help! my laptop is running REALLY HOT when playing AC3 & BF3

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brad54321

Active member
My laptop (enigma IV) is running games like battlefield 3 at very high temps (over 90 degrees)

my specs are


Chassis & Display
Enigma IV: 15.6" Glossy HD LED Backlit Widescreen (1366x768)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-3230M (2.60GHz) 3MB

Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 4GB)

Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M - 2.0GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11

Memory - Hard Disk
500GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD5000BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC, MS)

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)

Sound Card
SRS 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless
ENIGMA SERIES GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 3.0

USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD

Battery
Enigma Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAH)

Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365

Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL

Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD

Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE

Webcam
INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM

Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)

Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days

please help.

p.s im not very good with computers/laptops so i dont know if this is a bad temp
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
How long have you had the laptop? It might be time to give it a clean. To do that properly you need to take the back cover off (unplug the battery whenever you do this) and check that the fan is not choked with dust and fluff (they often are). I use a very soft paintbrush (new and unused of course) to gently brush the dust into the mouth of a small vacuum cleaner. I have heard some say that you shouldn't use vacuum cleaners near a laptop because of electrostatic issues, I've never seen that myself (in over 30 years) but if you're worried about that brush the dust in such a way that it comes out of the laptop and doesn't fall further in. Be sure that the thin vanes in the output vent (close to the fan) are also clear of dust, a can of low pressure compressed air can be handy for this. Also be sure the vents in the back cover are clean and clear.

It's important, especially when driving the laptop hard (as in a game) that there is a good air circulation around the laptop. So it needs to be on a hard surface (a desk top for example) with a few inches of space all around to allow the hot air to escape. A cooling pad is also a very worthwhile investment but even raising the back of the laptop a few mm on a thin bit of wood will help (ensure it doesn't block any vents though).

Over 90 degrees is very hot, according to the Intel site the maximum operating temperature of your i5 is 105 deg C so you are certainly running much hotter than is comfortable. Check the above first (and get a cooling pad) and come back here if things don't improve markedly.

:)
 
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brad54321

Active member
i have had it for about a month now

also i keep getting graphical glitches in ac3 and bf3 e.g things start to turn blue and fuzzy

is this because its getting to hot?
 
Yamikotai

Yamikotai

Expert
i have had it for about a month now

also i keep getting graphical glitches in ac3 and bf3 e.g things start to turn blue and fuzzy

is this because its getting to hot?
Click to expand...
That sounds like a reasonable conclusion. I would ensure, as said before, that the internals are clean and free from dust. Also ensure that any and all fans are spinning, though this requires turning the laptop on while it's open so be very careful that you touch nothing inside when it is.


keynes said:
How often would you recommend cleaning the vents/fans?
Click to expand...
I'm kinda interjecting here but I'd say it entirely depends on the environment the laptop is normally in. If it's particularly dusty or there are smokers, then with desktops I'd say every six months, and slightly more often with laptops (every four months, perhaps).
 
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brad54321

Active member
i do put my laptop on a desk with not much around it and the only time the laptop has been exposed to smoke was a BBQ last night lol

but i do think i need to get a cooling pad

and i will look in to getting a proper screwdriver and some compressed air cans
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
keynes said:
How often would you recommend cleaning the vents/fans?
Click to expand...

I live on a boat and they're pretty dusty places. My laptop is on a cooling pad and the fans on there blow dust onto the bottom of the laptop. So about once a month I flip the laptop over and if there is a lot of dust on the outside of the cover I slip the back cover off and have a look at the fan. I probably end up cleaning it each time I do this even though it probably doesn't need it. I figure I might as well clean it whilst the back is off! Excessive heat is the enemy of all electronic devices so cleaning the vents and fan(s) is probably the most effective bit of maintenance you can do.
 
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