Inspiron 1520 Unusually hot.

ok, so i've had my 1520 for about 3/4 of a year. up until recently, even when i game it only gets warm, blows out the hot air, and all is fine.

Lately, it has been getting very hot. the keyboard gets overly warm, and if i pick it up, the bottom of the laptop is very hot, i can't hold my hand against it for more than five seconds before i have to let go of it. normally it would just get warm, but now it's burning up.

I'm worried this is going to, or has caused problems.

So, Is it normal for this to happen over time? if not, what can i do to help it along? i've started putting a icepac from my freezer under the laptop to keep it cool, but the icepac seems to heat up faster than it cools the computer .

Could it be a thermal problem? Could i add some Arctic5 or something? any help or advice would be great.

I've been playing games on fairly high res, Not so high that my system lags, they still play smoothly, so i don't think i'm asking too much of my system. HL2 type games at high/very high settings, 1440x900.

thank you.

 

Check out cooling central there is advice there on thermal paste, software methods and coolers, cleaning your fans etc. DO NOT USE AN ICEPACK IT WILL CAUSE CONDENSATION AND SHORT CIRCIT YOUR SYSTEM!

I recommend first blowing out yoru fans, if you can invest in a cooler

 

Take a look at the NBR cooling center. It has great suggestions...

Most likely your vents are clogged with dust so a thorough cleaning is recommended(support.dell.com has guides on how to access the fans on your model). Also make sure you monitor your temperatures-there is a link to that guide in the cooling central.


edit: lol.

 

thanks for the link, don't have time to sift through page and page to find something resembling my problem, but i may look.

as for the ice pac, it's more of a gelpac, like those blue bags of gel you put in the freezer. they don't actually freeze. I just wrap it in a small thin towel and rest the laptop on top. it doesn't condensate at all, the pac stays completely dry, so does the towel and my machine. just sort of cools the air and the body of my machine. i haven't had any problems doing that, and to be honest, it's my only real choice at the moment.

i just did a check while playing HL2. I'm getting 90c on both cores, Obviously, something is a miss.

 

^^ i don't think it being a gel and not actually wet is the point, it doesn't have to be wet. it's the huge temperature difference between two objects coming in contact or close contact that will cause condensation.

 

If your laptop is sitting on a towel, it might be sucking in lint that could collect on the heat sink.

 

As for condensation, I'm no science major, but i do know that if it was creating condensation, it would be the first thing to collect moisture. and it's not. it's not like real Ice that creates moisture in the air because it's melting and evaporating, this simply is cool, and either way, wether it be from short circuit or the eventual over-heat, i need to do something.

I was using a lint-free hand towel, and i was doing that because of the problem, it's not the cause of it.

From what i can see, the intake and exhaust vents are clean as a bell. i don't see any dust buildup or dirt on the fan, casing, grill, anywhere. i've kept this machine clean since i got it.

So, is there anything else i can do? is 90c and the fact it gets burning hot to the touch enough of a concern for me to be able to request a replacement or repair or any kind of service? i don't know what to do, this can't be right. I'm scared i'm going to melt this thing every time i have to desire to play a game. Any help would be appreciated,

thanks for the replies so far.

 

My guess is that either there is dust in the heat sink or the heat sink has come loose and isn't making good contact with the processor and graphics card anymore. If you have the Complete Care, go ahead and ask Dell to send out a tech to service it. It shouldn't be 90C and it shouldn't be so hot you worry about it melting.