Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

I have an old laptop that powers off when the processor's temperature exceeds 84 °C. The more annoying part is Flash causes this most of the time. If I watch a web feed for more than 15-20 minutes, it results in a hard shutdown of the machine.

I have an idea of a could-be solution to this problem: I want a program that would decrease the processor's clock speed to about 1.2 GHz (or whatever) if the processor exceeds the temperature of 82 °C, thus leading it a lower temperature.

Is there a program out there that does this?

The laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1501, with an AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50, integrated graphics (x1150) and 2.5 GB of DDR2 RAM.

CPU-Z screenshot:
enter image description here

share|improve this question
1  
Have you tried cleaning the dust out? Even a good hoover can make a difference (make sure you jam the fans with a paperclip first) – Miles Hayler Oct 8 '12 at 15:42
Yeah, I clean it at regular intervals. @MilesHayler – Jake Thomas Oct 8 '12 at 15:43
Fair enough. In that case what laptop is it? Make/model. What CPU? What chipset? – Miles Hayler Oct 8 '12 at 15:45
@MilesHayler, edited my queston. – Jake Thomas Oct 8 '12 at 15:49
could you find out the specific CPU? You can download CPU-Z for this – Miles Hayler Oct 8 '12 at 16:00
show 14 more comments

4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

RealTemp lets you adjust the Clock Modulation by percentage of the maximum, but that's only an ugly patch for the underlying problem.

The most common causes of overheating laptops are (more or less in that order):

  • The CPU cooler's exhaust vents are clogged up with dust.

    This normally causes the temperature of all other components to raise as well.

  • Dirty or malfunctioning CPU fan.

  • The CPU cooler needs to be reseated.

share|improve this answer
+1 for CPU cooler. If dust is not an issue, check the screws retaining the CVPU cooler. I often find the screws work loose due to constant heat/cool cycle and a quick tighten is needed. Unusual not to find this on laptops. – Dave M Oct 8 '12 at 15:51
The Processor detected is not supported. Amd Turion 64x2 Mobile Techonology TL-50 :( – Jake Thomas Oct 8 '12 at 15:58
up vote 0 down vote

There may be settings in the BIOS that will allow you to control the processor speed. In a previous Dell laptop I had, you could either allow it full control or force it to a minimum, so that may not be what you're looking for.

82 degrees is really hot. I would suggest getting an external cooler, such as this or this. I have both of these. The latter is larger, lighter and quieter, but it's not as forgiving of rough handling or balancing the laptop on one knee (causes the fan to scrape). Both of these work very well for keeping my laptop running cool under almost any circumstance.

Another option is to install a fan control program and force your fans to spin fast earlier than the motherboard does on it's own. My preferred program is SpeedFan, but it has a tendency to not work on Inspirons. If you're not running 64 bit windows, then there is an Inspiron-specific alternative here. Both of these can be set to turn on fans at specific temperatures, or you use them to just force the fans to high all the time.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

I would also suggest you to buy a laptop cooler and maybe enhance your laptop case and cooler a bit. I have a similar problem and it helped a bit when also I have a hole in my laptop case for a better airflow. When you want to play with software you can check the windows energy saver or power management policy and use a fan control program like speedfan or nhc laptop control. You can also try to enable additional energy saving and undervolt your cpu with turion power control. Maybe you also suffer from the problem that the fan doesn't run at full speed when the cpu is maxed out? Then you need a fan control program like speedfan or a more recent version of windows.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

I believe RMClock should be able to adjust your CPU clocks. Give it a try and let us know.

http://cpu.rightmark.org/products/rmclock.shtml

share|improve this answer
Windows 7 needs signed driver, apparently RMClock was abandoned and was never updated for Windows 7. But you suggested in the right direction, I'll +1 you as soon as I reach a rep of 15. :) – Jake Thomas Oct 9 '12 at 17:54

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.