P-7805 FX and RM Clock Disagree

I've been using RM Clock, courtesy of the Undervolting Guide, for the last several months. I have a triple-booted P 7805 FX running Windows 7 32-bit and two versions of Windows 7 64-bit.

About a two months ago, the heat levels finally forced me to dismantle the laptop and give it a thorough cleaning. As a result, where I was routinely idling at 45C, the computer now idles in the very low 30s, and sometimes even drops into the 20s. We won't even discuss what was happening when I used the computer in almost any way at all, except to say that the CPU now rarely gets above 40C, and hasn't cracked 45C since the cleaning.

So imagine my surprise when, just a few minutes ago, I returned to my computer after several hours, only to find a notice from RM Clock saying "CPU core overheat detected." Yet, both RM Clock and HW Monitor say my processors are running at 31-32C. The computer is cool to the touch (even the GPU, which routinely runs at around 41-43C), and, when I turn off my notebook cooler, a Zalman 2000, the computer's fan is only running at the lowest rate, when it's running at all.

I'm assuming that this is a malfunction on RM Clock's part, but wanted to check in, just in case anyone had any suggestions as to whether or not something could be going on that has the potential to make me very, very unhappy. Especially since I just purchased, and am waiting to receive, a WD 1TB hard drive to replace the 500GB Drive in the second bay (the primary bay is carrying a WD 750GB drive).

In other news, I'm also planning to upgrade my RAM to 8GB, assuming I'm not about to have reason to go into a major crying jag. Any suggestions re. a good brand to buy (I have about $100 to spend, but can go a bit higher) would also be greatly appreciated.

 

imho, you'll only need half of that. any other expenses are just a waist and wouldn't give any noticeable gain in perfomance

 

I already use up my 4GB like its nothing... if you use your laptop as a desktop replacement, its VERY easy to utilize and run out of RAM... I know people for the longest time have not needed more RAM because closing programs frees RAM, but these days, I hardly find myself closing all the programs im not using at that moment... makes Alt-Tabbing so much fun!


OP: As far as temps... I use SpeedFan for all my temps, hasnt done me wrong yet... Also, what BIOS version are you on?

 

I just meant that 8gb ram costs twice cheaper than kevalin is ready to spend. $50 is enough

 

Ok, my suggestion here is not the CPU but your TSZx temps. This is the northbridge. If the pad was reused it easily could not be cooling the NB. Get some ICD and use a libberal amount or a really good NEW heat transfer pad.

It should be noted that the NB if you are overclocking could easilly be giving false readings........

 

Thanks on that price-point, antonpetr; it's a LOT lower than I would have expected. I'm often running two or three high-octane programs (video editing, GIMP and the like) at the same time, and have noticed that things just aren't as spiffy as I'd like. Hoping increased RAM will help with that.

I'm running the latest bios version, by the way.

TANWare, I am not overclocking, and though I seem to recall that I did slather a bit of Arctic Silver (what I had at the time) onto the NB, I seem to recall that I had some hesitation about it at the time, and didn't have a way to come here and check to see if it was a (ha-ha) cool thing to do... so I may not have. I'll check and rectify that as soon as possible, if necessary.

Actually, I think it's just RM Clock having a moment--one that hasn't repeated itself today so far. Especially since I gave the computer and cooling pad a good air blast, and the CPU is now, at this moment, at 29C. That's lower than it was when I first gave it the thorough cleaning it so desperately needed a couple of months ago.

While I'm here, I also have a question about underclocking the GPU... I seem to recall seeing a thread on this very forum that talked about doing exactly that. According to the OP, and oddly enough, it seemed to enhance the GPU's performance. I even downloaded several of the suggested programs to do so, but then had to leave for an appointment and couldn't get to it right away.

I thought I'd bookmarked the thread, but it's nowhere to be found, and there are no instructions to speak of to describe just what the hell I'm supposed to do with the programs I downloaded (Volt Mod Package, NiBiTor 6.04, GPU-Z.0.6.2, etc.). A site search for the information hasn't been terribly fruitful--assuming it even came from here.

If it is here on the forum, any help in finding it again would be most welcome.

 

Unless you are having black screens or BSOD's do not play with underclocking the GPU. If there is some other reason you need to please post it and we'll try and find the best solution.

AS5 on the NB is your issue. There is a gap over the NB a regular TIM will not fill and you now are not getting propper heat transfer. The thiner TIMs will just flow out of the NB connection too..................

 

All-righty, then... stepping AWAY from messing with the GPU.

I was thinking that lowering the temp might be a good idea, because the video card does occasionally quit--green screens just for an eye-blink or so, and not often... but I guess I won't be doing it that way.

Hm...well, okay. I guess I'd better order up some ICD and take care of that. Too bad. I just got my new 1TB hard drive delivered from NewEgg about 15 minutes ago. It would've been nice to kill all the birds with a single stone, but I'm not going to wait to install the HDD. Then again... maybe I WILL wait, since I also still need to order the RAM, then just have a "Take Apart Day."

 

AFAIK from reading, the latest BIOS version was .25, I found, and had modified the .23 that was listed on Gateway's site at the time. HOWEVER...

Unless you redo your thermal situation for your GPU, I HIGHLY, and im sure everyone else will agree on this, HIGHLY recommend you go back to BIOS version .17... they fubared the thermal fan speeds... the GPU fan doesnt turn on until the GPU hits 172F... this is HORRID...

Save yourself and anyone else the trouble and go back to .17 (you have to use legacy firewire drivers, or disable it outright, and may experience other issues with Windows 7, but Ill stand by doing that over using .23 or .25 w/o a thermal re-do)


As for RAM, yeah, I bought 8GB (2x4GB) of Kingston HyperX locally for $60... However I could have gotten 8GB for like $35 easy...

