Don't think this question was ever asked...

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

My laptop has been acting very weird for quite some times now. There are lines on the screen and gets worse when the system gets hotter. THose lines eventually blurs the screen and I can't read anything. So I thought it might be due to the heat build up inside my laptop. So I took the keyboard out and blow (yes, literally) on my GPU hoping to get the temperature down, and wow! Immediately there is improvement to the distortion on the screen. Blow a few more times and the lines are gone. THe problem is, once I stop doing that the heat starts building up and the lines would come back again. So I am wondering how I can keep my GPU cool without me constantly blowing air to it. THanks.

Btw, I tried laptop cooler...it didn't help. I need a solution that can be directly applied to the GPU.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

What video card? Do you use your lappy to play games at all? If not you can just download a utility like rivatuner to downclock your video card so that it produces less heat. I'm guessing the video card connects to the CPU's heatsink and fan?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Have you cleaned the sinks with canned air and maybe a new paint brush?
Is the fan operating OK, or does it have bearing noise?
There are accessory fans that the lappy can rest on while being used, consider that option.
Has the GPU been reinstalled using good TIM?

We have a SFF, Notebook Forum here, you might consider posting over there. If you do post there, delete this thread.
You can't remove it, just state deleted in the title. Give it a day or two.


...Galvanized

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Have you cleaned the sinks with canned air and maybe a new paint brush?
Is the fan operating OK, or does it have bearing noise?
There are accessory fans that the lappy can rest on while being used, consider that option.
Has the GPU been reinstalled using good TIM?

We have a SFF, Notebook Forum here, you might consider posting over there. If you do post there, delete this thread.
You can't remove it, just state deleted in the title. Give it a day or two.


...Galvanized

This is more heat/cooling related than SFF, notebook related, that's why I post here. Plus, I posted the same question on SFF/notebook forum and got no reply so...

This is a Thinkpad R40 that we are talking about. ATI 7500 is the GPU. There is heatsink with thermal tape to cool the GPU but obviously doesn't do the job. I will try rivatuner and let you know if it works.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Does the heatsink have a heatpipe that connects to your CPU's fan, or does it rely on passive cooling? If you're lifting up your keyboard to get to these components, the metal backing to your keyboard might be acting as the "heatpipe" that's transfering heat from the video heatsink to the CPU HSF. If it's overheating it might mean that your metal keyboard backing isn't fitting flush with the video or CPU heatsink, or both.

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Mmm...I think it replies on passive cooling. It's not directly connected to the CPU or CPU fan.

I just downloaded the Rivatuner, mmm...how do I downclock the GPU? It doesn't look like there is such option.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Uhhhh... I'm not sure. I'm on Linux right now and don't have rivatuner. I would google for rivatuner overclocking and those should show you. Or ATI overclocking. But instead of upping the clocks reduce them.

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Wow!! It works wonder!!!!!!!! Thanks so much!!

I downloaded the ATI tool and reduce both the core and the mem speed, and it...WORKS!!!! I have however one question. My computer doesn't remember the setting, so when I retart the laptop it will reset clock speed back to default, how do I make it run at the new setting all the time?

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Ok, it looks like I found the answer to my own question. Thank you everyone. I am one happy ATer now

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Yay!

 

[rhino56]

well that sucks though that you have to lower the speed on it. are you sure its clean in there? can you replace the stock thermal pad with something better like as5?