Sager NP8690 Heat

About four months ago my brother and I both bought identical Sager NP8690 machines. I won't list all the specs, but they both have i7 620m, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, and stock thermal paste. Recently I've noticed that my laptop appears to get hotter than my brothers by a fair amount. According to HWMonitor in the Crysis benchmark running maxed out without AA, my GPU can reach up to 89 degrees C. My brother only reaches 82 ish. He has in the past said that he reached 90. Regardless, it seems from all my benchmarks that my computer heats up faster and has a higher max temp. I have flashed the bios and reformatted my computer. This hasn't appeared to change much. My brother is doing the same and when he's done I will know more about the issue. I have a few questions. First, how accurate is HWmonitor? it seems a bit odd that every component in my computer idles slightly hotter and that both our computers fans kick in at the same time and they feel the same on the surface. Plus my temps changed when I reformatted my machine. Second, if my computer is hotter, what should I do? Finally, if anyone has a similar laptop, what temperatures do you get?

 

I re-installed Crysis 3 days ago, played it for an hour or so and maxed at 79*C. You could try cleaning the fans and/or change your thermal paste. My ambient temps are 29*C-34*C.

 

You're using GTX 280m, so your temps are going to be different. I've heard 5870 gets much hotter. I did clean the heatsink and fans out. I would consider changing the thermal paste, but I don't know how, do you know where I can find I guide?

 

Here's a guide. My setup should run hotter, since my components use more power but those 5870's make me raise an eyebrow.

 

I'm considering applying new thermal paste to my CPU and GPU in my Sager NP8690 w/ i7 620m and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870. What thermal paste should I use for the CPU and GPU?

 

I use Arctic Cooling MX-3 thermal paste, it's pretty good. You can also try IC Diamond or Shin-Etsu X-23. Btw you're posting in the wrong section of the forum.

 

where should I be posting?

 

Should be posting here. Pretty sure the mods will move it soon.

 

I'm considering applying new thermal paste to my CPU and GPU in my Sager NP8690 w/ i7 620m and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870. What thermal paste should I use for the CPU and GPU?

 

Shin Etsu would be a good choice. They are hard to apply though but it really cools your CPU/GPU really good.

 

This is my first time changing thermal paste on any computer, so I'm looking for something pretty easy

 

How accurate is HWmonitor?

 

Just go with Artic Silver then, it's pretty easy from the reviews that I saw on NBR.

 

AS5 is fine, but I'd recommend IC Diamond slightly above it. However, IC Diamond also costs slightly more.

 

I wouldn't recommend a conductive paste like Arctic Silver, particularly since it is their first time. I recommend MX2 or MX3. The method I use is simply placing a line of paste across the CPU / GPU Die.

Also observe the correct sequence of screw removal and install. Many think it does not matter but you should do it in the correct sequence to avoid too much pressure. It is shown on the white sticker.

Edit: ^ IC Diamond can leave scratches on the surface of the Die.

 

I say give Gelid GC-Extreme thermal paste a try.
I used IC7 Diamond prior and left the cores scratched on the cpu and gpu.
Gelid GC-Extreme is pretty easy to apply and wont scratch the dies.

 

MX2 and MX3 are REALLY easy to apply. You just put a dot on the dies and thats it. Plus, as already said, its not conductive.

 

I recently applied MX-3 to my GPU and yeah it was easy. It does seem to be working well in keeping the temp reading down.

 

This is correct, depending on the application method used IC Diamond can leave scratches on the CPU/GPU die - especially if you use the "grain of rice" application method and use the heatsink to spread out the compound by applying pressure. And that's a considerable amount of pressure, as IC Diamond is a very thick compound. However, by warming up the paste first (as it is very thick) it can be applied without harming the die and offers some of the best thermal paste performance around.

 

Just to note many thermal compounds can be substituted for lapping compounds and many compounds contain significant amounts of Aluminum Oxide, which is nearly as hard as diamond. Many of Arctic silver products contain it as well as other manufacturer thermal compounds . I have tested 7 other compounds on oxidized copper plate and have found them all to be approximately equivalent as an abrasive.

To be abrasive you just have to be harder than the copper IHS which rates near the bottom of the hardness MOHS scale.

In short nearly all thermal compounds can be defined as Lapping compounds

Aluminum Oxide is what they make sandpaper out of and is the prime ingredient of many thermal compounds...

