M14x R2 temperature and cooling thread

Just noticed that the amount of people who have received the M14x R2 is increasing. However there has been very little mention of the temperatures the Ivy Bridge/650m refresh are producing.

Just thought we needed a place to discuss those values once the owners get around to the stage of recording temperatures.

 

Temps of my Alienware M14x R2 Playing Dawn of War 2 on Ultra Settings

M14x R2 Specs:

i7 3610
8GB RAM
750GB HD
2.0GB Nvidia 650m
1600x900 Native Res.

 

Can you resize that HWMonitor so then I can also read the GPU temp as well? Because what you showing there is only the CPU temp. Resize or Maximize the program then use a program called Snipping Tool to capture the picture.

 

For some reason it does not display the Nvidia temps... Maybe I haven't configured it right... but as of now... Thats all it gives me...

**Update** Nevermind Fixed... Uploading the pic Now




Here ya go!

Thanks for the tips BTW

 

I havent hit above 69 C after playing two days of 3 hours in a row SWTOR.

 

Could someone try playing Civilization 5 (high settings) on the R2?

This is the game that heats up my R1 the most.

BF3/SWTOR are tied at acceptable temps.

I'd like to see the difference.

@hammerfallts
Those are excellent temps. On the R1 is about 10-13c higher (at least for me w/o custom paste <- ebay seller is taking forever).

 

Thanks for the readings

I know that this is only one set of temp readings but I looks like the ivy/650m might have fixed the overheating issue that has plagued the m14x since its creation. I mean max of 72c most people were getting well of above 90c in game. Hopefully other users' readings will continue to show the same results.

 

@ clautenslager

We definitely need more temp readings to say for sure... But as of now, everything is looking well...

By the way... I'm having trouble with the HWMonitor... Sometimes it shows my GPU others it doesn't...

Anybody have any ideas why is this happening or maybe tell me if Im doing anything wrong...?

Thanks

 

You need to launch it when the GPU is already is use, for exemple if you launch it before you launch a game the GPU will not be displayed, but if you launch it after you launched the game the GPU will be displayed on HWMonitor, I hope I helped.

 

Yeah that most certainly did the trick! Many thanks mate!

 

Heres mine, havent really pushed it much as ive only played crysis so far =)

 

Loving those idle temps...Below 50... Are you playing with an A/C on or at room temp?? I know its a crazy question... But every cooling variable helps, no? Imagine A/c... cooling pad and thermal paste... What more could u ask for? Heh

 

Thats with the laptop on my lap in a warm room xD
Waiting for my collmaster to arrive!!

 

Nice! With the CoolerMaster, you should knock down around 5 degrees more! I wonder if my 3610QM with 1GB GT650M will have similar or lower temps?

 

What is better GPU-Z or HWmonitor?

 

Are the fans loud like the R1?
This laptop would be ordered and in my hands by now if someone can answer?
Actually the more samples we get the better, that's the 1 thing that made me not get the R1, my buddy has the R1 and it's fans are distractingly loud.

 

these are very nice temps Willz92 - especially with the 3720 QM.
Thanks for sharing. How loud is the fan during gaming?

 

Got my M14xR2 yesterday, opted for the Sandy Bridge i5 version.

I noticed that the fan was making quite a bit of noise when just playing a youtube video, not sure if the main GPU was being used for this task but the fan would ramp up every now and then to keep the system cool.

Is the fan really supposed to do this when just playing a video? The laptop did not feel at all hot.

I have also seen that there is an option in the power saving menu for active or passive cooling, does any one know the difference?

 

Im using HWmonitor and it works fine. FREE version has every feature you could possibly need EXCEPT for the ability to save the logs. Everything else comes standard.

Also what is it that you want? If its for just for reading temps... I would go with HWMonitor. If you want more features (eg: fan control) I suggest Speeefan.

You cant go wrong with either one. Hope that helps!

 

This is after about an hour of playing SWTOR on Maxed settings why are my numbers so high compared to everyone elses. it seems strange i am also using a Cooler Master cooling pad.

 

Well from what I've seen so far on this thread, it seems like all the fear, uncertainty and doubt regarding the ivy bridge heating up more than its predecessor is a bunch of rubbish. Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm still waiting on my M14xR2 (ETA next week) and deciding whether or not to buy a notebook cooler.

