An internal comparison of old CW vs new

So since I own both of these bad boys, I decided to do some investigating about the differences between them. What sparked this curiosity was the consistently higher temperatures I got with my new CW. Turns out the cooling design is a little different.

Not the best pics but hey this science project was done at 3am

New on the left, old on the right:



Old CW:


New CW:


And a pic side by side just for kicks



I think I'll be adding some thermal paste to my new CW. Any suggestions on which one? I gotta research how to do all that stuff, I ain't got a clue.

 

Arctic silver does the trick
Add just enough to cover the surface, a little goes (and spreads) a long way once the heatsink is screwed on top.
be careful to put the thremal paste on the central part of the cpu and gpu and NOWHERE around as the paste is conductive for electricity as well (contains silver)
If you can, please take a picture of the new CW with the heatsink removed.
Also, once you remove the heatsink you have to clean all surfaces from the old thermal compound. that is usually done by first scraping all you can with a bit of paper and then applying a thermal material remover (also available from Arctic Silver)
Be careful if you touch it. Though it is not caustic it will permanently stain clothing and such. Wash your hands thoroughly to avoid transferring the material to other parts of the house or your clothes.
more info: www.arcticsilver.com

 

Thanks for the pictures Slaughter.

I have the i5 CW/ white one too and it is hawt I can't compare the old CW to this new CW. But comparing it to my old Dell E1505. This CW is an ice box compared to that. The Dell gets so hot I could use it as a room heater.

 

Very nice comparison. I have been wondering what the internals of the i-models look like! Thanks. Which model has the better cooling? It seems that the Core 2 model has a better heatsink over the GPU.

 

Yeah the Core 2 model definitely has better cooling. My temperatures are consistently 10 degrees lower than that of the i5 model, and the fans never kick in, unlike the i5 model.

I'll be using either Shin-Etsu or ICD7 for my paste. Any suggestions? And do you guys have any good tutorials/links for applying thermal paste?

 

What temps are you seeing? My idle just processor temps are between 29-32C I'm guessing you are talking F so would be 84-89. Plus isn't it kinda hard to compare two different processors? Couldn't it be a more speed more heat? less speed less heat as well?

 

Nothing horrible or too high, but certainly higher than my older CW.

CPUs idle around 35-45C, GPU 37-48C.

 

45C at idle that's like what I am running under normal load. Under a stress test I was running 60 max but that was a stress program running for 20 minutes.

 

LOL. Well compared to my old CW...the CPU temps are like in their 20s! And the GPU never goes above like 38C.

 

My bad humor isnt allowed on this forum. Sorry for making a Jewish and oven joke.

 

I know right, my CW is the coolest running notebook I've ever owned. My Dell Latitude E6400 will bake thighs, but my CW won't even keep my legs warm when it's cold!

 

Are the higher temperatures purely on the dies of the CPU/GPU or can you notice the difference holding and using the laptop as well (does the case get warmer)?

 

I have the VPCCW26FX/W (same as Slaughterhouse) with the i5 from BB online. I have noticed the only part that gets warm is on the right side on top and bottom where the palm rest is. I believe this is where the hard drive is. So when using it, that area tends to get warm. Other than that, the rest of the case is cool.

I can't compare to the older CW with Core 2 duo. But compared to my Dell E1505 with the T2300 that gets hot anywhere under the keyboard. This new CW is a fridge with the motor on the right under the right palm rest.

 

The hard drive is under the left palm rest. The disc player is on the right. It's in the photos + you can sometimes hear the HDD + you can see it by noticing the disc is loaded from the right side of the laptop.

Could it be warm because the disc player is constantly spinning up? Is that why the HDD light always flashes? Is it warm because of the LED lights?

I don't know the answer to neither of those questions, but just something to ponder, I guess.

PS - BTW, thanks for the photos Slaughterhouse!

 

Hmm, now that you say that I see the HD is on the left. My bad. The disc player isn't spinning up. You can hear that when it does. It seems to be louder than any other I've used.

I'm not sure why the HDD light is always flashing. Could it be because of Windows file indexing service???

And no, it is definitely not the LED lights. Those are cooler than regular lights.