 

FYI; With .23 and .25 Gateway is folloing nVidia's recomended bios modification to extend GPU life of the GPU's that may be affected by the tinning issue of the GPU. This primarilly effected 86xx series but some early 98xx GPU's could be at risk. This is going by the official dates at the time nVidia said it had fixed the issue. Some 9xxx's were already made and released prior to this.

I am not sure the ones in the P78xx's were ever affected as they were not first gen systems with 9800's that were released. To stay in nVidia's graces with the released systems I am sure that they just followed the GPU manufacturers guidlines. 7805's should have no tinning issue as they are the newer 9800's with 1GB memory and the solder issue was supposedly well over with.

.25 was pulled by Gateway sa there was a supposed bug/issue. This is over the .23 bios but I have yet to see a post with anyone ever having an issue with .25 that did not exist in .23 version. Now both have the GPU heat issue so the specific problem with .25 is still undocumented in the wild.

The .17 has the 1394 driver issue with Windows 7/8. Vista has no issue at all with the bios. The legacy driver seems to solve the 1394 issue and untill I changed over to the P79 I never had any other issues with the .17 bios.........

 

I said I was running the latest bios, and, well, I meant it when I said it... but in actuality, I am running the .17, not the .23 or .25. I am running it with the 1394 legacy drivers; that's always one of the first changes I make whenever I decide to strip and reload the OS, which I do about three times a year.

So, it really does look like bringing my GPU temps down will be a matter of thermal pasting with ICD 7. Though the Arctic Silver seems to have served my CPU quite well.

Really, it's not that the temps are terrible: the GPU idles at about 41C, and the highest I've seen it get since the cleaning is about 45C. It routinely idled at 54C+ before that. It's just that those temps are what they are with fairly light usage. I'll be using programs that take up considerably more power over the next several months, so if I can get the temps down even more, I want to do so.

TANWare, I was rereading your comment about the NB, and just realized: it didn't have a pad when I opened it up. Whoever had it before me must have opened the comp before (it was, after all, a refurb).

So now, the question seems to be, should I just buy the ICD 7, or should I buy the "kit" that will supposedly make it easier to remove any old thermal paste? I saw both on EBay from a trusted seller, so I'm assuming I'd actually be getting what they say it is if I buy from there.

 

Yeah I reformat a good 8 times a year... pretty much every other month + a few here or there when I feel I have fubared something far beyond my ability to rectify...

Its not so much a matter of using ICD 7, as much as using any (good, decent) thermal paste to replace the stock CRAP they put on it, people here tout the use of ICD 7 because its THICK, and can be used as "filler" in place of thermal pads, mainly of course, because the VRAM modules for the GPU, DO NOT HAVE TIM.. they make ZERO contact with the HS...

Yeah if no TIM on your north-bridge... thats VERY bad... its the veritible gateway of communications for all IC's on a board...

As for what to buy, if you want a quick and simple, down and dirty way to clean, and re-TIM your system, get some 91% or higher (I use 97%, thank military supply for that) Alcohol, let it sit on the CPU/NB and GPU for a good 60sec (sometimes requires reapply depending on the "melt" factor of the old TIM), then wipe off, then apply ICD 7...

Make sure on the CPU and GPU you only apply a THIN and I mean very thin, like only enough to cover the surface thin! its only the VRAM modules and NB chip you want to apply a nice big bulb sized amount, to make and keep contact between the HS and chips...

 

Thanks for the info re. thermal protection, Hammerfest... I used Arctic Silver on the GPU when I cleaned my box because it had NO thermal paste left on it. There was just a shadow of where it had been, and the CPU didn't look much better. I can't believe those processors weren't running hotter they were, especially with the way the dust/hair was clogging the vents. Or that one or the other didn't simply blow out.

I was quite careful putting the paste on the chips, but the more I think about it, the more I'm sure I did very little, if anything to the NB, because I just wasn't sure exactly where to slather the paste on, and didn't want to risk tanking my computer--certainly not after all the work of pulling it apart!

With that in mind, someone supplying really, really clear instructions on where I need to put the paste once it arrives early next week (or, if you're feeling seriously adventurous, a picture or two of the proper placement) would be a very cool thing. Indeed, I'm sure that not only I, but the community of future P-series laptop adventurers at large, would be eternally grateful...

 

I have a RANDOM person from craigslist supposedly sending me his p7805u in the next week or 2 for repair, Ill do a video of the complete disassembly and reassembly after TIM replacement then if I can...

Otherwise there are some pictures in the sticky for the FX series thats got some good pictures...

 

Though I'll probably have gotten impatient and done mine up by then, it would still be great to have a video, if you get the chance to put one together. There are one or two breakdown videos on YouTube, but it would be very good to have one that just shows how to place the thermal paste on the bridges, etc.

I checked out the photos on the 78xx disassembly guide and gave it a cursory read-through--again, since I used it when I broke down my comp in April. At the risk of sounding a bit dunce-ish, though, I'm still confused about where to place the thermal paste on the NB, other than making sure there's some on the processor itself.

I didn't use any paste on the GPU memory chips, as the OP did, either; I just made sure the GPU itself got a good pasting, since the original had long ago evaporated into shadow.

And with all that said--after reading through the forum for the last few days, I'm getting all excited about the idea of doing at least a CPU upgrade. There are a couple of used T9900s that are allegedly in good condition on Ebay, which seems to be the only way to get them, at this point. There were some OEM parts available new, but I admit to being a little leery about stuff coming out of Hong Kong, even through EBay. "Burn me once..." and all that.

Then again, being able to upgrade the GPU by changing out the MB for a P79xx would be nice, especially from the standpoint of video editing and graphics creation, which I will be doing a lot of.

And of course, we can't leave out the "just because I can" -factor in all of this, either