Computers

[Thermodyne]

Originally posted by deccan:
Hmm, I have a Compaq Presario 2700 laptop with the following specs:

1.12 GHz Pentium 3-M
512 MB RAM
30 Hz HD
Win XP Home Edition
32 MB ATI Radeon Mobility M6

It ran fine for the year-and-a-half that I've had it (I've played and finished such games as Morrowind, Jedi Knight 2 and Splinter Cell on it).

The thing is, I have been having some major heat problems with this machine lately. A couple of weeks ago, it overheated so much that it shut itself down.

Now, some kind of heat management system seems to have kicked in, so that the laptop runs with SpeedStep permanently enabled. Now, it runs for 733 MHz for maybe half an hour, until the temperature gets too bad, and then it drops to 384 MHz. At least, it doesn't shut down by itself now. This is enough to play SEIV but not for other stuff.

I know that I really ought to bring it to a Compaq Service Centre but I can't where I live, at least until the end of the year.

I'm considering either:

1) Buying a new desktop-replacement Dell Inspiron.

2) Buying the spanking new Dell Dimension 8300 but then I'll have to arrange for it to be shipped specially for me from Singapore to where I live.

I'd prefer buying the laptop but I'm worried about persistent heat problems, especially since I keep my computer running for long periods of time.

Anyone have any experience with heat problems in laptops that they'd like to share?

Sounds like you have a dead fan, could also be an air port plugged with lint and such. Any computer shop could fix that for you.

I have a Prostar laptop with a 2.4GHz northwood chip. It runs real hot. The heat venting out the side of it is about 120f when its working hard. But when it is running on battery, I can set the speed to 25% (about 500MHz) and there is almost no heat at all.

[Loser]

Originally posted by Thermodyne:
Loser:

words, words, words

I see old NT server disks at almost every computer show I hit.

words, words, words

Thank you, Thermodyne. Sounds like it's going to be NT Server.

I don't care to invest time in some *nix right now. Did that, got the zeal, got the t-shirts and the "Live Free or Die" license plate to prove it, got a job, don't have time to figure it our again.

[ July 08, 2003, 13:35: Message edited by: Loser ]

[Loser]

Originally posted by Thermodyne:
Sounds like you have a dead fan, could also be an air port plugged with lint and such. Any computer shop could fix that for you.

There are other problems that can cause the heat-sinks to fail to dissipate heat. Smoking around a computer deposits gunk on everything inside, and this can eventually have a significant impact on the heat sink's ability to pass heat into the passing air. I've also seen ashy paraffin (from candles like) all over the inside of a computer with a heat issue.

But it is probably a fan.

And any hole-in-the-wall computer shop should be able to take care of just about any possible reason for your heat issue.

[Thermodyne]

Originally posted by Loser:
There are other problems that can cause the heat-sinks to fail to dissipate heat. Smoking around a computer deposits gunk on everything inside, and this can eventually have a significant impact on the heat sink's ability to pass heat into the passing air. I've also seen ashy paraffin (from candles like) all over the inside of a computer with a heat issue.

Worst one I ever ran into had roaches in it.

[ July 08, 2003, 15:20: Message edited by: Thermodyne ]

[Loser]

Originally posted by Thermodyne:
Worst one I ever ran into had roaches in it.

When I worked at one of the big PC manufacturers we got one back in the service department that had been filled, packed even, with manure before it was carefully placed back in the packing material and shipped back. I guess someone had an attitude problem. I know someone shortly had a legal problem shortly thereafter. I doubt it was worth the laughs.

[edit: since this was, probably, intentional I do not think it can exactly compete with the roaches.]

[ July 08, 2003, 15:28: Message edited by: Loser ]

[kalthalior]

What kinds of systems do you guys and gals play SE on? Tell us what you use, CPU type and speed, chip set, and ram? What OS do you run and did you build it or buy it?

Hmmm....since we are dredging up the dark ages, the first PC I loaded SE3 on was my first system -- Cyrix 200 mhz MMX (yes, CYRIX) , 64(later 96) mb EDO ram, 3.2 gb WD disk, 4 mb video card with W95 (later 98) OS, bought from vendor but did upgrading/reconfiguration myself (lost HD 2-3 months after purchase, so had to reload everything from scratch). Still running to this day, almost original config, Mom uses it today for email and word processing.
If I recall correctly, it ran SE4 briefly until I built my next (& still current) system.
Athlon 650 (clocked 110%), Epox EP-7KXA system board, 128 mb PC133 SDRAM (now 384) 20 GB ATA66 WD disk, 4x AGP 32mb nVidia TNT2 M64 video, running W98SE with (now) DVD-RW.
When I originally built it (early 00?), the best CPU you could get was 800 mhz and I was real proud of putting it together for under $800.
Recently got a 1.8 ghz, 512 RDram, 20 gb disk (XP)
at work, first time ever I can say my work system is better than one at home. That may have to change real soon...

EDIT: I recently saw a pic of a system that had a dead snake in it. Woman smelled something burning and sent it in for repair.

[ July 08, 2003, 19:20: Message edited by: kalthalior ]

[deccan]

Originally posted by Loser:
There are other problems that can cause the heat-sinks to fail to dissipate heat. Smoking around a computer deposits gunk on everything inside, and this can eventually have a significant impact on the heat sink's ability to pass heat into the passing air. I've also seen ashy paraffin (from candles like) all over the inside of a computer with a heat issue.

But it is probably a fan.

And any hole-in-the-wall computer shop should be able to take care of just about any possible reason for your heat issue.

Thanks for all the advice. An additional symptom that I forgot to add: when it was new, the air coming out of the side exhaust vent was really hot, now it's barely tepid. The volume of air doesn't seem to have changed, but I realize that this is hard to say. This suggests to me that something is clogging the insides and diverting the airflow.

I must say that with the size of the air intakes on these things these days, you'd expect them to come with air filters on them.

Also, when you're talking about hole-in-the-wall computer shops, you're speaking the literal truth here, since I'm in the Solomon Islands. I mean, this is a country where Australia is currently planning Iraq-style armed intervention and regime change.