Dell Vostro 3500 Overheating

Hey all. I have a Vostro 3500 notebook with the Nvidia 310M / Intel Integrated video with Optimus graphics switching.

I recently got a 18.5", widescreen 1366 monitor that I plug into the VGA port to use to extend my desktop, and this has made my idle temps jump almost 10C!

Normally, operating in Normal video mode (with the 310M enabled), I idle around 60C, now it's 68-70C with the external monitor plugged in.

Watching a Netflix video on the external while browsing even a text file on the laptop display makes me jump to 100C and my lappy shuts down.

I used to plug a 17" standard sized LCD into this, and never really noticed a heat issue, but I guess the GPU having to power *two* widescreen displays is making it work way harder, to the point of overheating me to shutdown when trying to Youtube or Nflix.

Now that the background/issue is out of the way...

Aside from buying a new laptop, what would you guys recommend I do to cool this sucker? I'm shopping around for laptop cooling pads, but there are so many, and so many look junky.

I'm considering the NZXT Cryo LX with those 3 big honking 120mm fans...but...probably overkill.

Specifically what I want to know is....would it be a worthy endeavor to completely disassemble this Vostro 3500 and re-paste my chip with a decent thermal compound?

I browsed the instructions for taking a Vostro apart...Dell certainly made it as difficult as possible, it is going to be a real PITA.

So...would repasting make enough of a difference to justify this hassle?

 

Sounds like your only real option is to repaste the CPU and GPU.

As a temporary measure, you could also try this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...dual-monitor-lower-gpu-speed-lower-temps.html

 

Thanks, I've tried that app actually, won't work with my Nvidia 310M chip (or maybe it's the Optimus preventing it from working).

Any experience with a Vostro 3500 specifically as far as repasting goes? I read on a forum that they use some sort of thick heating pad, not sure if this will make pasting pointless at best, or mess up my machine at worst...

edit: More specifically on the tool you linked, my chip does not support P0 and P8 states.

 

have fun because if the 3550 is anything like the 3450 the CPU and GPU are on the BOTTOM of the board and you have to remove it to repaste it

 

It is, if it was any other laptop I'd have just taken it apart and done it. I love building my own computer....desktops....but when I saw the instructions on how to disassemble this laptop, I kinda balked. What a chore...and I'm not even sure I can paste it if it uses some thick pad, that I'd imagine is necessary due to spacing, so not like I could rip it out and just use a micro layer of thermal paste heh.

I thought I'd ask here first, see if there are any Vostro 3500 users who have gotten their hands dirty. I figured there wouldn't be many.

 

^It's doable as long as you have patience. I have already dissassembled my 3450 to swap hdd and daughter cards with no issues. takes me about 15-20 mins to tear it down and reassemble it. The BIGGEST thing you want to do is to lay out your screws in a pattern that shows you where they go when you reassemble it.

While there is a pad on the GPU, there is only paste on the CPU and I have had zero issues with my GPU even when over clocking the daylights out of it.

 

Thanks! Hmm...so since there is only paste on the CPU, I can obviously clean that off and add some Formula 5 I bought a few years ago and never even opened. But since there is a pad on the GPU, I guess that means I can't add paste to that? Is there anything wrong with adding paste to the pad itself?