Acceptable dv6424ca Temperatures?

Hello everyone,

My HP dv6424ca laptop (see signature for specs) has been in repair for the last 1.5 months, mainly due to overheating issues as well as a graphics card failure (I strongly suspect that it is related to Nvidia's unspecified defective chips). Here is a brief summary of repair record:

History
Purchased in September 2007 with 3-year warranty

*REPAIR* - Over a month ago, the laptop would not POST; BIOS issued 4 beeps (GPU failure)

*REPAIR* - I returned the unit for repair the very next day because the fan did not work at all. By then the system had run for about 15 minutes at 90-105C.
> heat sink and fan replaced
> wireless card replaced
> BIOS upgraded to F.3E, causes fans to run constantly and at higher RPM

*REPAIR* - After insisting with Future Shop that the laptop was not operated according to specs (it warped my plastic table, ran Far Cry at 83C), it was sent in for repair again. I was basically hoping to A) somehow get the problem magically fixed and B) add another repair to the laptop's record in order to be eligible for a replacement.
> heat sink replaced
> hard disk replaced

The laptop has the same issues; even with the new BIOS, it still runs quite hot (58C idle), and the battery life has dropped significantly.
/END

Thats basically the laptop's history. Before ever going into repair, this laptop operated within normal temperatures; that is to say, I didn't notice any particularly high temps. After 3 repairs, I have noticed that it operates considerably hotter, to the point where I am worried whether I should accept this repair. With HP's newest BIOS (F.3E) the CPU idled at about 48C; using one of HP's older BIOS versions with unmodified fan algorithms, the CPU idles at about 58C. I tested the older BIOS to get my old battery life and noise levels back.

Basically, the point of this thread is to ask for advice; how should I approach this problem with Future Shop? They do have a policy that states that the customer is entitled to a replacement if the laptop has had more than 3 major repairs. Am I stuck with these problems, or am I expecting too much from this laptop? The battery life on this thing has dropped from >3hrs to 2hrs maximum.

 

I would tell them in a very nice way, that the laptop has its own problems, and has its own ways of self destructing itself. It i not normal to have that many problems in such a short time of ownership. Tell them that you want a refund, cause it is ridiculous for them to have to replace the thing every month or so cause of overheating and other problems. Tell futureshop that they would be saving money by taking the machine from you and giving your money back, than for them to have to continually repair/replace the thing.

Tell them that you will use the money on another system from them, and they should not have any problem with your request.
Even if you get 85% of the money you paid for it back, than that will help buy your next laptop.
Stay away from HP next time

K-TRON

 

Hmm, I never thought of that. Certainly I wouldn't mind taking this direction, rather than the previous arguments that I've had with them about the safety of the laptop. Thanks for the advice, K-tron.

 

Yep.....never liked the HPs, had the same problem except with a Dv2xxx.