Cleaning my 5760

I've been the proud owner of a Sager 5760 ever since they were released. Even though it's tech isn't top of the line anymore, it gives me the pinnacle of DX9 gaming in a mobile form. Can you say Crysis at work? ^^

But as of late, a small problem has gotten much worse. After a few months of using the laptop, I started noticing a small graphical glitch. Every so often, one face from a mesh will stretch out into infinity. It's weird, like the computer messed up a mesh calculation along the line. It wasn't all that problematic, but lately it's been happening to all my games, and much more often. I found out how to fix it recently, turning up my fans to full with the Fn-F2 stroke. With fans on high, I never see that glitch again.

So it's a heat issue.

My fans work fine, and they kick up and down depending on load just like they always have, but apparently it's not enough anymore. I assume my computer needs a good cleaning. Problem is, I'm not quite sure how. I'm not sure about jamming a can of air into the fan port and lettin' her rip. Is there any way I can clean out the area of the video card specifically? I'm a bit wary of digging around in there without some kind of instruction.

So does anyone know how to properly give a 5760 a clean-out?

 

Try blowing compressed air to the fans for starters and may be a cooler.

 

Yeah... little more?

 

here is my copy-paste.

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If you are overheating... usually any temp over 90C degrees is bad.

when was the last time that you cleaned out the fans and vents thoroughly...?

if never, then thats why.

1) remove battery
2) remove/unscrew the panels on the bottom of the notebook to get to fans and vents (if possible)
3) use flashlight to look through vents for the dust (if you cant see the light on the other end, then the vents are clogged up)
4) go outside, get some compressed air (cans or compressor @ 50 PSI) and give the vents a good airing out all directions ( concentrating on the vents)
.... you might want to brace the fan blade(s) when airing it out (with a toothpick or paperclip to prevent it from spinning out too much)
.... or use short bursts (1-2 secs) of air instead of bracing the fans.
5) go get some Q-tips and swab the fan blades and the area around it
6) then go do a second airing with compressed air (all directions again focusing on the fans and vents) to push out the dust that was dislodged from the Q-tips

7*) Now go use the flashlight again and look through the vents (shine the flashlight from the fan, you look through the other end) for anymore dust clogs.

8) Then start up the notebook... and let the fans cycle up (use the Fan Toggle at max speed if your system has it) to push out any other dust that might have been stuck.

If all goes well you should be able to close up the notebook and...

you're done.

*repeat this step until its cleaned out.

Thats pretty much it.

Just make sure to do this every two-three months... it should take about 15-20min per cleaning if you want to be thorough.

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Gaming notebooks are a new thing, you must realize that you have to take some extra care of them over typical use notebooks:

1) Battery: to maintain the longevity of any rechargeable battery
- you must NEVER overcharge it [especially for long durations of time] by keeping it plugged into AC
- when it reaches 100% you should unplug it and let it discharge to 5-15%, then plug it back to power
- OR you can just charge it to 50%+ and remove the battery and store in cool place.. not the fridge [remember to use it occasionally 3-4 time a year to charge and discharge it].

2.) Heat: to prevent a healthy notebook from overheating
- ALWAYS use the notebook on a clean, hard & flat surface
- RECOMMENDED to be used on a notebook cooler... namely the Zalman ZM-NC1000 or ZM-NC2000
- check your fans underneath occasionally (at least once a month or two) for any dust clogs [clean them out with Q-tips and air cans/compressors]
- ALWAYS monitor the temps (CPU, GPU, HDD, etc..) to watch for fluctuations, which would indicate overheating by dust usually
(for Clevo notebooks) use the Fan Toggle to switch all fans to Max Speed when gaming and such.

By doing these simple things, your entire system will easily last for more than 3 years.

 

Hey wow thanks! Big reply, lol. Alright I'll address a few things.

Yeah, I heard that if you overspin the fans with air, they can die.

This first part really focuses on the vents and such. But I know for a fact that my video card is about 3-4 inches from my northbridge and 6-7 from my main fan. Is there any way of clearing the dust out of the vid card area too?

Uh, you want me to unplug and replug my laptop every 15 minutes for the entire time that I use it? O_O;; I never use the batteries. I always have it plugged into the wall. Besides, when I go off bats, my screen dims. The 5760 has about 45 minutes of batt time when gaming, lol.

I can't very well take out the battery from my laptop. In the 5760, one of the legs is a part of the battery. So if I take it out, my laptop will wobble and bend on 3 legs.

Huh, I have to do that now. Never had to before though. You sure? That would explain some things I guess...

 

get rid of any and all dust that you can find in the system, regardless of where it is.

as for the battery health, just remember to not leave it plugged in 24/7 for a long time (like months at a time), it will degrade the battery life.

The Fan Toggle is a key feature that makes Clevo notebooks great to prevent overheating. Your notebook is Fn+F2. It will definitely give maximum cooling to the entire system.

 

Ah, will blasting air in the fan ports clear the dust out of the entire computer?

I don't leave the rig plugged in when it's not on, otherwise I just don't want to have to plug in and unplug it repeatedly while using it. Besides, I had to disable the battery in the system settings because it messed with Crysis for me.

Yeah, I love the fan toggle. But I didn't need to use it before. I want to get back that goodness, hopefully the heat issue will go down after a cleaning.

And yes, I <3 my clevo. ^^

 

on the NP9262 the battery is screwed in...

but does it matter since you can only get about an hour off the battery.