5672 heat issue

I think I found why the 5672 heats up. Look under your acer and in the cpu/video vent youll see a dark reflective thing. when you remove the panel youll see a film like piece covering the intake vent for the fan. I have taken mine off and my temps are down to 55c from 77c. May be a fix/help or may be something bad we will have to see.

 

yea please keep us up to date on that. i'm interested to see if you Borked your system, or made it bettter. lol.

 

I haven't taken my notebook apart in a while, but my hunch is that it's some kind of dust trapping thingy. And plus, why would Acer add more parts, if they want to keep the cost down? Moreover, add stuff so that it heats up? Highly unprobable, don't you think?

 

Im sure its a dust filter, as it was sealed and completly blocked the vent from doing anything. Like I said my cpu was at 52-55c after gaming for a bit, you will have to dust your system more with doing this, but hey I dont mind having a cooler rig'

 

More official results:
after 3 hours of hard core gaming CPU 57c/135f HDD 47c/117f.

Not bad for such a thin lappy packed with some serious power

 

Hmmm. I have very little experience with taking notebooks apart, but I went ahead and did so because mine runs hot as well. I removed the cover over the CPU and memory, etc. and found the fan, though nothing was obstructing it from the bottom, or atleast I didn't see anything. Is it blocking the exhaust on the side, or the intake?

 

I bought an ACER Aspire 5672 WLMI a few days ago and was suprised by the amount of heat I have to tolerate near on the touch pad and wrist rest area. The ACER help desk in the UK is trying to convince me that the heat is OK cause the bios constantly monitors laptop case temp and will cause a shut down if it gets too hot. What they fail to tell me is what is the temp at which this will happen. Can someone please tell me:
1. Is there some way I can find out the temp setting of the bios at which it will cause a shut down.
2. Is there a way I can monitor the laptop case temp using some software or the laptops OS.
3. Is there an industry standard on max heat the lap top user can be subject to.

 

I own an acer aspire 1692 and the heat is there. I think that all acer's laptops are equal. The heat under the palm rest or in the touchpad area or in the right part of the computer ( specially when using a mouse).
There is a program called notebook hardware control. It's helps you to controlate almost all of the processor performance.

 

Acer_user...
1. I am not sure about bios, but looking at my notebook hardware control (NHC) software, the CPU shutdown is at 95C and HD shutdown is at 75C. The BIOS may or may not be the same.
2. Try NHC at http://www.pbus-167.com/chc.htm
3. Dunno. I just know that my HP, Acer, my wife's VAIO, and my sister's DELL all run similarly hot; whereas my IBM runs very very cool around 30C.

 

Well what do you guys expect? I mean they are packing SO much power into such a thin chasis, its going to get warm. There are some things you can do to help. Doing what I did plus Ill be doing as5 and a cooler pad soon and the thing will run ice cold after that. Mine runs better with the cover removed, but even after hardcore gaming for a few hours it gets a little warm. Thats the nature of a lappy.

 

Could you post some pics because I looked and I am not sure what "dark reflective" thing you are talking about......

 

out of curiosity, what sort of temperatures does the 5672 get to? and how does this compare to other acers?

 

look at my review here to see the "dark reflective thing" - http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16348055 . If you read the review or scroll down to the pictures of the underside (cpu / northbridge / memory / gpu etc.) They are all there.

It is simply a cover to protect itself from dust. Nothing more.

Great pc by the way.

 

Sorry for the bump, but I was curious how removing the film has effected your computer since you first posted. Hopefully you're still around to answer.

I opened up the bottom of my Acer when I was having some blue-screen death on it (thought it was due to overheating, but turned out to be an unrelated issue), but couldn't muster the courage to pull it off.

 

I did alot of testing and gaming. As well as my usual thrashing of this pc and so far its helped alot. No matter what the circumstance; gaming, heavy multitasking, simple tasking. The lappy stays within the 50-59c range, even without the cooler on. I will be using artic silver 5 when I get a new cpu for my birthday, and then I should expect lower temps. But for now after a few weeks its still a worthwhile mod in my book.

 

anybody else try this? i'm jus curious as to how it's holding up...

 

Excellent review, SSX4Life. I ordered this notebook yesterday and it should be here by Wednesday. I bought it from NewEgg and will get the warranty soon enough.

I got an XP Pro CD so a rebuild is absolutely necessary for me.

The only grips I have is that it doesn't come with 2.0 Gigs of Ram and that the CPU is only 1.6. But more speed = more money and this labtop is a steal!

