Cintiq 21 UX with my 8170 huge overheat on nvidia gtx 560m gpu

My sager 8170 will be 2 in August. I'm using the nvidia geforce gtx 560M. In the past month I purchased a Wacom Cintiq 21UX tablet, since I'm a graphic designer/3d modeler and a tablet is plain heaven.

It's funny but not - I accidentally hit my CPUID hardware monitor on my taskbar, and nearly had a heart attack today when it showed my gpu had reached 101 * C. The cores themselves were fine, down at their normal 50*C area.

I was not gaming, not using the tablet with any programs like adobe PS or 3ds Max; only had my ms outlook minimized, firefox up on the screen, and a file downloading in the background.

I could not get the gpu down below 90*C even with our beloved Fn+1 and all fans blowing a gale. I shut off the cintiq though I left it attached, so I suppose the gpu was still registering it there, just not actively sending to it. I made sure my power plan was down at Balanced instead of max performance, setting it to automatic adjust with the computer.

There was very little change.

It was not until I changed back from dual monitor to laptop monitor, and physically disconnected the tablet that my temps began to drop, and finally hit a nice comfy 42*C with fans full on. It's now idling at 50*C.

Does ANYONE ELSE use this combination of computer/gpu and a Cintiq tablet of any type? Do you have temp issues like this?

Is there anyone NOT a cintiq user who might have any insight into this temp issue?

Thank in advance for any kind replies. (I can't remember if my siggy still has all my specs attached, if not I can post required info)

 

hm lets see... you had your tablet attached to ur 8170 as an external input device / external screen?

if thats the case: first of all, its normal that your gpu temps are higher when an external monitor is attached, since it then switches from 2D idle clocks to 2d active / 3D low power clocks.

secondly, both ur idle and load temps are definitely NOT normal. especially that 101C is dangerously high in the red zone and could potentially kill your gpu if left like that for longer periods of time.

things to check:
- use ur laptop on a flat, hard surface with ur backfacing vents not being blocked by anything
- raise the back of ur machine a bit, for example by using two plastic bottle caps (my personal favorite). this significantly improves the airflow and makes a world of difference when it comes to CPU/GPU temps
- when was the last time uve cleaned ur machine of accumulated dust in the fans and the heatsink fins? its recommended to do such a cleanout every 3-6 months, depending on the "dustiness" of ur work environment and the usage of ur machine. that dust accumulation can seriously heat up ur machine!
- when cleaning out the dust, you should also consider doing a repaste of both your GPU and CPU. high performance thermal pastes include IC Diamond, OCZ Freeze, Tuniq TX-2 and others

all in all, CPU/GPU idle temps should be in their 40s/high 30s with max. load temps of preferable below 90C for prolonged periods of time in order to avoid any hardware damage.

cheers

 

Hey, thanks for replying.

Okay, good to know that another monitor will affect the temps that way, and that it ups the clocks. I hadn't seen that sort of rise when I was using my hdmi port for a 22" lcd monitor, so wondering if it's specific to the Cintiq.

The 101*C was the panic that caused me to post here lol, I knew it was waaaay too high. I always have the vents cleared of any potential air-blockers, and jack up the back end of the computer so it doesn't get too warm underneath. (This past week, I've had a half-inch roll of masking tape under it the back end to lift it up since it was the closest thing nearby and I've been moving it around a fair bit).

I ordered Arctic Cooling MX 4 about 5 minutes after I saw the temperature, and was planning to clean everything out when I opened it to apply the paste - I did some browsing online to try and see the process for gpus as opposed to the cpu fans (which I have done on a desktop but never a laptop). This laptop has never run in 30s since the day I received it, was always mid 40s at idle. I just turned it on about 5 minutes ago with the wacom on it, and it was at 71 till I put the fans full force, now it's 65*C, cores at 45, 43, 44, 43 respectively. The only temp below 40 is the ST9500, and it's at 33*C (I must assume that's the hard disc?).

I'll keep you folks apprised of how it goes.

 

yup, that would be the HDD.

well its not a must for the idle clocks to be in their 30s, of course it also depends heavily on your ambient temp those were rather exemplary numbers from my machine.

you should check out the P170HM/NP8170 service manual to help you with cleaning the innards and repasting your CPU/GPU: http://myeurocom.ru/u/service/4/file.pdf

if u got any questions, just shoot. and keep us updated on ur progress

cheers

 

THanks for that link, jaybee - I forgot about that manual!

 

I guess I'll reply here too (did in the owner's thread),

It's less about replacing thermal paste and more about cleaning the vents of caked in dust. If you don't know the last time you did it, then it's been too long.

Recently I experienced a similar issue, so I cleaned out my 8170's heatsink vents, and max temperatures across my CPU and GPU decreased 20 to 30 degrees.

 

I took out what looked like two felt mats in between each fan and the fins. HOLY CRAP! Well! Both monitors on, browsing online, fans not on F1, GPU is at steady 46C, cores are from 36 - 40 C.

For giggles I put on the full fans, the cores are 33-36C, gpu is 43C. WOW and WOW - Kevin, jaybee, I'll still be repasting but I must say, the statement 'if you don't know the last time you did it, then it's been too long' hit a chord in me, so I had to open it up.

I had no idea it sucked in so much dust, dog and cat hair in there. What a relief. Now I'm not afraid to use it till the paste arrives.

And when I paste, I'll post again to let you all know if it dropped further.

 

Yeah my experience really affected how I'll treat and maintain my machines now and in the future. I struggled with the frustrations of overheating for so long, and to find out that the fix was just as simple as removing dust build up was quite the revelation. So now I spread the gospel to other who may be unaware like I once was.

I'm glad things worked out well and that's all your problem was. It's almost like having a completely different laptop.