This is a common well known abrasive- read the wikipedia cut, and as an example check the cut from ceramiq MSDS and MOHS table of hardness

Corundum
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Corundum
General
Category Oxide mineral – Hematite group
Chemical formula Aluminium oxide, Al2O3
Strunz classification IV/C.04-10
Dana classification 4.3.1.1
Crystal symmetry Trigonal (32/m)
Unit cell a = 4.75 Å, c = 12.982 Å; Z=6
Identification
Color Colorless, gray, brown; pink to pigeon-blood-red, orange, yellow, green, blue to cornflower blue, violet; may be color zoned, asteriated mainly grey and brown
Crystal habit Steep bipyramidal, tabular, prismatic, rhombohedral crystals, massive or granular
Crystal system Trigonal (Hexagonal Scalenohedral)
Symbol (32/m)
Space group: R3c
Twinning Polysynthetic twinning common
Cleavage None – parting in 3 directions
Fracture Conchoidal to uneven
Mohs scale hardness 9
Luster Adamantine to vitreous
Streak White
Diaphaneity Transparent, translucent to opaque
Specific gravity 3.95–4.10
Optical properties Uniaxial (–)
Refractive index nω = 1.767–1.772
nε = 1.759–1.763
Pleochroism None
Melting point 2044 °C
Fusibility Infusible
Solubility Insoluble
Alters to May alter to mica on surfaces causing a decrease in hardness
Other characteristics May fluoresce or phosphoresce under UV
References [1][2][3][4]
Major varieties
Sapphire Any color except red
Ruby Red
Emery Black granular corundum intimately mixed with magnetite, hematite, or hercynite

Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) with traces of iron, titanium and chromium.[1] It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colors when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red, while all other colors are called sapphire.

The name "corundum" is derived from the Tamil word குருந்தம் "kuruntam" meaning "ruby", itself derived from the Sanskrit "kuruvinda".[3]

Because of corundum's hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 Mohs), it can scratch almost every other mineral. It is commonly used as an abrasive, on everything from sandpaper to large machines used in machining metals, plastics and wood. Some emery is a mix of corundum and other substances, and the mix is less abrasive, with a lower average hardness near 8.0.
In addition to its hardness, corundum is unusual for its density of 4.02 g/cm3, which is very high for a transparent mineral composed of the low atomic mass elements aluminium and oxygen.[5


Product Identification
Céramique High-Density Thermal Compound
Product Code: Céramique
SECTION 2: COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS
Product Ingredient Information CAS No.
Aluminum Oxide 1344-28-1
Boron Nitride 10043-11-5
Zinc Oxide 1314-13-2
Proprietary Oil Blend Non-hazardous

TABLE 2. MOHS HARDNESSES OF SELECTED MATERIALS

Abrasive


Mohs Hardness

wax (0 deg C)


0.2

graphite


0.5 to 1

talc


1

copper


2.5 to 3

gypsum


2

aluminum


2 to 2.9

gold


2.5 to 3

silver


2.5 to 4

calcite


3

brass


3 to 4

fluorite


4

glass


4.5 to 6.5

asbestos


5

apatite


5

steel


5 to 8.5

cerium oxide


6

orthoclase


6

vitreous silica


7

beryl


7.8

quartz


8

topaz


9

aluminum oxide


9

silicon carbide (beta type)


9.2

boron carbide


9.3

boron


9.5

diamond


10

 

Your threads have been merged and moved to the proper section.

 

I purchased some Arctic Cooling MX-3 paste, can anyone tell me what they think is the best method of application.

 

That paste is pretty thick so I don't recommend the spread / credit card method many seem to like. As mentioned earlier on in this thread, I always apply a line of paste across the Die and have always had great results.

 

What type of cloth is safe to clean the CPU/GPU?

 

I use old tshirts.

 

I do the same, although some nitpicks like to use Microfiber cloths.

 

Coffee filters work well (they are lint free)

 

@Koolg223 -- have you checked to determine whether the CPU vent sticker has been removed from your 8690?

 

I noticed the sticker while Cleaning the heatsinks, but I didn't remove it. I believe it's there to force more air through the center vents (where the RAM is) and more air through the GPU vent. Also, there isn't a foam ring to keep dust out on that side.

 

This may be a very stupid question, but do I need an anti static wrist strap? I know I'm not going to be touching the CPU or GPU.

 

I took off both the CPU and GPU heatsinks, on the GPU heatsink there are a bunch of strips of some soft material that cover the other chips, what should I do with these?

 

Sounds like thermal pads for the mosfets and VRMs. I would leave them on, but you could probably replace them with better thermal compound if you wanted.

 

That may be the theory, but the fact is that CPU temps are typically reduced by 8-10*C as a result of its removal. The 8690 CPU vent sticker removal issue has been the subject of several threads, and the results are consistent -- if you want lower CPU temps, remove the sticker.

 

Think I'll leave them on, thanks for the help

 

I finished and my results are excellent, I'm downloading the Crysis benchmark now, running Unigine Heaven 2.1 with high settings and regular tessellation, I peaked at 77 degrees C, 11 degrees less than before. I'm hoping Crysis won't exceed 82. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

your results seem very good after your thermal paste application considering you didnt remove the sticker

 

Ok so, I reapplied on the GPU and got down to 76 degrees tops, but I have a real issue now, the CPU heatsink came badly scratched, can I buy a new one online, or do I need to sand it?

 

Yeah, I've been able to make it drop since then. Also, I believe the CPU fan has the sticker.

 

Ok, I ran 20 reps of a Crysis CPU benchmark, the GPU stopped at 83 degrees C and hovered around 82, and the CPU stopped at 79 degrees and hovered at around 74 - 78. Will these temperatures affect my performance, or are they ok?