Problem with Compaq Presario CQ50

I purchased my Compaq CQ50 yesterday (with the AMD Turion x2 RM-70)... it looks really nice and does well in all the aspects except of one problem...
Heat... i connected the laptop with the AC, actually the fan just don't stop running .. its always on.

I ran the everest system stability test and i found that CPU temperature at rest (CPU usage 5%) reaches to 124 F (51 C)... compared to 111 F (44 C) on my brother's Inspiron 6400 (using T5600).

When i played some simple game, it reached to 149 F (65C) and when the everest ran system stress test (CPU usage 100%), the CPU temperature stopped at 171 F (77C) compared to 151 F (66C) on the Inspiron 6400 (T5600).

I am living in Edmonton in which the temperature ranges between 55 and 81 F (13- 27 C).

I think this difference in temperatures will not make a big problem but the point is that i am going to Egypt in the middle east for couple of months or maybe more... temperature there is around 100 to 115 F (38- 46 C) and i maybe will be turning it on for about 10 hours everyday.

So my critical question is.... will my laptop get hurt because of this high temperature or it just will survive and do fine??

 

Although that is quite high, 77°C isn't problematic, my m1330 gets there as well with an intel t7250.

Your brother's cpu is clocked lower and thus produces less heat. AMD is also rumored to run hotter (no first- or secondhand experience about that though).

You could check into undervolting, theres a great guide on these forums:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824

 

You cant undervolt the new Griffin Turions yet but the temperatures are normal for the new Turions. As long as the temps dont break 90C, you should be fine. As far as ambient temperatures are concerned as long as you dont leave it running for extended periods with 100% cpu usage in excess of 110F or greater you should be fine. Make suer the cpu fan/vents are free of dust build up and the system should be capable of handling the extra heat. Also, if you are concerned then investing in a laptop cooler might be useful.

BTW, if I could ask for a favor, could you run and post the results of 3DMark06, it would help in comparing the 8200M aganist the x4500/HD3200.

Thanks.

 

Sure, but where can i find the 3DMark06 program?

 

http://www.futuremark.com/download/3dmark06/

BTW, its a big download(580MB). Only download if you have broadband connection with no download restrictions/limit.

 

The only reason for which i make it running for long periods is to download big files, browse the internet or to read some books... so you think it will be fine?

 

Oh yeah. It should be fine. As I said before, a good laptop cooler might also be a good investment. These things shouldnt cost too much and would help dissipate heat by moving air through the system.

 

Thank you very much,
i am downloading the 3DMark06 right now.... but it will take sometime to get it all as i have a bad connection.

 

Let me add my observations. I also purchased this (the CQ50-106CA model) yesterday. Overall, it is an excellent value for money. The fan does run constantly and this does worry me to an extent (fan failure may occur over time). That being said, I am surprised at your temps. With Speedfan and HDTune, I got temps of maximum 48 degrees for the HD and only 28 for each of the two cpus. I had a bunch of programs running (chess titans game, some acrobat documents, openoffice and IBM Lotus Symphony word processors, installed some programs like atomic clock, thunderbird, winboard). Even after 30 minutes of this, my cpu temps. never climbed above 28. Only the HD temps climbed to 48, but stayed below 50.

I am still withing the store's evaluation period, and since this is a new system from HP/Compaq, let me add my observations (this is not a review per se). Overall, as I said this is excellent value for money. It has a large HD, a generous 3 GB of RAM and the screen is super (it is glossy, but not very reflective). The touchpad area is silver slick. The notebook is relatively light for its class (just 6.3 lbs). The con may be the 6-cell low end battery. I checked the documents and manuals for the system on HP's website. It has the lower end 6-cell (both the higher end 6-cell and the 12-cell are not available yet, but that may be because it is a new system). Unfortunately, this low-end 6-cell will probably max out at 2 hours, but I don't consider this a huge issue (considering all factors).

I am experienced with computers in general (I am an engineer etc.) so I have an idea of what I am talking about. I own other Dell Inspirons and Vostros and have worked with Thinkpads and Latitudes. Don't compare with the latter two and you will not be disappointed. I figured that this would make an excellent second or third machine.