 

removing the strip helps a lot. i removed it last night and temps dropped from ~66 C to 47C! this is with a cooler. but my HD temp stayed the same.

 

mine idles at 45C and loads at around 52C or so. Strips are on for moe ^_^.

I'll keep em so I can keep my warranty.

Glad you liked my review, hope the new pc works well for you.

--ssx--

 

I actually called Acer and the guy told me that there wasn't supposed to be a "dark reflective" thing blocking the bottom vent. He told me to go ahead and take it off. While I only saw marginal diffrences in CPU temperatures, the heat on the exterior dropped considerably on the right side.

 

SSX you are a genius. That thin strip reduced heat significantly. THANKS!

Although the keypad is warm enough to cause some sweating, I'm looking for remedies for that.

 

I recommend getting a cooler pad. I shoots temperatures down by at least 5 ... 10 degrees Celsius.

 

I'm confused about this dark reflective thing.

Is this the thing between the heatsink and the cpu/gpu chips? Please let me know as I would like to reduce temps in my laptop.
Example whats visible in: http://img358.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture1007sk.jpg

 

Yeah I agree. I can't find ANY reflective film inside my 5672. There are black perforated strips going across a few vents, but they're perforated with large holes and are not reflective. The holes are large enough that they could not possibly be causing the heat build up. And these vents are very small, not the intake vent. The vent over the intake fan is completely clear of any strip or film. Nadda, zip. Actually, the only reflective object on the bottom of the circuit board is the silver retaining case that holds the HDD. I need a better picture of what you're talking about.

 

the dark reflective material is used as a dust cover to protect the "die" on the CPU / GPU / Northbridge chipset. Removing it exposes it to dust, that is all it does. Now as far as blocking vents or air temps I'm going to be HARDLY inclined to believe that this is causing the problems for you.

the reason being is that the "cooler" in the 5672 is a passive heatsink that uses heatpipes to move heat away from the warm components and then uses fresh air to cool it via the radiator.

There is no "airflow" in laptops like you would find in desktops.

Look at the pictures below
*note*These are high rez so be forwarned when opening them. *note*



You'll notice how the heatpipes move the heat (duh) and the air simply comes in the air vent and out the side. If anything the black "stuff" prevents dust from getting in the internals of the laptop.


Here is a better angle of the same thing. Notice how the airflow is completely inclosed and the black lables on the GPU / CPU / Northbridge do not cause it to get warmer?

Now if there is black sh!t on the actually fan to cool the gpu and cpu then you have a problem. If you don't then I would suggest that you LEAVE IT.



Here you can see the black label covering the 5672's northbridge. All of you people that say "the touchpad gets warm" this is because of the north brige. Notice how far the heat has to travel to cool the north bridge? Not only that, but the same pipe is shared with the CPU. This is not a design flaw, but how it normally works.



here we can see the GPU and the covering that helps PROTECT the die on the gpu. Would you want dirt and sh!t messing with your CPU or GPU die? I think not.



Here is the Northbridge on a closer shot.

In the end after reading all of the postivie (and negative) things about this laptop I would say that 35% of the people use the laptop on their bed or carpet or something that BLOCKS the airflow.

I previously owned the Acer Travelmate 4000lci with a 1.4ghz Dothon and intel graphics. If I sat that on the carpet and ran Adobe Premeire or WOW for an hour and came back guess what? It was hotter than hell as well!

It is not the laptop specifically, it is the fundamental use of the laptop in my honest opinion.

Sure there might be some of you out there with a defective 5672 or those with blocked airflow, or those with just problems in general. But I guess it comes down to the fact that I would suggest that you #1 use proper venting and #2 use common sense. Lack of airflow does != excellent cooling, but then again it doesn't take a rocket scientist or a 5th grader to tell you that.

--ssx--

 

Nice Pix. So what exactly did you yourself remove? Would it be possible for you to edit the pix with an arrow that points to what you removed? I see film UNDER the heat pipe and over the CPU/GPU but I was under the assumption that there was a film covering a vent opening.

Talon

 

Yeah, I see the film covering the CPU/GPU, but I'm assuming that I should not try to remove that.
A picture of what you specifically did remove would be a huge help.
Thanks

 

Well if that isn't an oxymoron i don't know what is...lol

So those that use it anywhere other than on a well ventilated desk are using it improperly your contention is? It is a laptop afterall.

 

Just like you would not block the fans on a desktop, same way you should not block the fans on a laptop.

