because the laptop would end up being too bulky. So, they put in the absolute minimum they can get away with. Another point is that the manufacturers design the cooling for the main markets (e.g. North America and Europe) which, generally, don't have the tropical climate (high ambient temperature and high humidity) you have in Singapore. This fact can put the cooling over the top.

MadCatX: I use RealTemp to see the temp readings. Yeah true that it might not reflect the true temp. Hmm about the fan speed, no idea. My OEM has a proprietary program called ASUS Power4Gear Hybrid that can control power usage and also fan speed. It'll vary the speed according to the respective temperature I guess?

amp88: I believe the designers over at ASUS thought over that ambient climatic conditions as well since it's a Taiwanese company and weather over there is kinda tropical as well, so I PRESUME they considered that.

Though I do have 2 of these (not exact same ones but similar) cooling balls that I plan on lifting up the rear portion of the notebook for extra ventilation. I wonder if that'll actually work and lower the temperature.

Quote from hiroshima guy :

My OEM has a proprietary program called ASUS Power4Gear Hybrid that can control power usage and also fan speed. It'll vary the speed according to the respective temperature I guess?

It depends, perhaps it's set to some powersaving profile which tires to not use the fan unless it's absolutely necessary?

Quote from hiroshima guy :

Though I do have 2 of these (not exact same ones but similar) cooling balls that I plan on lifting up the rear portion of the notebook for extra ventilation. I wonder if that'll actually work and lower the temperature.

I use plastic bottle caps to do just that and it works quite well for me

If I was you, I would reapply thermal paste, using a high quality paste. The ones that usually come with the laptop are terrible. You usually can access the heatsink by just a few screws underneath. There should be a panel that gives you access to the heatsink.

MadCatX: No I've left it on High Performance mode all the time, no matter on AC or battery. There's no reason why active cooling isn't on at all time. Anything that lifts the laptop up is good I guess? ^^

jasonmatthews: True, just chanced upon a video about cooling problems on Youtube and that's what the guy suggests doing as well. But with my poor handling skills, I'd be better off with some extra ventilation for now. I might have to hunt for the thermal paste as it's not frequently sought-after in Singapore afaik.

Have u done a fresh install of windows or does it still have all the bloat crap u get free with a computer installed?

A fresh install from a proper windows disc is about the best way to get ur laptop cooler and longer battery life...

Also do u use it on ur lap all the time because chances are ur blocking an airvent on the bottom of the thing.

Having the power on max performance all the time wont help either. Better having it on balanced for when on battery at least.

Yes it's fresh but it's mandatory for me to install all that shit school software and configuration things. And no, I use it on the desk most of the time, seldom on the battery as well as a result. I'm always having it plugged in.

Quote from Foilpact :

Have u done a fresh install of windows or does it still have all the bloat crap u get free with a computer installed?

A fresh install from a proper windows disc is about the best way to get ur laptop cooler and longer battery life...

lol.

Presumably you're using the laptop on a flat surface, which is fine. Any flat, hard surface will be okay but if you put it on a bed or something it will cause things to heat up.

I recommend buying some compressed air and cleaning out the air vents, even if you can't see any air on the vents it may have gathered around the internal components so won't hurt to use it....don't turn the compressed air upside down and then squirt it however, word of warning.

Also the other advice about buying laptop coolers is a good idea. The idea about taking off the thermal compound is not a good idea because let's face it, if someone is asking on a racing game forum how to reduce their CPU temperature I doubt they're knowledgeable enough to remove a Chipset from a laptop, clean it and reapply the correct amount of thermal compound without damaging something...it's not a hard task no, but you get my point.

Hope it gets fixed

Ok thanks man I'd seriously consider blowing it out every year or so to clear the dust away. Opening the notebook up sure is a difficult task and applying the thermal paste is harder! For now I'll just live with it since it's not a big problem and nothing went wrong after almost a year.

Quote from hiroshima guy :

amp88: I believe the designers over at ASUS thought over that ambient climatic conditions as well since it's a Taiwanese company and weather over there is kinda tropical as well, so I PRESUME they considered that.

The 6 million + Google results for asus laptop overheat* would tend to say differently

It seems from your last post that you've made up your mind to live with it, but I'd still advise getting a cooler of some sort. A thin cooler (or a 'normal' cooler and a wrist rest) would bring your temps down considerably, giving you peace of mind, a bit of headroom for temperatures (able to game/multitask for longer without worrying about rising temperatures and whether you'll reach thermal cutoff temperature) and it'll give some of your components a bit of a break (sure, they're designed to run quite hot, but keeping near the edge of the thermal envelope a lot of the time probably isn't a great idea).

Quote from jasonmatthews :

You usually can access the heatsink by just a few screws underneath. There should be a panel that gives you access to the heatsink.

Not always (like mine )

And it breaks warranty because there is a nice seal sticker on one of the CPU cooler screws.

