seeking better heatsink for alienware m5750

The heatsink in my m5750 is almost useless. Temps reach in excess of 85c when loading both cpu cores with most run of the mill programs (I run folding@home on one core and World Community Grid (BOINC version) on the other core 24/7).

When loading with tools designed to heat the cpu (Intel Thermal Analysis Tool is the worst of the bunch) I can throw it into thermal overload by just loading one core!

Specs are nothing horribly exotic.

-T7400ES (T5500 stock, only a few degrees difference)
-2x1GB PC2-5400 Kingston Value Ram (rebadged as COMSTAR )
-X1800 Mobile @stock

I understand its a laptop/notebook, but if it cant run fully loaded whats the point of putting the high end hardware in it in the first place?

 

What kind of Thermal compound are you currently using? I would say if you aren't to clean down the processor, GPU and the heatsink and apply some Arctic Silver 5, it's by far the best out there. It could be a combination of not having the right thermal compound and the contact between the heatsink cpu, and gpu being subpar.

 

The m5750 is known to get warm. If you are going to be running this machine hard 24/7, then definitely invest in a cooling pad. They can do wonders for temperatures. There are a few coolers reviewed in the GPU guide.

 

This is the point about alienware (and others) marketing philosophy: you are made to buy what you don't really need nor can use.

For the rest I second Chaz and Airman (though, coollaboratory liquidpro is even better than AS5!)

 

My cooler has been lapped to insure perfect (as near as is possible) contact. When I originally removed the cooler it was only touching 1/2 of the GPU core as can be seen in the picture below.

I have tested several thermal compounds on bare cpu dies and so far the best performance I have achieved came from either no TIM or using grease meant to lubricate bearings, although a properly installed heatsink with properly applied TIM will only vary with extremely minimal differences (2c is the most difference I have seen using non-granular based materials). Any more variance implies an uneven mount or insufficient pressure. Thermal Interface Materials have high insulation properties compared to solid copper and even aluminum. If a thermal compound has been created which has superior properties (specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, limited surface distortion) then I am sure we are bound to see it in a solid form resembling a heatsink eventually. I would very much like to see something that does that.

I trust my application is as near perfect as can be and that the heat being generated is simply oversaturating the abilities of the heatpipes (one for the cpu, mosfets and coils; one for the GPU, video ram, and associated voltage regulation hardware).

Ivar: I do need and do use it extremely regularly! Otherwise i'd have just left it as the T5500 with 512mb ram that it came as..

 

Ok, got temps down a bit.

Decreased voltage from stock 1.308v to 1.100v (1.196v according to CrystalCPUID which I use to set it, 1.100v according to CPU-Z)

Will do dual Super-Pi 1M at down to nearly 1.000v but I this should give a bit of a buffer zone I think. Will have to run a dual 32m or wprime to check for sure.. and some Orthos or something too.

 

Follow wat chaz says. Alienware tends to get warm due to their bad oem thermal design, without a cooler pad(not the cpu cooler) it would act as a good room heater.

 

Heheh... It`s not like they produce less heat when you place a cooler on it, you know?

 

Well yea.. haha... but the cooler pad will transport the heat air else where rather than just let it circulate inside the chain.

 

The heat is removed from the system better, however, which is the same end effect of the cooler pad adding increased airflow to the stock system but not having to lug it around and also being self contained..... The pads just increase airflow through the heatsink. The system would better be called a lap heater (or table/desk/etc) than a room heater without them

Decreasing the voltage seems to result in about an 8c drop so far, but I have found that the voltage goes back to default after a while for some reason.. I may have to use a different program to make it stay.

My power brick is also cooler with decreased voltage.. doesnt burn my feet anymore to leave them on it lol

EDIT

I am probably going to make a duct and use a small fan connected to a USB header to decrease temperatures. Will have to see if I have a spare USB cable around to chop up. That'll do while I decide a few things.

 

Just as an update, I installed "RMClock" and it is keeping the settings so far :thumbsup:

On AC: 2161mhz 1.100v (stock speed, volts lowered nearly as far as possible)
On battery: 1000mhz 0.95v (lowest possible), 50% cpu throttle.

Now I need to be able to do the same for my GPU....