 

I would buy the notebook cooler regardless... It's one of those accessories that is basically a must. You have to remember your R2 will start gathering dust/particles as time goes by... S0 unless you clean it periodically you're going to start seeing increases in those base temps. It's just my 2 cents...

 

Thank you for the quick response! I was wondering if my current laptop cooler, an Antec notebook cooler will provide sufficient cooling for the M14xR2.

The reason I asked this question is because this particular cooler works slightly differently from other coolers in that the fans actually work in an effort to ' pull' air from the space between the laptop and the cooler and disperse it toward on the sides. Other popular coolers like the Notepal U2 work by blowing in more air to the laptop fans. Antec's argument against this mechanism is that blowing room temperature air into a system tends to clog up the system's vents faster as more dust particles are 'blown in'.

On the downside, in my opinion, the Antec cooler could very well create a vacuum between the laptop and the cooler's surface as the cooler's fans might ' fight' with the laptop's fans. While Antec assures its customers that this doesnt happen, I still have my doubts.

Money really isnt an issue as the notepal u2 only costs about $20, I just want an optimal cooling solution, that provides adequate cooling while minimising the wear and tear on the laptop

 

Not a problem ^_^ Glad I could help...

First off let me start by saying that I loved the overall appearance of it... It looks very slick/techy... A nice complement to the M14x...

Haven gotten that out of the way, onto the good stuff...

Pros:

The top is metallic
The USB cable has female side
Size is adequate for M14x model
Stylish Look
Heating Physics are Good

What I didnt really like about the model (Just my two cents )

No inclination

No access to the fans (if their primary function is sucking away the hot air. W/o any inclination, it acts basically as a vacuum cleaner sucking up ALL the particles on the surface that is placed upon.)

No direct access to fans (if you read the above point, fans will undoubtedly will get dirtier faster. W/o access there's no way to really clean them. Except for compressed air cans or of course dis-assembly)

No customizable fan localization (Laptops do not heat evenly, mobilization allows you to bring cool air where is needed the most)


So in summary...

Considering that you already own this model... I would definitely stick with it... Mostly b/c of the good heating physics and the awesome look... However If you're deciding between this model or the U2... I'am going to have to go with the Cooler Masters U2

Hope this helps!

 

Very helpful info indeed! Thanks again

After reading your analysis, I've decided to go ahead and get the coolermaster u2 anyway. When my M14xR2 comes in, I'll compare and benchmark the two mats and choose the one that offers an optimal heating solution. Besides, Ill need a cooler for my current laptop anyway. Furthermore, I'll post my benchmark results on this thread later, in hopes to help someone else experiencing a dilemma like mine

 

Sounds Awesome! Glad to see this forum has peeps like you mate! Enjoy your M14xR2

 

This could be due to Intel's Turbo Boost technology kicking in. Turbo boost is a feature that automatically activates whenever an application requiring high performance is activated. In the case of gaming, a constantly high demand is placed on the processor and turbo boost is kept on till the CPU core temperature approaches TjMax (105 C in case of your chip). Your processor also has a Ttripp function built in which automatically and instantaneously stops all processes running on your CPU if and when the system approaches CATerror (Unrecoverable catastrophic error). Ttripp = TjMax - 10C.

If you wish to lower your CPU temperatures while keeping all other variables the same (ambient temperature, thermal paste, cooling mat usage etc.) I would suggest that you turn off your Turbo Boost feature. This can be accomplished by going into the system's Bios, accessing CPU performance settings and disabling 'Intel Turbo Boost.' This may cause a noticeable drop in gaming performance, specially those that require a high CPU usage, but should keep your temperatures low.

Also, if you have the technical expertise, I would recommend reflashing your BIOS with an unlocked version and disabling Intel's HyperThreading technology. HT technology may also contribute significantly to the processor's net temperatures due to higher loads resulting from core distribution. From research, HT technology is only necessary if you run many programs concurrently, and has negligible, and sometimes even detrimental effects to gaming performance, which is mostly optimised to use no more than four cores.

 

I appreciate the feedback i am going to disable hyperthreading and see the change in temps , I will post my results. Thanks again

 

I'm glad I could help! Good luck!

