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    dell xps 15: Machine HOT when plugged in/gaming..cool when running on battery?

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by nappy123, Feb 11, 2016.

  1. nappy123

    nappy123 Notebook Guru

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    Hey guys,

    Is there a way to solve this problem? My xps 9550 heats up a lot when it is plugged in and i'm gaming and battery at 100%. I was gaming unplugged/ON BATTERy and the machine was way cooler.

    Is there a way to fix this? thanks!
     
    nappy123, Feb 11, 2016
    #1
  2. kent1146

    kent1146 Notebook Prophet

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    It's behaving normally. When you're gaming on plugged-in AC power, both your CPU and GPU are running at full clock speed.

    When you game on battery, your cpu and gpu are actually down-clocked to save power. Lower clock speeds means lower power draw, which means less heat generated.

    It's a very common behavior in thin gaming laptops. No way around it, except to wear headphones so you don't hear the fan noise.

    Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
     
    kent1146, Feb 11, 2016
    #2
    tijo likes this.
  3. nappy123

    nappy123 Notebook Guru

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    Hey Kent!

    Thanks for the response! I guess it's inevitable..but the keyboard and area under my LEFT palm is a bit hot on touch.
    Thx though so I guess no way around it!
     
    nappy123, Feb 11, 2016
    #3
  4. LOUSYGREATWALLGM

    LOUSYGREATWALLGM Notebook Deity

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    It will be easier for other to access your problem if you could share more info like how hot your machine gets, what games you play when it gets hot, what's your idle temp.
     
    LOUSYGREATWALLGM, Feb 11, 2016
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  5. kent1146

    kent1146 Notebook Prophet

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    Not really.

    Make sure that the laptop is resting on a hard surface (like a desk), and not on a soft or padded surface (like a leather desk pad or a bed comforter). That makes sure that the air intakes aren't blocked, and that your fans get plenty of cool air to blow through the laptop chassis.
     
    kent1146, Feb 11, 2016
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  6. nappy123

    nappy123 Notebook Guru

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    thanks for the response guys.
    Idle temperature is like low 30s usualy
     
    nappy123, Feb 14, 2016
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  7. EssKayKay

    EssKayKay Notebook Guru

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    Jokeage - disgusting design. I have the same complaint. This really should have been addressed by Dell. Very disappointed. IMO - buy one with an i5. Not much performance loss and runs much cooler....
     
    EssKayKay, Feb 23, 2017
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  8. _sem_

    _sem_ Notebook Deity

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    In fact, there is. You can modify the power profile on AC power and on battery more to your liking, and you can also switch between different power profiles (so that you have one for gaming and the other for general work).
    The cooling system obviously cannot handle max thermal load when both the GPU and the CPU are loaded. To mitigate thermal throttling issues, some gamers choose to limit the CPU to 50% and the internal GPU to max battery life also on AC power, so that the GPU can run free. It makes sense to restrict the FPS to 60, what the display can show.
     
    _sem_, Feb 24, 2017
    #8