Hot running G1S-A1 - problem?

I have a year and a half old Asus G1S-A1 with nvidia 8600m. Its always been running hot, but lately it has been bothering me. Its almost impossible to use it on my lap sitting down and the heat warped a few plastic items that have been accidentally placed close to the vent.

The GPU temperatures go as high as 95-97C when i play a game or run something graphically intensive. Is this normal with this laptop or is mine dying? The high temperatures make this otherwise excellent laptop be a pain (literally) to use. Any solutions to this problem?

 

Thoses are bad temps to have.
What are your idle temps for everthing and what are your ambients?
Have you blown out the vents with air spray?
Are you sure your not covering the vents?

 

renew thermal paste on the cpu + gpu.
clean out the vents from dust with a can of compressed air.

my laptops due for a cleaning right now too, temps hitting 90c on high load, will have time this weekend to disassemble this thing ^_^. (no reachable cover to CPU/GPU on my Toshiba so must disassemble completely).

 

right now my GPU is idling at 73C and my CPU is at 64C in a relatively cool office (kinda worried about whats going to happen in the summer). Yes, i blown out the vents recently with air, and they are not covered.

 

these kind of threads pop up every other day

ALL the G1s are ticking bombs

start sending them in, and keep sending it until it comes back with a 9500m

it eventually will

trust me.

 

Yeah those temps are way too high for idling. My idle temps are around 40 C for GPU and CPU. I would diffidently send it in for repair.

 

I agree with the bold part, that's likely what's wrong with the OP's computer. However, blowing air through the vents is not always enough, you need to also remove the fan physically and remove dirt from the radiator.

Have a look at the ASUS Info Booth, there are some pointers on how to clean your computer.

It could of course also be that the thermal paste has aged, or that the fan is not spinning properly.

 

blowing air will fix the problem for as long as the built up dust spins around all over the place. things will go back to normal when it sets exactly where it used to be.

its a good way to diagnose whether its the problem or not tho.

even if that were the case, i'd still send it in a few times and have the GPU exchanged for a 9500m. at 1.5 years the 8600m has passed its avg lifespan lol

 

those temperatures are after i cleaned the heatsinks and fans inside. Dont even want to know what it was before i did that.

 

In that case you should consider a thermal paste exchange (if not under warranty) or RMA (if under warranty). In the latter case also try to get the mobo+GPU exchanged with the G1Sn combo, which runs much cooler without a large performance penalty.

However, 90+ GPU temps while gaming are not uncommon with the G1S so your situation may actually be typical...

 

My G1S had almost the same temps (slightly lower idle, slightly higher load).

What i did:
--> Clean everything i could reach without voiding the warranty, even under the keyboard (removing the fan is sadly not an option).
--> Buy a notebook cooler (e.g. Zalman NC1000). Just standing on an aluminium surface lowers the idle temps 2-3 degrees. While gaming my GPU doesn't go higher than 90 now (with the cooler at full speed). The fan from the notebook is louder than the fan from the cooler, so no problem when gaming. Just crak up the volume.

What I'm gonna do in July (out of warranty):
--> Apply Arctic Cooling thermal paste to CPU and GPU.
--> Clean everything thoroughly, now that I can remove the heatsink.

What I'm gonna do right after finishing this post:
--> Remove the plastic stickers from the inside of the RAM cover. This is supposed to make the GPU a little cooler, but the HDD a little hotter. I can live with that.

I'll report back with the result of this "mod".

 

i know you guys are hesitant to send it in for a GPU exchange, but do so before the warranty runs out or you'll end up with a dead GPU and a big paper weight.

trying to mod a defective chip to run cooler doesnt really fix anything. my G1s has been ice cold on full load since the day i had them exchange the 8600m with the 9500m. it took 3 RMA's but eventually they did it. just keep sending it in saying it runs scorching hot. (which it does obviously). the first time they'll "clean" it out, the 2nd time they'll replace the thermal paste, and the 3rd time you get a new GPU

 

I'm not really keen to have a 9500m gs ddr2 in my notebook. Sure, it runs cooler, but according to the bad bump articles and some research it's almost the same chip as the 8600gt, so it may also suffer from the bad bump problem.

Also, i can't afford to have my notebook away for 3 RMAs. Sure, if it dies on me I have a problem.

 

Even if it suffers from the bad bumps problem it;ll last longer because it doesn't heat up that much. But of course it's up to you to weigh the options and decide on which is the best for your case.

 

I think I already voided my warranty, anyway. I removed all the stickers from the bottom of the notebook, including the one with the serial number on it. Now it looks like this:



I probably shouldn't have done that...

The SN is still on the battery, but I'm not sure Asus would accept that. What do you think? Isn't there another SN somewhere inside the notebook?

I still have the warranty card and everything.

 

thats what i thought and just downclocked it in order to run cooler. a few months later, the heat was back up to where it was when it wasnt underclocked.

its almost the same chip but it doesnt suffer from the overheating/failure problems the 8600m does, and it will definitely last a lot longer

they may exchange it from the first time you send it in. taking some time to do it now vs trying to deal with them with an expired warranty and a dead chip is a no brainer

as for the stickers, its not a problem, they'll accept it with the S/N on the battery, at least that was the case with my A8jp. as long as you didnt open the covers and removed the warranty sticker from the heatsink you're fine

 

Let me echo souroull's comment...

I had an Asus, had these issues, elected to try and fight them myself without sending it in for the RMA. 3 months out of warranty, the GPU died, and now it's a very pretty, shiny brick, and I just dropped a huge amount of cash replacing my expensive gaming laptop.

Seriously, send it in if you have these issues. Talk to Asus early, while you're still under warranty.

