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    Normal for laptop chassis?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by m1_1x, Oct 20, 2011.

  1. m1_1x

    m1_1x Notebook Evangelist

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    I know my physics but I dont know how sturdy laptops are or how well built their chassis's (right punctuation?) are.

    Im posting this for a friend who doesnt have an NBR account, he owns an xps 17 lx702 or whatever that model is, the latest one with a gt 555m card and overclocked it (things a beaut!)

    anywho, hes noticed that when hes gaming (we both play Dirt 3 together, which btw runs really great on my 525m) and hes saying that he hears his laptop chassis, more or less from the heatsink area...

    cracking.

    First instinct for me is that, hey its alot of heat coming from a small (well the thing is pretty big in comparison) package, so the chassis or heatsink is just expanding and contracting due to the increase in heat.

    But Im thinking if its the heatsink, that would be a problem right? Anyway to tell if it is?

    TL;DR - xps 17 + alot of power = cracking sound (the expansion of heat in a tight enclosure sound) is safe?
     
    m1_1x, Oct 20, 2011
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  2. fred2028

    fred2028 Sexy member

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    Doubt it's because of the heat, most likely strain. Maybe something wasn't screwed on properly inside, or there is force being applied to the chassis that is causing it so bend?
     
    fred2028, Oct 21, 2011
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  3. m1_1x

    m1_1x Notebook Evangelist

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    Well the heat is the byproduct of the strain; he overclocks it and plays Dirt 3 (which i think is intensive) and only hears it from anything that requires full effort from the laptop.

    My ps3 (slim) does this everytime and worried me at first till I realized its in a slimmer enclosure and it produces a good heat, so thats driving the expansion which is causing the crack sound.

    Just never heard it from a laptop before, so hes wondering if its a problem
     
    m1_1x, Oct 21, 2011
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  4. Kevin

    Kevin Egregious

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    Ask this over in the XPS forum. That's something I've never heard of before.
     
    Kevin, Oct 21, 2011
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  5. Ari3sgr3gg0

    Ari3sgr3gg0 Notebook Consultant

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    It shouldn't be able to get hot enough to cause expansion like that, it could be the same type of plastics used on the Area 51 m15x(pre Dell) that creaked and cracked
     
    Ari3sgr3gg0, Oct 21, 2011
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  6. m1_1x

    m1_1x Notebook Evangelist

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    Update: theres a very very small ( and I mean small ) gap between the casing of what covers the keyboard and the bottom frame (the black area and silver bottom)

    Its small yet noticeable that it expanded.
     
    m1_1x, Oct 22, 2011
    #6