I feel only some business laptops are truly meant to be "lap"tops. These home machines are "notebooks". The difference (some of you may ask)? A notebook is a portable machine with most of the things you need to do your work at another/remote location. However, it is not designed to be moved when reading from the hard disk, OR put in a cramped poorly ventilated area while running.

My cars speedometer (sp?) goes upto 140mph, but I have a feeling if I drove it regularly at that speed it would develop some mechanical problem.
That is not counting the numerous other problems I would have to deal with.

 

Agreed, the Acer is not meant to be used as a portable notebook/laptop at all. It runs far to warm for that, has poor battery life. That's why i replaced it with something much better suited to my needs. I made the mistake of thinking it could be portable and boy was i wrong. It belongs on a cooler tethered to the wall.

 

Basically that is a nice way of saying it is the USER error not the laptops fault.

Some people have slow computers and complain about it. The computer has not slowed at all, the problem is that the bog it down with spyware and useless sh!t.

People complain about the 5672wlmi and the heat it puts out and that it is causing problems. Agreed it ges warm but I don't leave my laptop on the shag carpet and try to render soemthing in photoshop or adobe premiere. I don't ry to game and play BF2 when no ventelation, that's just well dumb.

Not all laptops are meant to be on the road, people need to realize that.

That is what I was saying


--ssx--

 

Don't speak of things you don't know about first and formost. Using my laptop in bed and in my lap does not constitute "user error". I dont use it on carpet, but i also don't use it sitting on a table with a fan pointing at it either. What can i say, i expect a notebook to be portable, and run at a decent temp, this notebook doesn't meet those specifications. I'm glad you love the notebook so much and come to its defense, but i'm sorry it runs WAY to hot for me. I've owned it for months now, i took it accross Europe for a month with me, so i'm pretty qualified to comment on it. It's not exactly convienent to use it on a table when you're traveling around the world. But then again, when it's only getting 2 hours on battery it doesn't belong on the road anyways. I don't know why you insist on argueing with me on this subject. These are my opinions, deal with it. We all know you jock the Acer, but ffs don't try and discount others opinions to make your poor purchase look better...

 

I'm not trying to call you mis informed, nor do I consider your actions user error.

I just think that the user that plays WOW on their carpet for 4 hours and blocks all venting and then complains of it overheating is who I am talking about.

What I was trying to say is that people need to realize that not all notebooks are road warriors, and the 5672wlmi hardly qualifies as one. Acer makes the Travelmate for "travel" and the Aspre for "desktop replacements". I would consider the 5672wlmi as a "middle of the road".

I just think people need to realize that not all pc's serve the exact purpose they feel they should perform. A tablet pc will not get you very far on F.E.A.R but it will with portability.

It all falls under what the user feels is the proper constituency for usage.

Not trying to point fingers at anyone specifically, just trying to state an overall suggestion. Sorry if I pushed a button or 2.

--ssx--

 

Fair enough.

I agree with that. i thought this would meet my needs and quite frankly it didn't. I just want to warn that this notebook isn't for everyone is all.

 

Here's the reflective thing that's blocking the vent:


Sorry but I don't feel like opening the laptop again. It's attached to the panel, and not the board, so if you have it just take it off.

My laptop just died after playing BF2 for an hour (overheated). I wish I saw this thread before, so I could have prevented it. It's only 4 days old and I have to send it back to Acer already (newegg doesn't let you return laptops).

I'm so POed right now, why oh why did they put that there?!

---

BTW, thx liquid, now I know what to do when they send it back in 7-10 biz days =/....I wonder if they'll leave it on.

Does anyone know if they repair it or send out a new one?

 

Is there actual plastic covering the vents on the removable peice of plastic?

Just curious.

--ssx--

 

it's removable, not screwed in or anything...i think it's taped or something

 

It's like a thin plastic strip that is glued on the edges.

 

I'm sorry but I just don't see that on mine. There is absolutely nothing blocking ANY vents. Furthermore, that panel is screwed in on mine. Held there by six screws which is what I think SSX4life was referring to and not the actual reflective strip. So you're saying that the strip to be removed is actually covering part of the intake fan? Nothing like that on mine. The fan is free and clear of any obstruction other than the panels vent slots.

Talon

 

You are one of the lucky ones. Like someone on this thread said, they asked Acer about it, and Acer told them to take it off. It was probably something that's there pre-assembly, but was supposed to be removed at build time.

 

Decided to give it another shot and have one last look before I boxed it up.

 

FWIW I have had this laptop for 7 months and 9 days and the heat issue is not nearly as bad as it once was.