 

I guess i will call them today requesting an RMA. I did everything i could to clean the insides very well without voiding any warranty stickers. I really dont feel like messing with thermal paste myself, as removing heatsinks and modifying that sort of thing will surely void the warranty.

Whats bad is that i use this computer for work, and i will be stuck without one for who know how long. How speed is Asus usually about their repairs?

 

its quick. make sure to ASK for a shipping label, or else you'll be paying for shipping. they usually overnight them too so it shouldnt take more than 3-4 days

oh, just a tip. take a screenshot of the temperaures you're experiencing and save it to the desktop, then write them a detail letter and explain what you're experiencing, along with the proof.

i chose rivatuner since it has a graph of the temps over the past few minutes. i even sent them a screenshot of the card being downclocked by 30% and runnning at close to 100 degrees. (the 3rd time i sent it in). it came right back with a 9500m after that one.

hope this helps.

 

@People who had a RMA: Is it possible to keep your HDD? I switched mine to a bigger, faster one, and I'd like to keep it while my notebook is away. I sold the one that came with the notebook.

 

You guys are scaring me. I have had my G1S-A1 now since Aug 2007, I have had no problems at all, its been a dream NB. Now I don’t pretend to know much about computer hardware, but I do like lurking and reading your guys posts. My notebook is has everything stock in it (software and hardware) and I was thinking of upgrading to 1 more GB of RAM and a faster and bigger HDD. Now I’m scared since I hear all these stories that my notebook will turn into a brink if I don’t get the mobo and GPU replaced. For the first time I monitored my temps yesterday using the CMClock (I think) program. At idle using a $20 noteboook cooler my CPU temps are 65 while playing WAR the reached high 70’s. Not sure how test GPU temps. Since I feel everything is running smoothly on my laptop should I not tempt fait and upgrade? What if I mess things up by adding more RAM and a faster HDD. Also it seems the stock BIOS 202 is working fine for me. I’m scared that upgrading will result in these extreme temps ppl are complaining about. Also what does RMA stand for?

 

Well, there are also many users who report no problems whatsoever - i think the best thing is to do what you're doing; try to monitor the temps, take good care of your computer, and be aware of the potential problem so you can be alert for signs...

RMA - ah, my mind went blank, but it's basically getting permission from Asus to send it back to them for repairs, so they pay shipping. I forget what it actually stands for... Note that, in order to do this, there has to be an existing issue with your computer - as far as I know, you can't send it in for them to change anything out pre-emptively...

Oh, and - I forget, from the cooling forum... are those temps high for CPU's? If you DO document higher than normal temps (esp. temps in dangerous areas) then as far as I know from other's threads, Asus will let you send it in for a swap out (assuming you're under warranty...)

 

Just to make it extra-clear, more RAM or another HDD will not make a significant impact on the temps. So it is perfectly safe to get them if you wish.

RMA = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_merchandise_authorization

Do monitor your GPU temps since those are the problematic ones in the G1. Use RivaTuner or GPU-Z for that purpose.

A 65-degree CPU temperature on idle and with a notebook cooler is definitely on the high side.

Maybe it's time for a fan cleanup as well? (see all the threads around discussing overheating, we seem to have quite a number of them today)

 

So by you saying "to do what you're doing" you mean don't upgrade be it BIOS/Drivers/Softwre/Hardware just leave everything stock?

 

download this:

http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

and monitor the GPU's temperature. let us know what the idle temps, and what the temps are while playing a game for a while.

if you're not playing games then you shouldnt have a problem hehe

as for the RMA, just call and say its overheating and they'll tell you to send it in.

 

Downloaded program played WAR on highest settings for about an hour CPU was mid 80's highest it got was 86 I think and GPU was highest at 94. Sounds hot. I think I will check the clenaing guide and buy a better cooler should bring temps down a bit no? I have stoped playing for baout 5 mins now temps are 66/71 CPU/GPU is this bad. Should I RMA?

 

when you tab out of the game the temp drops by 5-10 degrees before you even get a chance to look at it.

with hwmonitor, you just reset it and look at the max temp when you tab out of the game.

94 is indeed dangerously close to the 97 degree mark where hell breaks loose.

just to give you an idea my 9500m is running 69 full load. you got about the temps i used to have with the 8600m

 

EEK!

What should I do? I will try to clean with air see if temps drop then take some print screens of the temps and wine to ASUS. Upgrade on hold in light of this.

Also my NB has been idle for about an hour now and I'm getting 65/76 CPU/GPU.

 

Try with more than air, see cleaning guide in the info booth.

 

http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/images/Notebook/Assembly/G1S-Chapter02-v1.2.pdf

page 2-3, at the "Remove the Mylar section" the first picture is what your laptop looks like with the back cover popped, and if theres any dust buildup, it will be on the fins of the heatsink that is exposed on the second picture.

without removing the "mylar", you can slip the tip of compressed air can in there thru the sides and blow enough air to unclog any trapped dust. since its not a closed design, you can even blow air in the vent from the outside, and it will just go all over the internals of the laptop if the cover is not popped off.

careful tho, when i opened mine up, one end of the warranty sticker was on the heatsink screw, and the other end was on the actual cover that needs to be removed.

i have no idea if this is the way it was intended to be, someone else needs to confirm where their sticker is. for the time being, i wouldnt open the back cover, and just blow a couple of cans worth of compressed air from the outside of the vent.

the easiest way is to just send it in of course hehe.

 

they only ask for the serial number.

 

You only void warranty if you remove heatsinks, the rest is OK. You could also just send it in, but maybe it makes a stronger impression if you send the notebook for overheating with clean fan and vents.