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    M15x HDD Permanent Overheating - Help

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by gracemillian, Feb 9, 2014.

  1. gracemillian

    gracemillian Notebook Guru

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    Hey all,

    I'm kind of worried about my HDD which is always at very high temps - 55C and above (even when idle-ing). I fear this is making my laptop slow and will eventually cause it to fail. What can I do to fix this overheating issue? On a quiet day I can hear electronic sounding sounds from the charging cable. I never use my laptop on it's battery mode.

    My CPU and GPU temps are fine, I clean my vents regularly with compressed air and the room temperature should not be the problem as my brother's Dell laptop HDD idles at 47C.

    My config is as follows: Intel Core i7 920xm, AMD HD5850m, 6GBDDR3, 9 cell battery and stock power cable. OS - Windows 7 SP1.
     
    gracemillian, Feb 9, 2014
    #1
  2. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    What programme are you using to monitor HDD temperature? I suggest HWinfo64. My HDD is idling at 32 degrees and my SSD at 27. It could be a sign that your hard drive is about to die or there is a problem with your PSU.
    Is your brother's Dell PSU compatible with your Alienware? Doesn't matter if the power wattage doesn't match. Try that and see what happens.

    Make sure any important info is backed up. Finally install Alien Autopsy and run the full tests then seperate HDD tests.
     
    fatboyslimerr, Feb 10, 2014
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  3. gracemillian

    gracemillian Notebook Guru

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    I'm using HWinfo. I tried using my brothers PSU and it's 130W so my laptop's performance dropped, I did not notice a difference in temps though. I'll run this Alien Autopsy thing as soon as I get back home. Do you know where I can download this software?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    gracemillian, Feb 10, 2014
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  4. simonmpoulton

    simonmpoulton Notebook Deity

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    What is the make and model of hard drive you have? I know my Crucial M500 runs around 50 Degrees which is normal but a standard hard drive shouldnt run that hot.
    Are you using a cooling pad by any chance?
     
    simonmpoulton, Feb 10, 2014
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  5. gracemillian

    gracemillian Notebook Guru

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    It's a Seagate 500GB HDD model. No cooling pad.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    gracemillian, Feb 10, 2014
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  6. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    It could be a bad drive. Do you have any way to try a different one in your machine?
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Feb 10, 2014
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  7. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    http://content.dellsupportcenter.com/updates/aulauncher.exe
     
    fatboyslimerr, Feb 10, 2014
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  8. simonmpoulton

    simonmpoulton Notebook Deity

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    It may be a faulty temperature sensor in the drive - is it 55 Degrees straight after turning on after the machine has been off for a few hours?
    You could also try taking the drive out immediately after the machine has been on and seeing just how hot it actually is.
     
    simonmpoulton, Feb 10, 2014
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  9. gracemillian

    gracemillian Notebook Guru

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    Thanks for the link, I'll download it and run it soon. I wish it was a faulty temp sensor but I can feel the HDD get really hot.

    Thing is, this a crucial period for me as I have presentations and such so I really need this HDD and I need it alive!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    gracemillian, Feb 10, 2014
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  10. gracemillian

    gracemillian Notebook Guru

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    I don't actually have any other drive I could fit in to test.


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    gracemillian, Feb 11, 2014
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  11. gracemillian

    gracemillian Notebook Guru

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    gracemillian, Feb 15, 2014
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  12. Alienware-Natalia_J

    Alienware-Natalia_J Company Representative

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    Alienware-Natalia_J, Feb 17, 2014
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  13. gracemillian

    gracemillian Notebook Guru

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    Thanks for your reply!!


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    gracemillian, Feb 18, 2014
    #13