I intend to extend my warranty (with a 3-year return to depot or accidental) by purchasing directly through HP. I did some cost calculations, and find that, if you hed on to it for 3 years max., it still works out to about $320 CAD per year. With accidental protection (or what HP calls complete care pack), you are fully covered.

Sorry for going somewhat off-topic, but wanted to give as much info as possible, considering that there are no reviews (yet) on NBR. Overall, for the price, features and performance, this is great value (if you buy the extended warranty).

Anyone else have experience with this system, or has a fuller review (any volunteers?), please post. Happy notebooking

 

I just ordered the CQ50 yesterday with a build date of Aug 7th, and my only quandry was deciding what cpu to get. I would rather of had a dual-core Athlon/Turion, but reading the OP's heat observations made me backpedal. If the RM-70 is hot at 31W, the QL-60 would likely be even warmer at 35W.

Taking this into consideration, I ended up selecting the Sempron SI-40. Being a 25W part, and having owned other 25W Semprons personally, I'm assuming that it will run much cooler & quieter. My current Sempron 3300+ handles Vista Basic without a problem, so I'd expect the SI-40 to do the same.

I guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks.



Mike

 

I guess if you want to cut down on the heat, a Sempron _might_ help... but, I am not too sure. Following up on what I wrote earlier, I experimented with the temps. yesterday and found the following temps (with speedfan): the HD goes up to 49 (which is still reasonably cool for what a HD can take); the two temps. go up to about 48 and 52 (I am assuming these are case and gpu temps.) In any case, my temps. stayed around those numbers. A cooling fan helped to lower the HD temps. to about 38.

So, my opinion is that these are still acceptable temps. Obviously, this is an inexpensive computer, which means it probably does not have a sophisticated cooling system. That said, these are acceptable numbers however. More importantly, the price/performance-features ratio is tremendous. HP's Compaq line provides great value. So, I would say, go with the dual core processors, you will probably be fine with the temps (addition of an extended warranty will futureproof the system if you need it).

(Comparison: My Dell Inspiron 1501 (last year's model) shows HD temps. of about 42 (without a notebook cooler), and the second temp. is about 34.)

 

I noticed that the CQ50 is almost 1lb heavier than it's DV5Z cousin. Is the chassis physically bigger and/or thicker? Usually, a larger laptop has better thermal dynamics.

 

I couldn't find anything for the DV5Z you provided the link for, but going by what you say that the CQ is 1 lb heavier.. this is my experience (I have played with HP's DV lines in stores). The CQ does not feel that heavy... it's still over 6 lbs, but it has quite a sleek and thin design. I was surprised myself because (a) older compaqs have thick brick line appearances, and (b) this is a budget model. I think the overall build quality is quite good (only the dvd slot has a somewhat, loose fitting case). It would have been nice if the fan didn't stay on most/all the time. I will try a different one from the store to see if the fan issue persists.
If you don't have to pay for the fancier cosmetic stuff and entertainment options in HP's DV line, then the compaq line provides equivalent performance without the added costs of the DV's cosmetic stuff.

 

P.S. It's great that in the U.S., you can customize your CQ. No such option for us in Canada. That said, the pre-built retail model comes with the newer RM AMD processor (with larger L2 cache and 2 GZ speed).

 

Hey guys, I too am interested in the 3Dmark06 values on this machine. Futureshop hear in Canada is selling the 106CA version for $599.99 which I believe is a great price for what the laptop has. I wish HP/Compaq would allow Canadians to customize a build, in which case I would be purchasing a dv5.

I own a Compaq 2405CA and the fan runs constantly when plugged into a wall and at full clock with temps around 54 degrees Celsius at idle and sometimes hit 70 degrees during gaming so I am used to a lot of fan noise.

I don’t mean to hijack (its related somewhat), but would any of the owners care to comment on what you think of the overall build quality of the CQ50?

 

I am new here but I have one question on this model have read here in NBR that some Compaqs come with the chip soldered to the motherboard is the CQ50 one of them? sucks if it is.

 

If you are talking about the graphics, yes. All they offer are IGPs at this point anyway, so upgradeability is a moot point........

 

Hey, I was just wondering if any of the owners of the CQ50 have done a battery life test... Specifically, the one from Future Shop. I'm looking for a computer with a nice mix of some power and battery life (I'm going to school, soooo...). Any info would be very much appreciated!