Old Sony Vaio VPCEB2M1E overheating. Adding RAM?

[Thor89]

Hello everybody,

I've been using my old Sony VAIO since 2011 (yeah, I know...) and I don't want to give it up just yet. One problem I get is it overheats quite quickly. Especially when watching HD videos/films online.

Now, the question is if it's an issue of not having enough RAM. I'm using 4GB (for Windows 7, Intel i3). Or do you think it's a graphic card issue?

Thinking of ordering extra RAM (if that's the issue) from this website:
https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/memory-ram-upgrades/sony/vaio-laptop/vpceb2m1e

 

[Harvey]

Two issues:

1. Unless the overheating is caused by a lot of disk swapping between your memory and the hard drive, more RAM will not solve the problem. Your best start is to open up the case and blow out any accumulated dust.

If you're really ambitious, you can try removing the heatsink cleaning off old heatsink compound from the CPU (and video chipset if required) and re-applying a fresh, very thin coating of compound. The job will be even more difficult if the manufacturer used adhesive thermal compound because you will first have to remove the heatsink(s) without damaging each chip or the heatsink.

You might also want to consider buying a cooling pad to place under your laptop.

2. The RAM at your link is wildly overpriced. Newegg (U.S.) offers 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) SO-DIMM's of DDR3-1066 MHz RAM starting at $37.99 - $43.99. Newegg (U.K.) shows the same RAM starting at £26.99 - £31.99, or about 60% of the price from the site at your link for each 4 GB stick.

 

[Thor89]

Two issues:

1. Unless the overheating is caused by a lot of disk swapping between your memory and the hard drive, more RAM will not solve the problem. Your best start is to open up the case and blow out any accumulated dust.

If you're really ambitious, you can try removing the heatsink cleaning off old heatsink compound from the CPU (and video chipset if required) and re-applying a fresh, very thin coating of compound. The job will be even more difficult if the manufacturer used adhesive thermal compound because you will first have to remove the heatsink(s) without damaging each chip or the heatsink.

You might also want to consider buying a cooling pad to place under your laptop.

2. The RAM at your link is wildly overpriced. Newegg (U.S.) offers 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) SO-DIMM's of DDR3-1066 MHz RAM starting at $37.99 - $43.99. Newegg (U.K.) shows the same RAM starting at £26.99 - £31.99, or about 60% of the price from the site at your link for each 4 GB stick.

Thanks a lot for the links :thumbsup:

I don't think I'm confident enough to temper with the interior too much. Simply don't know enough about it. But removing dust should be possible at least.

I think the issue is just that the software I'm using on a daily basis might just need too much RAM. Not an expert on this at all though. For example if I'm using Word, Adobe Reader, a browser, and Spotify at the same time, the fan runs very quickly and heats up.

 

[Harvey]

You may need to update your BIOS. Searching Google for Sony Vaio VPCEB2M1E overheating finds a number of links to reports of overheating with this series of laptops, including this on pcworld.com:

Sony Issues BIOS Update for Recalled Vaio Laptops

Sony has announced a recall of 535,000 Vaio laptop computers following reports of issues with overheating that has caused system damage, and could potentially cause injury. If you own a Vaio, verify whether your laptop is part of the recall, and take the steps necessary to get the problem resolved.

In a statement on the Sony support site for Vaio laptops, Sony posted a notice from Mike Lucas, senior vice president of Vaio for Sony, stating " Recently, we became aware of a potential issue affecting certain units within the VPCF11 and VPCCW2 series of notebook PCs."

Lucas also explains "In rare instances, these notebook computers may overheat due to a potential malfunction of the internal temperature management system, resulting in deformation of the product's keyboard or external casing, and a potential burn hazard to consumers.
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(continues)

You may find links to more info and to BIOS updates in the above article or in articles and posts on some of the other Google links.

 

[Deders]

Usually with overheating laptops, especially older ones, it is because enough dust has built up over the years to form a layer of congealed dust between the exhaust and the heatsink.

It's usually a very thin layer that you can't see from the outside, and requires removing the blower from the inside to get at it.

Sometimes (but not often) in order to do this, you may need to remove the entire heatpipe, which will involve re-pasting the CPU and possibly other chips (the other chips can often have a gap wider than that of the CPU and require a special paste, or some copper shims with paste applied on all metal sides.)

If you do decide to attempt this, be very careful not to bend the heatpipe at all. Some have a wick along the inside and bending it can case the wick to touch the insides of the pipe making the heatpipe useless.

Probably best to take it to a professional.

 

[Thor89]

Thanks everybody for your help. I'll look into the BIOS update and possibly cleaning the laptop from the inside.

EDIT:
Also, do you not think that additional RAM would improve the laptop's ability to deal with more software running at the same time? That often seems to be an issues as the fan goes pretty wild at times.

 

[Harvey]

Thanks everybody for your help. I'll look into the BIOS update and possibly cleaning the laptop from the inside.

EDIT:
Also, do you not think that additional RAM would improve the laptop's ability to deal with more software running at the same time? That often seems to be an issues as the fan goes pretty wild at times.

Once you resolve the heating issue, RAM is even less expensive than you thought so you can always add more and enjoy any performance benfits it may provide.

OTOH, if you can't resolve the heating problem, it's a relatively old machine, and that heat won't help its lifespan so it's probably not worth throwing more money at it.

 

[Thor89]

Once you resolve the heating issue, RAM is even less expensive than you thought so you can always add more and enjoy any performance benfits it may provide.

OTOH, if you can't resolve the heating problem, it's a relatively old machine, and that heat won't help its lifespan so it's probably not worth throwing more money at it.

That's a great point, thanks a lot!

 

[Harvey]

That's a great point, thanks a lot!

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