Cooling my E6400, FAQ filled

Hello folks,

I recently read the Cooling Central guide and I think I will join the cooling party here at NBR. I will start by posting the cooling FAQ as requested:

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1. What notebook do you own/going to own (Make and Model)?

Dell Latitude E6400.

2. Specs of the notebook (List Details Please)

Detailed specs are at my signature. Most importantly I have a P8600 CPU and a Nvidia Quadro NVS 160m GPU. Also, I have a 7200 rpm 250 GB HDD.

3. Maximum and minimum temperature of CPU/GPU/HDD in Celsius and if possible idle and load times (see software guide)

Temperatures are measured with HWmonitor and are in Celcius. They are measured with the computer undocked. The GPU temperatures always agree with GPU-Z, and CPU temperatures agree with Real Temp. It seems Everest gives wrong results. Of course, these temperatures float somewhat.

Idle:

ACPI (= north bridge, whatever that means): 43º
CPU: Core 1 36º, core 2 37º
GPU: 52º
HDD: 39º

CPU Load, temperature is roughly constant (not with any specific benchmark utility, I just put two instances of MATLAB running an infinite loop, CPU usage goes to 100%):

ACPI: 83º
CPU: Core 1 71º, Core 2 77º
GPU: 71º
HDD: 40º

GPU Load (not with any specific benchmark utility, these were obtained playing Guild Wars at 1280x800 with graphics on Low):

ACPI = 71º
CPU: Core 1 65º, Core 2 68º
GPU: oscillates between 98º and 102º except during periods of downclocking, when it goes down to around 85º very quickly
HDD: 41º

As you can see, GPU temperatures are higher than they should be. If I play for long, or if I try to use higher graphics settings, I start seeing frame-rates alternate between 60 and 25-30 because of successive cycles of downclocking and upclocking of the GPU.

4. What sort of cooling solutions are you looking for? (active solutions (fan coolers/passive, thermal paste...etc) )

If possible, I'd like to only use software solutions. Physical solutions like using something to make the base of the laptop stand taller, to increase airflow, help very slightly (one or two degrees).

5. Budget for cooling solutions?

Whichever is needed, but I expect not to need money for this.

6. Your general computer knowledge (Beginner to Expert)

Somewhere between intermediate and expert. I have opened several laptops and have even replaced a CPU once (and applied thermal paste etc).

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The main reason for wanting software solutions is that I don't want to void my warranty. I haven't cleaned the vents yet, but this laptop is 3 months old so I don't expect that much dust in it. Assuming that cleaning the vents does not improve the situation, what can I do?

1) Can I force the GPU to never go full speed? In other words, can I keep it in a permanent downclock? Even better if I can decide which clock speeds to use. Since people do overclocking, I expect this is possible and it is my preferred solution.

2) If I underclock the CPU (not GPU), will it help lower the GPU temperatures? I ask this because the E6400's CPU and GPU share the same cooling circuit. Please see John Ratsey's review here at NBR for a detailed tour of the insides.

3) Should I be worried? Other users report similar idle temperatures. I have mentioned this problem to Dell and they offer to exchange the motherboard and GPU, but since other users have similar temperatures I refused because I don't think it will help.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

Copper mod it.

There's an M1330 copper mod guide floating around; the concept is the same in the E6400; you just have to find the right width of copper. I tried it out briefly in my Nvidi-based E6400 before I sold it; it dropped my load temps from roughly 100C to 85C. Idle temps don't really change much, though.

 

Thanks for the extremely fast reply!

I thought about that, but won't that void my warranty?

Still, you gave me a good idea: I will call Dell and ask them if they are willing to let me do it if I can get the parts. If they are not (which I anticipate as very likely) I will ask whether they can send a tech to do it, with me paying of course.

I would still appreciate comments on my ideas of a permanent downclock.

 

Ha, copper modding is completely and utterly unsupported by Dell. They won't let you do it, they won't send a tech to do it, and it will void your warranty. Possibly it's popular with the M1330 and M1530 because the standard warranty only lasts a year. Of course, you can also keep the thermal pad after you do the mod.

The basic principles for GPU overclocking also apply for GPU underclocking. You can look for any GPU overclocking guide and follow the same steps; just turn the clocks down instead of up. This won't really do too much for heat though; what you really need is a GPU undervolting tool, which, as far as I know doesn't exist (at least not one compatible with the NVS 160M; I couldn't find one when I was searching back in October or November).

 

You can do it, just remove it if you need to send your laptop in for repairs.

You can alternatively buy another heatsink and copper mod one, and keep the original in your desk in case you ever need to put it back in

I have copper shims in my for sale thread

K-TRON

 

Actually usually they come to my house to do repairs.

I am tempted. I'll think about it and get back at you guys to know where to buy those copper shims.

One related question: the GPU driver has crashed on me once, a while ago, and successfully recovered. Did that damage the GPU?

 

The software has not damaged the graphics card.
However you should try a different set of drivers.
go here laptopvideo2go.com and find the proper driver for your graphics card

K-TRON

 

Unfortunately, Dell does not consider a mod a repair. If something isn't availible directly from Dell (e.g. copper instead of thermal pad), they won't do it for you.

I recently did it to my E6400 and the GPU runs at least 15C cooler under load, perhaps 5C cooler at idle. I'll be writing up a guide for it this weekend and putting it into the Latitude/Precision/Vostro forum, so you can check then.

 

OK, thanks. Please post in this thread when you do, I'm considering doing it.

 

I forgot to mention that the crash was due to overheating. Did it damage the GPU?

 

You shouldnt have damaged your gpu.
The system should shut down at around 105C in order to protect the system

K-TRON

 

Good to know

If I keep using it as now, with the downclocking-upclocking cycles when I play games, will it impair the long-term life of the GPU? Or can I keep doing it and not worry (the loss of frame rates does not bother me that much)?

 

Its best to keep your graphics running as cool as possible. Sustained operation at over 80C is not good for the graphics processor.
You should either do the copper mod, or buy a notebook cooler, or both.

For a cooler, you should check out X2P's cooling guide. You basically measure where your fan is located relative to your laptop and he will tell you which cooler is best for your needs.

K-TRON

 

Is the width of copper the same as the m1330 mod (i.e. 1.5mm) or is it different?

Thanks

 

They are usually about 1-1.5mm thick, because that is about the average thickness of a thermal pad

K-TRON

 

The shim I used on my E6400 was only .8mm thick. Thicker shims (1.2 and 1.5) seemed to put pressure on the GPU. I'd recommend getting the thinnest one you can get - 0.8mm - from onlinemetals.com

Here's the guide I wrote up, by the way (with pics): http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=375889

 

Thanks for the info. The online metal company is right down the road from where I work. Looks like I can save some $ on shipping!

 

Seriously. The tiny piece of copper would have cost me like $.60, and shipping was $7.50. Crazy. So, I ended up getting more copper to offset that ridiculous shipping.

 

Or you could have perused the nbr marketplace to see that I have each chip for $1 shipped anywhere in USA. Its only a $1 basically to cover shipping

I still have 14 remaining

K-TRON