Asus A6J(a) Heat problems

Hello.

I just purchased my first laptop ever, a Asus A6Ja with a 1.83GHz Core Duo, 1x1024MB DDR2 memory, 15.4 WXGA and Mobility Radeon X1600 256MB.

This notebook is perfect in every way (for my needs) except one thing.

Heat.

The right side of the notebook gets very warm when it has been on for a while (after 1 hour approx). It seems like heat is building up alot right beneath the touchpad area, on the right side of the touchpad area (right under the right alt gr/windows/ctrl keys) and generally around the Enter key area.

The CPU on this notebook is on the upper left side, so thats not the cause of it. Seems like it is right ontop of the HDD and maybe where the GPU/memory is. For me, since this is my first laptop, i don't know how much heat is normal. But my girlfriend has a Dell Inspiron 6000 with a Celeron-M cpu and integrated GMA900 graphics and it does not have any heat buildup at all.

Personally for me, i find this a bit uncomfortable for use, since my palms get swetty very fast, and it is kinda uncomfortable for my finger if i use the touchpad alot.

Is this normal for this notebook model, or can it be a flaw with mine?

I've checked my system temperatures with Asus NB Probe 3.0 and my cpu idles around 58-60c (on AC, Super Performance profile) and my HDD is around 52c. After 15-20 minutes of defragmenting my HDD reaches 57-58c. CPU fan is around 2000rpm on super performance profile.

I'ive also tried the other profiles (quiet office, 60% cpu speed and battery saving, 22% cpu speed) and the heat doesn't really change alot...

BTW the notebook is on a even glass table at all times, so it has access to "fresh" air always. I also live in Norway, so it's not that hot air here

Can this be a flaw with mine, or is it normal? Also, is this normal with notebooks with these kind of specs? (X1600, 1.83ghz core duo, etc)

 

Its a powerful computer. The X1600 is one of the best video cards for that form factor you can expect heat. I would suggest getting a notebook mouse so you don't have to rest your hand on the right side. I don't think the excessive heat is anything out of the ordinary for a powerful notebook like that.

 

Also comparing Celeron-M and GMA 900 graphics to your computer is like comparing a Pinto to a Ferrari then complaining that your Ferrari is to fast and you want it to slow down like the Pinto.

 

Well i wasn't comparing them in that way. But that i6000 is the only other laptop i've ever laid my hands on, so

I guess the heat on the keyboard (around the Enter key) comes from the HDD which is right underneath. Here in Norway, this model ships with a Fujitsu 80 or 100GB 4200rpm harddrive for some reason (mostly seen it with 5400rpm harddrives outside of Norway).. I was thinking about replacing this with a 5400rpm Seagate Momentus 120GB (or 160GB when the prices drop) or a Hitachi TravelStar E7K100 7200rpm 100GB harddrive. I guess they dissipate alot more heat than the Fujitsu 4200rpm harddrives? So the rightside of the keyboard will become even hotter?

 

what is the chassis (frame) made out of. Concidering very highly on waiting for one. Is it plastic or the carbon fiber?

 

I don't know 100%, but my guess it is plastic. Although the A6J feels _alot_ more solid and nicely built than the Dell Inspiron 6000. It is plastic, but it doesn't feel like plastic (like the i6000 does in comparison to the A6J).

 

Frame is made of aluminum

 

I would not be convinced that it is necessarily the components making it hot. The 8204 certainly doesn't get uncomfortable, and it is similarly equipped (2.0 duo, 512 x1600, 5400rpm).

Question - is hot air pumping out the exhaust when its so hot? if it isnt, then your fan might be bunk

 

Yes. The CPU fan is pumping out hot air. But the CPU fan is located on the upper left of the chassis. The heat buildup occurs on the lower right and middle right of the chassis (where the HDD/memory/WLAN/Bluetooth and probably GPU is located). There is only one air outlet on this notebook that i can find, so... There are several small air inlets on the bottom of the chassis though. My guess is that the air from those inlets are sucked in by the fan, and that the air is routed up to the front of the chassis which works like a tunnel for the air, and which ends up being pushed out by the CPU fan on the upper left... (since the upper part of the chassis (where the power/mail/etc buttons are located) gets very hot all over).

 

8204 does not have 512Meg X1600 its 256Meg.

 

Its most likely normal Asus notebooks as nice as they are arent exactly the most cool running machines.

 

I have an A6J also and i noticed after a while it gets pretty warm. It doesnt really bother me though. I love this laptop and i cant find a single thing wrong with it!

 

If the HD is directly under the area in question then the heat is from that. It seems in general that Asus doesn't design their notebooks to dissipate the HD heat well. The left side of my Z70Va above the HD is noticably warmer than the right side and others have said similar things about the palmrest on the V6 and W3.

Temperatures with a faster 7200rpm drive will go up by a few degrees but it shouldn't be too bad. LaptopLogic has a temperature chart comparing several 4200, 5400 and 7200rpm drives. You can also see how the T42 they used to test is much better at cooling the hard drives.

 

Thanks for that link. It tested some of the drives i'm interested in getting, the Seagate 120GB 5400.2 drive or the Hitachi Travelstar E7K100 7200rpm 100GB drive.

Those drives where listed in that review with operating temperature specifications: 5c to 55c ....

Now, Asus NB Probe reads my drive to have around 52c at idle/normal internet/word/outlook usage... But when i'm defragmenting or doing something that makes the HDD work hard, it reaches 57-58c after 15-20mins. Since this is a 4200rpm drive, which should be cooler than 5400rpm and 7200rpm drives, i'm guessing temperatures would rise to 60 celsius and above with one of those drives (especially the Hitachi 7200rpm drive) - and they are specified to work at 55 celsius max.

Now this got me a bit worried. I can't upgrade then, since i know those drives will have temperatures higher than their working specifications, because of the poor heat dissipation of this Asus notebook.

This actually makes me reconsider and maybe return this notebook (i have 2 weeks to decide and get a full refund) as i have bad experiences with harddrives that runs hot and crashes prematurely.

 

My understanding is that the 5-55C specs are for the ambient working temperatures, so the drives should be able to work a bit higher. But I do agree the HD temps are a bit concerning especially since they're already the most likely thing to break in any laptop. It seems most Asus notebooks don't do well at cooling the hard drive unfortunately.

 

OK, I CEASE! YOU WIN!

It has 256 onboard, 512 hypermemory. Same as the Asus


Are you trying to make a point or just being nit picky, attempting to display a show of knowledge?

Not to get offensive, but that comment was unnecessary.

 

whoa. cool down.
i think he was just trying to clarify for the benefit of the people who didnt know. im sure he wasnt trying to offend anyone you made a good point on the fan, tho'

peacee

 

Anyone have a recommendation for a laptop cooler. Are aluminum ones better? How many fans? Are they noisy? Thanks in advance.