Compaq V4000T running unbearably hot!!!

Hello,

So my girlfriend's compaq is soon to become one year old. At first it was a nice machine, pretty small, and ran fast.

As time passed, the poor build quality started to show, the hinges barely work and squeak when the monitor is being opened or closed. The keys became shiny (never happened to my hp black keyboard!). Quite disappointing.

However, the main problem now is that the laptop runs insanely hot. It will run idle with a few programs on, and you can pretty much bake eggs on the touchpad. Load a game - it will heat up by a factor of 2.

She is currently abroad, so sending it to hp is not quite an option. Does anyone have any similar problems? Has anyone experienced anything similar? Any solutions?

Thanks!

 

first, get mobile meter and tell us the temperatures. Do you have the x700? If yes, tell us its temperature, too (ATI tool).

Then, the biggest problem is probably dust, which has accumulated in the laptop. Open it up and clean it. Here is the manual

 

I have the v4000t as well. That one should have the x700. I would recommend doing everything that vassil_98 said. In addition to that I have a notebook cooler. You can get one of those off of newegg for about $10. Those help a little bit.

Does she have the 6 cell battery or the 12 cell? I have the 12 cell and it helps because it props up the back of the laptop. Make sure she isn't blocking the fans because that can cause the laptop to quickly over heat.
Tim

 

Well, the temperatures read as follows:

Temp 1 - 63 C
Temp 2 - 66 C
HDD - 43 C

That is when the computer is running a couple of background applications, like MS Word, Firefox, and stuff like Skype in the background. If you load anything more power hungry, I'd imagine it goes up to 75+, if not more. Any solutions?

Thanks

 

Sorry I can't comment on the heat, but I can say that I was also first shocked at seeing the keys on my old HP DV4000 getting shiny but now realized its commonplace on many laptops and I've gotten used to it.

Well, my current Compaq V3019US also gets quite hot, especially when running only a simple game like Sim City 3000, which is worrisome to me. Although I do have the Turion X2 processor and I hear that Turions get quite hot. I assume your Compaq has a Pentium M?

 

Turion X2 should not run hotter than Core Duo, just like the Turion 64 did not run hotter than Pentium M. 63* for the CPU is quite high for an idle mode, it should be between 40-47* C, 50 if it's hot where you are. 66 for the GPU is not that bad although I wouldn't really like it; 43 C for the HDD is OK.

Make sure your processor throttles down when not in use - Control Pane>Power Options. The power scheme should be set to protable/laptop.
What frequency does MobileMeter detect for your processor when running only the above mentioned applications? It should be 800mhz.

Other than that, do not put the laptop on soft surfaces as this blocks the vents. Always put it on hard, preferably not wooden surfaces; pop up the back of the laptop if don't have the 12 cell battery.

If nothing helps, then the problem is probably inside your laptop - either dust or the fan is not spinning. If you hear the fan clearly, then ....dust. It builds up very thick around the exhaust vents and could cause such overheating. It's true you don't have the P4 HT monster but still it's possible.

 

The main problem is the fact that it was not bad at all when the laptop was new. And moreover, 63 for idling GPU does seem litke its a bit too much. Its most likely the dust. I guess I'll send it to HP service to clean it up...

 

I have a Compaq Presario V4125CL that is 11 months old. I too started seeing lots of problems over the last few months! I was running 50-60 degrees celsius when checking email. I took the battery out last Friday, and it's been below 50 ever since! So, try taking the battery out and seeing if that makes a difference.

Today's USA Today says that HP is not going to recall all of their laptop batteries for overheating, they are betting that they don't need to. Nice of them to do so at their customers' expense!