[Cialug] OT: Two hardware problems

[Don Ellis]

I agree with both opinions.
Any dust accumulation will certainly interfere with cooling, and
should be removed by any means necessary.
Operation on a hard surface (scratch that -- ABOVE a hard surface)
will improve cooling
Addition of an external fan can significantly improve performance.

My first really fine laptop, a Mac PowerBook 2000 (Pismo) was really
powerful, and got pretty warm. I felt better using a lifter I got from
Other World Computing (not sure of the brand, or whether it was house
brand), which was cited as improving reliability. It was several years
before I realized it had a fan -- ran really quiet.

When I got a MacBook, I eventually picked up several pads with
built-in USB fans, one from Targus, one (that folds up to a really
small size) from Radio Shack.

Recently, I've noticed quite a number of these pads in wide range of
size and features at Micro Center. Latest models include built in USB
2 hub, however I have yet to find one that includes a power supply to
plug into the DC input in the pad; as purchased, all power to run the
fans and hub would come from the USB port on the laptop. And, I've
found really cheap USB 2 hubs that don't get enough power from their
AC adapters to run a USB external drive. If you get one of these
cooling pads, would be good to shop around for an AC adapter to get
full functionality.

--Don Ellis


On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 1:34 PM, jrnosee <jrnosee at gmail.com> wrote:
> If you're confidant removing the CPU cooling module you may also wish to
> replace the typical thermal pad with some arctic silver or something.  Also,
> when running the laptop make sure ALL fans are running properly (including
> GPU fan if you have one).  Keep the inlets for the fans (the openings on the
> bottom) clear so air can get in.  If you're working on a lap or soft surface
> such as a couch these may get blocked.  Despite being "laptops" it's usually
> best to work on hard surfaces.
>
> On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 1:28 PM, Matthew Nuzum <newz at bearfruit.org> wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 9:39 AM, David Champion <dchamp1337 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Sometimes you can fix the overheating issue by opening it up, and
>>> cleaning the dust from the cooling fan, and there's usually a small radiator
>>> for the heat pipe, these get clogged pretty easily, especially if you have
>>> pets at home.
>>>
>>
>> This exact thing happened to a laptop I had. Removing the keyboard allowed
>> access to the cpu fan and heat sink which had a a layer of dust and cat hair
>> just thick enough to pretty much completely block the airflow. Cleaning that
>> dust off caused the computer to return to good as new.