Help Regarding Laptop Running Too Hot

Hi.
I have an Inspiron 6400 (E1505, T7200, 1GB Ram, 120GB HDD, X1400) with the latest A12 Bios. I run 18kFanGUI to control the temperatures. However, when someone is logged into another account (you can't use 18kFanGUI when another account with it running is still open) or when the laptop is on the main user logon window, the laptop gets very hot. The CPU temperature goes uptill 70C. Any idea when the BIOS is supposed to turn the fans on, and can i manually change the settings in the BIOS?
Thanks.

 

Not sure of the answers to your questions, but I do have a suggestion. Invest in a cooling pad. I have the Inspiron 6000, which is very similar to yours and a cooling pad helps a lot. It is definitely a worthwhile investment. Another thing I would reccomend it to download a program such as Notebook Hardware Control and let your CPU do dynamics switching, that will also help reduce temperature in the CPU. By the way, what are you doing when you get such a high temp...gaming?

 

70C is not a problem. The system won't get unstable until 80-90 degrees, and it won't get damaged until 125 or so.

 

Lol 70C is nothing. My Dell D420 is going up to 90C sitting on the Mediabase. I think I will go drop by Radioshack and pick up a tube of Arctic Silver. At home from winter break so got nothing better to do anyway

 

lmark84l... yeah, I already have NHC doing dynamic switching and stuff. But this problem only occurs when the laptop is in the main window of xp where you click which account you want to login to (thus, computer is doing nothing yet cpu still goes to 70c), or when the account open is not running I8kFANGUI as another account is already open which IS running it, but it doesn't work while ur switched to another account. Confusing I know lol.
Jalf/lixuelai... this is my first laptop and I know 70c can't really hurt it, but I am just a little concerned about it. I heard that high temperatures can shorten the life time of a CPU if its temperature is high a lot.

 

I also see it written often that heat is the great enemy to the life expectancy of all electronics (including the battery); I would say that you are right to be concerned!

I am as my name suggests, but have you tried using the 'maintain minimum fan speed?' I'm a fan of this as one fan on slow is audibly relatively invisible, and as I'm typing this now I'm reading 27 C on both I8kfangui and Notebook Hardware Control with my laptop bare on a wooden table.

edit: wanted to say that the reason why I recommend the maintain minimum fan speed thing is that in my experience this fan setting is maintained even with I8kfanGUI not running, so I imagine being on a different user/selection screen should not interfere with your fan operation. Make sure to not select hardware sensor support anywhere.

 

I really don't think 70C is much to worry about. Inspiron 6400/e1505 runs a lot cooler than a lot of other laptops. Also, Intel processors protect themselves from over heating. However it does seem strange that its getting up to that temp when nothing is happening. Usually on idle or just surfing the internet my CPU stays under 55. The hottest my processor has ever got is 77. I have i8kfancontrol but only use it to monitor, I let the BIOS (A12) handle the fan. E1505 with T7200, 2GB ram, 160GB HD, X1400. Maybe your fan isn't running at the speeds its supposed to. Mine is low: ~2400rpm, med: ~3000rpm, high: ~4300rpm.