I'm getting a GMA950-based laptop anyway for the smaller size, lighter weight, and much improved battery life. (battery life should double and weight should drop by 2 lbs all for a screen smaller by 1.3 inches diagonal.)

 

Will I need to be overly concerned about heat with this laptop if I remove the thing you guys talk about and use it with a laptop cooler? I heard those help.

 

Hey no problem, works wonders on my lappy. But youll need to dust every so often, which you need to do in a lappy anyways. Remeber folks that most laptops dont have a film blocking vents and they get dusty ALL THE TIME.

Ruisu, let me know how you fair with the film off. Thanks

Yes it is glued to the panel that covers the GPU, RAM, and CPU.

Look on the underside of the lappy. Can you see into the laptop and see the fan blades? If not then the vent on the left side (laptop upside down and front facing you) has a film on it.


Thanks guys for all the interest you have in my mod. I am using it still, but I have the cover just in case. This mod coupled with a cooler pad and the lap[top runs ALOT cooler and there is no warmth in the plm area. Granted If I game alot or do heavy tasks without a cooler pad it still gets luke warm under my wrists; but compared to the factory heat its cool. Id recomend dusting every so often to get the dust out; which is a normal routine manitenance issue anyways. Let me KNow if you guys have any questions.

 

I got my laptop back today. They were a bit faster than I thought... They replaced the motherboard, but not the battery as I was hoping (it was extremely hot!).

I thought I'd let everyone know that the left the plastic film in place! So,I suppose I should to. I just hope my warranty isn't exhauste if it overheats again.

It's been running for about 20 minutes now, and surprisingly no fan has turned on yet...even as the GPU is getting ever warmer (whyy???)

Anyway...I see there is another thread about the heat issue. And from what I've seen in it, there is no safe solution to the heat issue. The heatsink mods those guys are making are probably going to void the warranty. If you game I suggest just getting the extended warranty...

If you're not a gamer, don't even worry about the heat issue. But I don't think I'll ever be able to get it out of my mind, that at four days old, this thing overheated after playing BF2 for an hour. I still don't feel too confident about its lifespan.

Thumbs up to AcerPanAm though. They paid for FedEx 2day coming and going.

Good luck to all, I'll be watching the forums for a real solution. Don't stop looking for one =]

 

That doesn't make sense. If you're gonna put film over a vent opening, then why make the vent slots to begin with? Just because the Acer techs didn't remove your plastic film, does not indicate that it was meant to be there unless they directly addressed your question about it. If you didn't mention it to them then I have to believe they didn't check it. AGAIN, if you block an opening intentionally, then why would you manufactuer a panel with air vent slots at that location to begin with? Furthermore, if the slots were later found by Acer to be detrimental to the cooling, they would have placed a sticker there warning us NOT to remove it just to avoid warranty issues. Nope, I'm convinced that it was not meant to be there.

Talon

 

I bought the 5672 when it first came out from Circuit City back in February. Mine has no film covering the vents (just checked). Looks like this is something they added later and although my system does get hot at touchpad its nothing unbearable and I've never had a system shutdown because of heat even after hours of gaming.

 

Well honestly, I think you should take out the film. Mine doesn't have the film either.

How I deal with the heat is by using an Antec Notebook Cooler(aluminium) and that's it. NHC shows me an idle temp of 46 degree celcius, and when I'm playing games such as oblivion or fear, it's around 55 degree average.

Right now when I'm typing this, it's 47 degree. Left palm rest area is cool, Right palm rest area is cool on bottom part, a little warm on the upper part. touchpad is slightly warm. left side is very cool and right side of the lappy is warm.

Last night before I went to bed, I turn off the cooler and left the laptop on. Woke up and the it's really warm around the touchpad area. Kinda forgot how warm it can get without a laptop cooler

Getting a good laptop cooler can really helps alot on the heat. I was able to overclock the graphics abit without worrying the heat.

 

No, no, I agree with you. I got mine back in May 06 and it never had the film over the vent slots or anywhere else for that matter. I use a Vantec Lapcool2 and just to make sure, I also attached the copper BGA heatsinks to the Southbridge and GPU. My mother-in-law recently passed away and I made a video montage tribute to her which I played at the viewing on my laptop and also at the luncheon following the burial, both times the video played in a continuous loop for 3 hours at the viewing and 4 hours at the luncheon and the touchpad never got the least bit warm. I was also using the lapcool. For me, the case is closed on this one( no pun intended ).

Talon