Aspire 6920G overheating after Windows 7 install

Hey

I did a clean install of 64-bit Windows 7 on to my laptop yesterday, replacing 32-bit Vista. There was no issue with the install.

However, since then, I've begun to have some overheating problems. When I run high-demand applications (ie Elder Scrolls), the CPU becomes very hot and the laptop ultimately switches itself off in order to avoid damage. This never happened when Vista was installed, so I'm guessing it's not a hardware problem. I never checked the CPU temperature with Vista, so I don't know if there's been a significant increase generally, but the CPU is currently around 65C (EDIT: temp dropped to around 40C now) with very little running. (then again, I was playing ES earlier so I don't know if it's still cooling down)

I installed what drivers I could from the Acer website to see if that would make a difference, but apparently not. I'm wondering if a BIOS update might solve my problem. I'm aware that RMClock may lower my temperature, but would prefer to solve the problem at its roots if possible.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Cheers

 

Hello Nick89, and welcome to the forums!
If you're sitting at 65 degrees while idling, you've certainly got an issue. When was the last time you cleaned out your fan intake and exhaust?

If you let your fan intake get too dusty, it'll choke off the fan and reduce its ability to keep your system cool. And if there's dust on the copper grille that the fan blows on, it can't transfer heat from your CPU and GPU as effectively.

I find it hard to believe that Windows 7 is the cause of the problem. My thinking is that Win7 is only reacting different from Vista to the problem, as opposed to causing it.

 

I read through the 6920 owners' lounge thread earlier, and there was someone who had had a similar problem (overheating after Win7 install). They had solved it (using your advice), to a large extent, by cleaning their fan. I'll do that as soon as I can. I ultimately did run RMClock, which has reduced temperatures pretty impressively so that should keep the system okay until then.

As for Win7 being linked with the problem, I'm still unsure about the connection but the reacting differently did occur to me: I haven't had any problems with throttling since installing the OS and was wondering if the throttling which I had experienced using Vista had prevented the overheating? Because it's no longer throttling, the CPU's hitting temperatures that it never used to reach? I don't know if that could be correct (mainly because I don't know what was telling it to throttle and whether Win7 would have affected that), but would be interested to know your opinion.

Thanks for the welcome and for the response!

 

Throttling is supposed to be the system's reaction to potentially dangerous temperatures, cutting the speed of the CPU so that it doesn't overheat further. It's just that the 6920G normally thinks that throttling point is about 30 degrees Celsius below where it should be. :3
That information tends to be stored in the BIOS anyway, and a change in OS shouldn't change that.

My current theory is that there is a slim but noticeable difference in power plans between Vista and 7, and the changeover causes your CPU to run at full power more often, causing the elevated temperatures. Either way, cleaning the fan intake is an excellent move (there's a mesh screen between the plastic panel and the fan). Also, consider elevating the back of your machine to improve airflow further. I personally stick an SD card case under both of the rubber feet on my 6920G's rear.