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    Can my new PSU be causing my overheating problems?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by RyanCA, Mar 7, 2008.

  1. RyanCA

    RyanCA Notebook Geek

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    I recently replaced my 90W 2 pronged AC adapter with a 3 pronged one. Everything seemed ok, but a few days ago, I noticed my idle GPU temperature is over 15 degrees more than before (idling at around 75C degrees). Games cause the temperature to skyrocket past 100 degrees with massive performance decline.

    Dell told me to send the laptop in for support, but I want to know what could have caused this. The AC adapter seems suspicious since it's a recent hardware change. On it, it reads:

    Output: 19.5V, 4.62 A
    Input: 100-240V ~1.5A 50-60 Hz.

    Do these numbers mean anything? Could it be the adapter, or did I just get a defective graphics card? Laptop's only around 2 months old...
     
    RyanCA, Mar 7, 2008
    #1
  2. powerpack

    powerpack Notebook Prophet

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    DeLL should know what adapters are compatible and not. So I think should not be the issue (but anything is possible), run on batts and check temp. If high not adapter, if not, still unknown.
     
    powerpack, Mar 7, 2008
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  3. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    If you still have the old two-pronged adapter, trying using that again as well.

    All of Dell's current 90W power supplies are rated at the same 19.5 volts and 4.62 amps, so unless your three-pronged unit has an actual hardware fault, it shouldn't be making a difference.
     
    Commander Wolf, Mar 7, 2008
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  4. tloc9880

    tloc9880 Notebook Geek

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    Whats the old adapter's specs? The new one could be faulty.
     
    tloc9880, Mar 7, 2008
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  5. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    Ten characters.
     
    Commander Wolf, Mar 7, 2008
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  6. RyanCA

    RyanCA Notebook Geek

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    Alright, on battery power the idle temperature is still over 70 degrees, much more than the 55-60 degrees I was accustomed to. I suppose that maybe a fan is broken or something, but I've also read that PSUs have often been the cause of hardware malfunctions, including fans?
     
    RyanCA, Mar 7, 2008
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  7. powerpack

    powerpack Notebook Prophet

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    I just got lucky! Me thinks not the adapter?
     
    powerpack, Mar 7, 2008
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  8. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    You have a dell, so install I8KFANGUI. You can control the fan speed and monitor the temperatures from your notebook.

    It is very simple to setup and install.
    I personally do not like temperatures over 60C, so I have the fans come on low around 45 and then come to full at 55C.

    There is no way a power adaptor can cause your system to overheat, it is simply impossible. I have a 220watt power brick on my laptop and it does not cause my system to overheat. All you need is some fan control and you will be fine.
    When gaming, force the fans to full speed in order to keep the temperatures down. 100C is very dangerous for computer parts. If you want your laptop to last, I would install that fan control software.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Mar 7, 2008
    #8