 

Playing TERA on almost maxed out settings put my CPU (Sandy Bridge i5) at max 78c but the fans got rather loud in a bid to keep the temps down.

 

Just received my M14xR2 and thought I'd take it for a spin. I sold my R1 2 weeks ago, so I have been eagerly awaiting the R2. So far, I love it. (i7 3610qm)

1) The fan system is quieter. The pitch of the fan noise is higher, but gone are the R1 hairdryer days. In my opinion, R2 fan on max is no louder than the R1 one notch below highest, possibly even quieter than R1 on medium.

2) Temperature readings = phenomenal. I'm not sure I would have even bought a laptop cooler if this had been my first M14x. The temps below are with the U2 cooler, which I wouldn't feel bad about not using now when traveling, etc. I have not repasted my R2, and I don't really plan on it.

a) CPU - The HUGE improvement. Say goodbye to turbo temps over 90C (and even approaching 100). Prime 95 running for over 8 minutes. Maximum temp. on a core = 70C. See screen shot.

b) GPU - I never had a problem with GPU temps with my R1. GPU temps seem comparable. Played D3 on max settings for 10 minutes - 56C. I tested OC by adding 50 to the core clock and 85 to memory. I was stable, temps around 61C, with about 10% increase in performance. I am currently running at stock speeds because D3 does not require OC.

Also, on D3, laptop is so CPU limited. (D3 CPU usage only a max of 56%).

On my R1, I disabled my turboboost to prevent hair dryer mode, which I found annoying. On R2, I could run prime 95 and write a document. <3.


image upload

 

Note on the 5.9 WEI score - I'm planning on upgrading to SSD myself (either primary drive bay or mSATA, depending on how the chips fall). Dell prices were a bit high considering, and this way I avoided that pesky recovery partition being on the SSD.

 

Those temperatures look very interesting! I received my M14xR2 with the same specs as yours,last week, along with a u2 laptop cooler. Positioned the fans directly below the two vents and decided to run a CPU heat benchmark. Using RealTemp and Prime95, I let the stress testing run for about 10 minutes with turbo boost on and got a maximum temperature on core 1 and core 2 of 78degrees C. I wonder why I'm getting such high temperatures...

The most interesting part is the temperature range between the hottest and coolest cores; while core 1 and core 2 max aout at about 78C, Core 0 and Core 4 maxed out at 70C. Is this temperature difference normal in an i7 quad core processor? especially when each thread is under equal load?

FYI all the cores idle at about 28C, which is about 8 degrees above room temperature.

Thank you for any assistance!

 

Pretty sure turbo only works on 1-2 cores, not all 4... if im right that would explain the temperature difference. Hope that helps

 

No, sorry thats incorrect. It can turbo on all 4 cores if needed but will turbo 2 or 1 cores higher if there is less threads.

Usually the reason for such a difference between core temps is a poor paste job or a heatsink not sitting flush.

With all that said 78c isnt that bad so I wouldnt worry unless you enjoy stripping a laptop down to repaste

 

You have alot of posts under your belt, and you sound like you know what your talking about, so ill take your word for it lol

 

I can say for sure that turbo mode was working on all cores because I was getting a processor clock speed of 3.1Ghz. If emphasis was placed on one or two cores, the clock speed would have been 3.3Ghz according to Intel's specifications for this model.

Its true that temperatures aren't too bad, considering I rarely hit a max of 76c while gaming. 78 degrees was only under stress testing conditions and that's not a realistic use of this laptop. However, since I got this device just a week ago, and am still covered under warranty for one year, would you suggest that I go ahead and call Dell tech support to come and fix this problem? I've taken several laptops apart before and I'm not really worried about breaking it so much as I'm worried about nullifying the warranty on my own volition. If this can be done, I have no qualms about purchasing the IC diamond thermal paste and getting the tech support guy to apply it.

Edit: All the cores run idle at identical temperatures though.... if the temperature discrepancy is a consequence of poor workmanship, shouldn't the difference manifest itself regardless of how much load the CPU is under?

I appreciate all your feedback!



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Ran a test again, remembered to save a screenshot this time; uploaded the same. I also found some interesting information on this website: Stable Sandy Club which shows an average discrepancy of 7-8 degrees Celsius between cores on quad core sandy bridge intel i7 chipsets.