I just did a clean Windows 7 install. And this thing is running cooler than before. Just by touching the sides it is cold. I believe the warm area on the right is due to my plam being there. Now that I know its not the hard drive it was just my imagination before.

I do notice that the fan seems to run at a low speed most of the time. It does kick up when under load. But the hum noise is from the fan and not the HD.

 

Could it be the wifi card is there? on the right so that is why its warm? my CW doesnt get hot there, just barely warm nothing bad at all. kinda just feels like the warmth when you have your hand on a table for 5 minutes and then pick it up. that area tends to be a little warm.

 

The slight warmth is definitely there, but I can't explain why it's only noticeable on the right side.

WiFi is something I haven't thought about. I guess I'll/we'll just have to experiment to see what the source is and if it warrants any concern.

 

No, the case doesn't get warm. You just feel hot air coming out of the left vents.

What's interesting is that today my temperatures seem a little better. My GPU temp is staying under or around 40C, CPU temps at 30-40C.

 

sorry of a bit of off topic right now but did the CW come with the Intel 6200 card or did you upgrade that yourself?

 

The first production run i-models came with the 5300, but the later production models ship with the new 62xx series.

 

Wow really, so why is it that everywhere i read it says Atheros wifi card, this has put me off so much, but now i realised im back in the game ....just wondering...if anyone knows if the 5300 came with 3 antennas or 2.....and if 6200 is update of 5300 or 5100 cuz i only see two antennas in Slaughterhouse's pictures

 

The Sony CW comes with an Atheros wifi card. My old CW came with an Intel 5100. The 5300 was never offered for this notebook.

So yes, I upgraded to the 6200 myself, which is the update to the 5100. The 5300 comes with 3 antennas, which is the predecessor of the 6300.

 

oh okay i understand now thanks, oh well i guess ill just upgrade to 6300hopefully when the CW3 come out ...need CW26 or CW27 in RED cant bear to settle with the CW22 with the Core i3 CPU, cuz im not sure if the CPU is upgradeable or not due the the integreated Intel GPU....anyways, what size is the wifi card in the CW?

 

You would need to add a third antenna if you want to upgrade to the 6300.

 

Oh, I see. If you don't specify the Intel card when having it built, it's Atheros. But now the CTO intel card is the 6200.

 

Sorry to trouble. Just wanna check is the GT 330M a MXM card in this laptop or soldered onto the motherboard?

Cant really see form the pictures provided. thanks and please assist.

 

It's soldered. Sadly. I would kill for an MXM equipped CW, but it'll never happen.

 

Yup, it's soldered.

By the way, the 6200 is so much better than the 5100. With both of these notebooks side by side in the same room, I get a full connection to my router with the 6200 while the 5100 shows 3/5 bars. And now I get much better range throughout my university wifi.

 

Hmm considering the cpu already have thermal paste on it what are the advantages of adding my own paste?

I have some thermal paste left because I used to need some...

 

I dont know if this has been done yet...but can someone post up pictures of the old screen and the new 1600x900 screen ? i heard that the 1600x900 is better quality than the lower res screen, and i want to see the difference, like desktop, firefox and other programs

 

My guess would be that some aftermarket paste is made of or have better material. But the stock material should be good in most instances, plus technically they are placed properly at the factory.

 

I wish you would have asked earlier. I just sold the old CW with the 1366x768 screen.

Trust me though, the 1600x900 screen is MILES ahead of the old CW's screen. That 1366x768 screen was one of my biggest complaints about the old CW, it was simply unbearable for me. It's actually the primary reason why I bought the new CW. Not only did the resolution suck, but the colors and just quality in general was horrible.

I like the new screen a lot. Still not quite as vivid and sharp as I'm used to but it's very nice regardless.

Yeah the stock material is generally good. I just wanna experience with aftermarket pastes that claim to better cool the components.

 

Should be taking it apart again real soon! I'll keep you guys updated.

 

Any chance of a video? lol

 

lol there's a possibility I suppose

Depends on how much rep is given out...lol I'm jk I don't care. I'll see what kinda mood I'm in when I'm doing this