Question about safe operating temperature for my laptop's CPU

I have a Sony Vaio laptop, it's a couple years old and it has the Intel Core i5-3210M processor, integrated Intel HD4000 graphics, 6gb of ram, running Windows 7 64-bit. I'm relatively new to the world of PC gaming, and after being blown away by what this modest machine can handle I've been trying out a few more "system intensive" games. I noticed that the air being blown out by the fan felt pretty hot, so I decided to grab a program to monitor the actual temperatures of my system.

After a quick bit of research I found a program called HWinfo, it seems to fit my needs pretty well at this point. So I opened the "Sensor Status" tab, reset all the values, and my CPU runs right around 51°C during normal use (surfing the web, watching movies, listening to music, general stuff like that). I let the log run while I played a game for a bit, to get an idea of what the temperatures really were.

At maximum the CPU was reaching 88°C, but according to this the maximum operating temperature is 105°C. I know 88°C is significantly cooler that 105°C, but is this a temperature that is safe to subject my machine to for extended periods? I haven't experienced any sort of lag or anything that would indicate too much of a workload, but I would much rather be safe than sorry in this case.

a reply to: ChaosComplex

Laptops do tend to run hot under stress but if it gets too hot it should shut itself down , try keeping it in a position where it can get airflow underneath.

a reply to: ChaosComplex

Min/Max values for temperature are only guidelines.

Any machine operating at over 75 degrees while in use IMO is far too hot, but that's just me. Laptops do generally run hotter due to lack of venting, bad component design etc..

You should always strive to run a machine as close to 50 degrees as possible for optimal lifespan. I would suggest an external USB cooler that sits below your laptop in order to further provide appropriate air flow.

When I'd play games on my computer I'd just stick it in front of the AC.

HDMI cord to T.V. -Check
Wireless Msoft Controller-Check

That was only way I could get it to handle "Tomb Raider" without any hiccups in the gameplay.

If you have central air that might be more difficult however.

When we bought a laptop for our daughter, I also got her a support that plugs into a USB port and that blows air under your laptop so it can cool a bit more.

Something like that... Laptop coolers


Not sure the link works tho... :/

Anyway, after having my old computer die of excessive heat, I got myself a HAF932 casing so ti wouldn't overheat anymore. Not to be used as a laptop, tho... lol

Intel CPUs are designed to run up to 100 C and throttle at 105 C to save themselves from burning up. 88C is a little hot but it should be fine. As an overclocker, we try to keep temps on the Intels at or below 85 C. AMD cpus need to be kept cooler than that, below 60-70 C depending on the model. You can try a couple of things. First, make sure the bottom of the laptop is elevated slightly above a hard surface, you can even use four plastic bottle caps. This allows more airflow into the intake fan for cooling. Another option was already mentioned, and that's a USB powered fan that sits underneath.

If you're open to removing the bottom of the laptop case, you can also inspect and clean any dust, pet hair, etc that has collected in the heatsinks with a can of air duster. Hope this helps.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

Probably has a 'smoker's biscuit' in the heat sink fan and the subsequent fans for out take lol

I hadn't thought about it till you mentioned the above.

You wouldn't let your GPU run any hotter than like..mid 60's though right?

Depends on the GPU really. My old HD 6850's max temp was 85 but it was better to keep it at or below 75. I think I overclocked and overvolted it right up to that point too... then it died a year later without warning. I doubt temps killed it though, I had stability issues with it the entire time I had it anyway.

I replaced it with an HD 7850 and gave it a slight overclock but I didn't need it as much since it's more powerful in the first place. It stays around 60 C max and seems to like it there.

a reply to: ChaosComplex

A free bit of software I use to monitor my CPU temp on my laptop.

Free CPU temp Monitor Software.

It works well and tells you what's necessary.

I learned something a while back and it is that all laptop makers knowingly make laptops to run hot then break. I believe this because just by simply making the laptop feet higher, your laptop can stay 20 degrees cooler at a minimum (I'm using F not C)

I taped 4, 2 liter bottle caps to the bottom of my laptop and took the measurements. I then repeated this on many laptops, including going into Best Buy and doing it in on new on display laptops in front of the sales people - all with the same results no matter who's laptop I tested. LOL

The facts are even with my trick, after a couple of years all laptops need to be cleaned properly and the thermal paste on the processors and heat sink replaced.

Never blow canned air into your laptop ! This is one of the worst things you can do and it Will lead to other heat related problems because the dirt and dust just stays in the laptop, but gets pushed around - this causes it to accumulate in tight places where it acts as insulation. The laptop must be physically disassembled and cleaned gently.

Most laptop makers will offer a service guide that will tell you how to take it apart and rebuild it. Most of the time these guides can be found on the websites for free download. Note, this is Not the same as the user manual.

If your unit is out of warranty, you can do this cleaning and replace the thermal paste yourself. Here is a thread I created to help folks when they replace the thermal paste. www.eightforums.com...

It is vitally important when you disassemble and clean your laptop that you also disassemble and clean the fan completely. This includes the fan, and heat sink fins. You must remove the fan to get to these fins. many folks only replace the fan and wonder why it didn't help much - thats because there is dust that gets clogged in the tiny heat sink fins - you need sonething like a flat toothpick to get in there and clean them good - if you like, use the canned air to help blow it out then reassemble everything. Sometimes a flat toothpick is to thick and you need to cut a thin piece of paper to do the job.

Best wishes.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

I"m currently running a R9290 x 2.

www.newegg.com...

No Overclocking, cause, why? lol

But it doesn't run a hair over 60 degrees at full load, well, at the max I can run the damn thing in benchmarks.

~Tenth

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
a reply to: Aldakoopa

I"m currently running a R9290 x 2.

www.newegg.com...

No Overclocking, cause, why? lol

But it doesn't run a hair over 60 degrees at full load, well, at the max I can run the damn thing in benchmarks.

~Tenth

I wish I could afford that. Haha! I gotta go with budget gaming builds. Although I do get review items from time to time... just not any video cards. If I had one of those I wouldn't need overclocking either. I hardly need it with my HD 7850 as it is.

I also didn't know they would stay so cool under load, but I guess that's why they went with the hybrid air/AIO cooler.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

Well the R9 270 and 280 are reasonably priced for being such high performing cards.

Next time you look to upgrade and want mantle and dx 12 support, there you have it lol

Thanks for the suggestions but I won't be looking for an upgrade for a while. I have an i5-4670K and HD 7850 in my main rig right now, and I'm working on re-building my old rig that has been down for months now while dealing with a strange motherboard issue, but I'm waiting on more parts for it.

It sucks when the only thing keeping me from getting it going is nothing more than motherboard mounting screws! I ran out somehow!

My old rig is an FX-4100 which did have my HD 7850, but before that it had an HD 6850. Now it's going back to the 6850 so I can rig up a gaming PC for my girlfriend. No sense in parts sitting around and collecting dust! Now if I could get some water cooling on that FX I'd be golden. I could only get it up to 4.83GHz with a Hyper 212+ in the middle of winter with the windows up and a fan blowing cold air in! Brrr.... Had to stop there because it was right at 55C and that was my max temp I was going to go to.