 

I agree. With an overclock of 135/200 on gpu it heats up to a lofty 61-62C, LOL

Loving the m14xR2 so far.

 

Do you have the i7-3610 or the i7-3720? And whats the CPU temp of your M14x R2? GPU doesnt even overheat on the R1 even when i do extreme overclocking. Please answer im considering getting a R2 since R1 is not working with all the heat for me.

 

I7-3610qm. CPU temps usually slide between 70c-80c with Turbo. I haven't worried about the CPU temps much because this series of Ivy bridge scales back quickly to control heat (unless you adjust the settings in bios).

 

its good to know that such temperatures are a consequence of the thermal design and not of poor workmanship. I live in chilly new england so ambient temperatures in my gaming room are usually below 25c; Ive overclocked the GPU 100/200 and the highest temperature i got was 59C. I was only concerned about the CPU which gets as as high as 75c but now that I see its normal, im not too concerned anymore. Thank you.

 

Still annoyed that the nvidia card will throttle back if it gets to around 65C if you stress cpu and gpu at same time gpu will throttle back to stupid speeds making games unplayable. They need to give us the option to disable this feature its really annoying.

 

Never had my 650m throttle once. Playing BF3 for several hours at a time overclocked at 135/200 to test it. Left GPU-z open as well as MSI afterburner. Never throttled. Wonder why yours is throttling?

 

try running prime95 and furmark at the same time then check

 

I also live in northern europe and mostly the temps in my living room are below 25 C but as the summer began we also had temperatures of about 30 C yet and the CPU raised to a hard throttling 97 degree (92 C when below 25C in room). However this is with my R1 i7-2760qm CPU after repaste and some "repair attempts".

75 C is the hard limit id say cause in summer the temps could rise over the 80 C limit when the CPU starts to throttle. In my opinion if this even happens with the i7-3610qm its still a design failure and i cant wait to see the 17 TDP ULV Ivy Bridge CPUs which should only be working for this small case with not enough thermal cooling efficiency for the higher TDP CPUs.

edit: dont forget that the paste and the transistors of the CPU wears off very fast when there are such high temps even when the CPU is designed for 100+ C. Thats why id always prefer a bit less CPU power for much lower TDP and so a higher lifespan of my system.

 

The search engine is broken, I can't find anything with it, so I'm posting in this thread since it's one dedicated to cooling.

I'm getting my M14x R2 this sunday, and I was reading everywhere for a good laptop cooler. Many of you recommend the Cooler Master NotePal U2, but the problem is that it's not available locally for me (I'm in Mauritius).

On the other hand, I found this cooler, it's by Cliptec and it's about $35. Do you think this is a viable option?

 

So here's a newb question - If I'm not overclocking my processor or GPU, do I need to worry about heat damaging components?

I've played some games on max settings (BF3), and it runs fine, but the fans will kick on to hyper-mode. Am I causing damage?

I haven't had any throttling back yet...

 

I wouldn't really worry about heat damage in the short term as the i7 is designed to withstand temperatures upto 105c, as shown by the linked specification page. However, continual exposure to temperatures above a certain point, regardless of the distance from the thermal junction can diminish the component's function and cooling capacity and may cause damage. If you have an extended warranty from the manufacturer, there is no real need to worry.

Depending upon your usage, long term damage may manifest itself in as long as 1 -1.5 years, so being unwarranted in such a time span can be risky.

 

Thanks for the explaination. I didn't get a warranty other than the year that came with it. I don't feel as though I should have to pay for a warranty on normal usage... If the machine can run it without modifications, then it should be able to safely disperse the heat. Now, if I was O/Cing, that'd be another story.

Maybe I'll pickup and additional year warranty....

 

Yeah I also got a one year warranty; although I'm not sure if I should really pay extra to extend it. The current price of an i7 3610 cpu is $378, which is sure to go down next year (when potential problems might arise) so it might actually be cheaper just to replace the processor. Also the cpu is the only component in my system that's giving the highest net temperature, and that is with turbo mode enabled.

All other components stay below 55c and the maximum temperature I've had with the Geforce gt 650m with a 135/200 overclock is 60c under full load for about two hours.