High CPU Temp During Gameplay (90C)

I have an unusual situation. I have noticed that while playing games my CPU Temp reaches 88-92C but my GPU Temp is fairly low at 69C max.

Games are running fine though.

is it just me or this sounds unusual?


System: L702x , i7-2720QM, 10GB ram, 2 HDD 640GB each, 3D Model

 

Nope it isn't just you, I have that issue as well. It's a little concerning and mine even creep up a couple more degrees than that...I'm running with a 9 cell and I thought the better ventilation from having the laptop propped up would help with the issue...guess not. I've got the same cpu in my l502x...wonder if it has to do with i7's with the xps lineup in general?

 

Turning off turbo boost will help alot.

 

isn't that like the key feature of the i5 i7 processors something which lead us to buy these processors? and Will that not affect the performance ie fps quality etc in games?



* btw how can we turn turbo boost off?

 

I was wondering the same thing, I mean the games I use involve more CPU power than GPU (sims like ArmAII, FSX, etc.)...I'll give it a shot later today (I have Turbo disabled when on batt power, dunno if the move I made makes for a major power saver or not though). I'll report back what I find!

 

Well yes ! , that's why I'm keeping it enabled
But If this temps is really bothering you , just disable it.

To disable it , set the maximum processor state to 99% in power plan.

 

Hehe I don't want to sacrifice the performance...I know Intels are designed to shut down if they hit 100C so I assume they're safe under this temp? Even if we're in the 90s?

 

But 90s is the danger zone , you can easily hit 100C.
Are you using a cooler or something , my 2630QM only hits 90C when playing GTA IV.

 

I've tested using HWmonitor to record the max temps, and I'm hitting 96C in a couple cores on occasion... :/ I had a feeling I was running hot before but never knew it was that hot...I'm not using any cooler but I was hoping the 9 cell battery would help with ventilation, I guess it's better than laying flat though.

 

A cooler will help alot, 96C is not a recommended temp for a laptop cpu at all.

 

This is after playing RAGE for half an hour. Full High settings at 1080p. Notice the max CPU temps they seem pretty high.

I am not using any cooler and I usually have the laptop in my lap while playing games.

 

for dell is normal all xps sandy bridgy series has same problems.

 

You could consider a repaste which will help temps. During games mine with turbo off never goes higher than 69c with no fps drop. And with it on playing gta 4 the cpu has never gone higher than 89c.

 

Yes, repasting will drop down temps a little. What helps more is to switch Turbo Boost off in powerplan (99% max CPU perf.) I did so, temps decreases for ca. 10 - 12 C°. No performance drop. i7 is a monster.

 

Yes I turned turbo boost off and now the max temp was 75C. No noticeable performance drop either.

I'm in Pakistan and I bought the laptop in the UK and im not really sure I will find any quality paste over here so I think I'll leave it like this at the moment and see how it goes.

Thanks

 

if want speed down the cpu, so, why need waste more money for buy I7 Cpu with turbo boost ?

 

Valid point I asked the same right in the start when someone suggested turning turbo boost off. But I guess its the only solution at the moment.

 

If you want to lower temps during usage that does not require the feature increasing the temps in the first place - then it is a perfectly logical choice. For all the other features (encoding etc) you can have it on as normal. It's not like people are suggesting something that switches it off for good or saying keep it off for all usage.

 

OP, what surface are you setting the laptop on? Also what is the ambient temperature in your home?

 

I usually use it in my lap. I know bad for ventilation but even when its on a flat wooden table the temps were just a degree down not much of a difference.

Room temp is low around 15C.

 

Yeah turning off Turboboost leaves me in the mid to high 80s, I'm suspecting its the fact that the dorms here at the university are ridiculously hot. I'm wondering if that's my problem, heat isn't adjustable either :/ guess I can game with the window wide open in February

 

Out of interest, has anyone actually ever exceeded TJ max (without deliberately running all 4 cores at 100%)?

I did some synthetic testing before limiting Turbo using the 99% rule and I was well into the 90s very quickly.

 

All:

The current Intel processors are *designed* to go as fast as they can without exceeding TJmax (100 deg C) (or current/power consumption). When they get too hot, they will automatically down-clock back to normal speed, or even lower if they have to. Worst case, the CPU will shut down before it gets hot enough to damage anything.

When processors weren't quite as smart about their temperature, the concerns about being close to TJmax were valid. But with this new crop and dynamic scaling of the CPU clock speed, this is not the major concern.

If you were geting high temps at near-idle, I'd be concerned. Repasting is usually a good idea anyway; better heat disipation can only help. But the major concern is not the CPU's temp, but the temperature of the rest of the components inside the computer. As long as the heat system is working--and the system in this generation of XPS laptops is superb--these temperatures are fine.

The only weird thing about the OP's post is that the GPU was so much cooler.

 

I just tried the 99% power setting and droped my CPU temp by 10 deg while playing Battlefield. That is pretty impressive and I did not see any decrease in performance. Although there is a part of me that does not like the fact that I am not using the processor to it's full potential.

 

Pasting:
Look at this video

A German Hardwaremagazin tested some extraordinary pastes.
And the winner is ..., watch youself, it's worth it.

 

This is very good info for people who want to repaste , but dont know which way is the best , all i can say is that the spreading technique ( with credit card ) its the worst.
edited , that is not the video i have posted .
this is the correct one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4&feature=related

 

try to test when off the turbo boost, speed much slow, such render, convert the movie.

 

Ive heard using a grain of rice sized blob of thermal paste and letting the heat sink spread it is the best way.

 

When BOINC manager is running at 100% CPU load my L502x will run in the high 80's - but it peaks at 96 degrees only for 1-2 seconds as the fans will cut from 100% speed to completely off, momentarily, between finishing one packet of data and beginning another.

Gaming CSS will see it peak around mid eighties.

 

Sorry i have posted wrong video
check this one
How Thermal Compound Spreads - YouTube