Quote from amp88 :

The 6 million + Google results for asus laptop overheat* would tend to say differently

I guess there's nothing they can do on this issue lol. Space constraint is always the problem for compact notebooks with powerful guts.

Quote from amp88 :

A thin cooler (or a 'normal' cooler and a wrist rest) would bring your temps down considerably, giving you peace of mind, a bit of headroom for temperatures (able to game/multitask for longer without worrying about rising temperatures and whether you'll reach thermal cutoff temperature) and it'll give some of your components a bit of a break

I'll try the cooling balls first. If it doesn't help much, I'll get a cooler pad. I think I can do without a wrist rest since the 2 spaces beside the trackpad is huge enough for me to rest and it's pretty flat.

Quote from cargame.nl :

Not always (like mine )

And it breaks warranty because there is a nice seal sticker on one of the CPU cooler screws.

That's why amateurs like me don't like to chance things. Who knows we'd void a warranty and damage a component at the same time.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

lol.

Presumably you're using the laptop on a flat surface, which is fine. Any flat, hard surface will be okay but if you put it on a bed or something it will cause things to heat up.

I recommend buying some compressed air and cleaning out the air vents, even if you can't see any air on the vents it may have gathered around the internal components so won't hurt to use it....don't turn the compressed air upside down and then squirt it however, word of warning.

Also the other advice about buying laptop coolers is a good idea. The idea about taking off the thermal compound is not a good idea because let's face it, if someone is asking on a racing game forum how to reduce their CPU temperature I doubt they're knowledgeable enough to remove a Chipset from a laptop, clean it and reapply the correct amount of thermal compound without damaging something...it's not a hard task no, but you get my point.

Hope it gets fixed

Best advice.

Compressed air for sure - Laptops suck up all sorts of crap. I've pulled out so much fluff and animal hair from customers machines that stops the cooling fans altogether. And they wonder why it overheats while using it on a duvet! illepall

45 - 60 degrees C isn't all that hot for you spec at idle.... 85-100 under load is a little high but to be honest I'm not surprised with 30deg ambient temps. If you not really experiencing any crashes / lock ups or graphical anomalies I wouldn't worry too much.
That said the compressed air and extra cooling will only benefit the life of the machine

My idle temps are similar (Acer laptop), maybe a couple of degrees lower since I was watching a Flash video at the time. Under load probably close to 100. When the vents were clogged up, the GPU rose to 110 very quickly and the laptop shut itself off instantly.

Cleaning the vents is a 2-step affair:
- remove bottom panel, clean the panel intake and side exhaust
- there is a fan on top of the graphics card, it absolutely *must* come off (doesn't require applying any thermal paste but does need a very tiny screwdriver) in order to access the bigger vents on the body

I don't have any compressed air cans, the vents on mine are very visible and easy to access once the fan is off. I suppose it's bad practise to blow into it in case some spit were to short circuit something but I'm not worried tbh.

The hottest part on my entire notebook is the HDD. It's always burning hot all the time. Even the CPU's and GPU's temperatures vary according to the workload. Ironically, the HDD doesn't have a fan lol.

Can you run hardware monitor and post a screenshot of it here? I'm curious to see what it says.

Also try running it at the standard clock speeds for CPU/RAM, etc. Overclocking means more work = more heat.

Quote from shiny_red_cobra :

Can you run hardware monitor and post a screenshot of it here? I'm curious to see what it says.

Okay i will when i'm back from school.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Also try running it at the standard clock speeds for CPU/RAM, etc. Overclocking means more work = more heat.

If turbo boost kicks in for me during heavy gaming, why wont i want that lol? It improves the performance a lot. The clock speed goes to 1.4 ghz when it's idle so it isnt on overboost all the time. I don't overclock anything on my notebook other than turbo boost that kicks in automatically when it's necessary.

Sorry about double-posting but somehow it doesn't let me attach the picture onto the last post. Here is the shot of HWMonitor of my notebook at idle.

Quote from hiroshima guy :

If turbo boost kicks in for me during heavy gaming, why wont i want that lol? It improves the performance a lot. The clock speed goes to 1.4 ghz when it's idle so it isnt on overboost all the time. I don't overclock anything on my notebook other than turbo boost that kicks in automatically when it's necessary.

I just told you why - more power = more speed. In your opening post you mention your system is overclocked which brings us onto two questions:

1) Why did you buy a laptop for gaming?
2) Why don't you try setting system clock speeds back to standard and seeing if there's a heat problem (or as much of a heat problem then).

Quote :

Intel Core i5-520M (2.4GHz; up to 2.93GHz with Turbo Boost)

So turn off the turbo boost or set it to 2.4Ghz.

Many CPU's (not just laptop ones) turn themselves durn when idling or during low-processing work (such as writing a word document or surfing the internet) so that's nothing new. Less processing = less work = less heat.

Also the screenshot you posted shows nothing out of the ordinary for a latptop IMO.

Those temperatures are not that high, even if it's idle. Notebooks in general have terrible cooling because there's no space for serious fans.