CPU just hit 100 degrees C. How to get Dell to recognize this problem?

I noticed that the back of my laptop was getting hot just a few moments ago. Mind you, it's sitting on a hard desk, no soft materials around. Both fans are running nonstop.

No load on the CPU's. Doing minor websurfing with Pidgin running in the background. Nothing else is running. Windows Vista Ultimate x64.



I know there are lots of threads on heat issues, but I don't see any that explain how to get Dell to recognize this as a problem, if there is a way...

 

What do you want them to do?
I would call dell, just that simple.

Ask them if there is a solution.

Your GPU seem hot too, what where you doing then?

 

Do you have a warranty?

 

I've noticed the heat issue a few times. Never checked the temp but been in the middle of something and had a spontaneous shutdown. The laptop was of course hot.

At that moment, I was in IE typing up a reply to an email, only thing that was up, and I had Pidgin in the background with no present chats. I was doing nothing else. My problem is, this is pretty much the most load my machine sees, and if it is overheating doing pretty much nothing, I need something done about it. This is my work machine, and I travel all over the U.S. I can't have it go down on the go, and I'm afraid that if I call Dell and they send a tech out, he's just simply going to reapply the thermal paste on the CPU and leave it at that. I mean, I would hope that would fix it, but I really can't afford to have it go down. And it's odd that minimal load is causing this.

 

Yeah, 3 year warranty + accidental coverage.

Here comes my next issue... Think Dell would send a tech to my hotel instead of my home? I live out of a hotel 90% of the time.

 

I have used Dell on warranty claims quite a bit and can verify they'll generally dispatch techs to wherever you and the laptop are at the time. But let me ask you this:

Have you blown out the vents recently? I know this may seem like a canned question, but it really does make a difference. Vista runs many background processes, some of them processor intensive(ie SuperFetch). If your air vents are clogged with dust, its gonna cause massive heat buildup. Due to nothing being shown on the screen while the background tasks are running, you see the PC as idle and wonder why it's heating up. Im not saying this will definitely fix your issue, but if you havent already, its worth looking into.

 

Well what I would do is get another laptop and just carry that with your clothes, since you live in hotels pretty much. You'd be wheeling it around so it shouldn't be too much trouble. I'm being presumptuous about budget, travel arrangements, etc. I know, but the XPS isn't very stable right now as we've heard. Even though the unstability focuses on the GPU, it's obvious that your CPU isn't doing so well either.

Also you can always reformat the system and hold off on installing any unnecessary programs and see what happens. I'd call it a "dry run". You'd easily be able to tell whether it's the system or the programs. Good luck.

 

You should consider Undervolting the CPU, it would drastically LOWER the temps.
Guide in sig...

 

Have you had technicians come to your house before? Not to sound aggressive, but the technicians don't work for Dell - they are contracted by them. They don't care about you or the system; they just want to get in and get out. So if he comes over, it'll be to replace something. I think you need to fight for a new graphics card or a new processor. The way your temps are going, you'll get a BSOD sooner or later, and write that error code down. That's your gateway to getting the parts replaced. If you want to know more about getting Dell to replace parts with confidence, shoot me a PM. I've had more parts replaced by Dell that now doubles my original cost for my old laptop. I don't want to brag, but I'm kinda' a pro at talking to tech support.

Thermal paste wouldn't make the difference to where you'd want it to be anyways. Run the diagnostics on boot up, and after the main test runs for 20 minutes, run the custom diagnostic tests for the CPU and the video controller. If you get errors, you're in business. I literally JUST had a friend get his 7950 gtx replaced [with my coaching] because he had FPS drops during WoW and his laptop was so hot he could feel it through the keyboard (that's ridiculous). Ask if you have questions about dealing with Dell.

 

unseated/non-contacting copper on CPU probably... no way it'll(processor) hit 100deg C, unless its reporting the wrong temp

go stress test ur CPU a bit.... SuperPi or something

 

Sorry, may be a little off the topic, how do you guys measure the CPU and GPU Temparatures? What tool/utility should I use?

 

HWMonitor (no need to install)
or Everest

i8kfangui to control fan for m1330

 

I second that, HWMonitor is the best since you just literally click on the exe file and it opens up, no need to install/uninstall, etc.

 

Where do I get HWMonitor?

 

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

Left side theres links for 32-bit or 64-bit versions depending on your OS.

* HWMonitor 1.10 (32-bit)
* HWMonitor 1.10 (64-bit)

 

Never mind, got that. Thanks

 

Thanks Forte, Just saw your response after a google search

 

Google is useful like that.

 

Did anyone notice the minimum temperatures ? 10C is not possible with the 8400M
I think there's sommething wrong with the sensors

 

There are some who manage to get less than 10 degrees C, though very rarely.

 

Really
I have trouble keeping it below 60

 

I got mine down to 55C no clue what driver but A09 BIOS. How do you check the driver?

 

He meant lowering it by 10C.

 

A dell tech once told me that Dell has an agreement with Intel that they must replace every other part in your computer before they replace the CPU.