Asus F3E overheating problem

[edgars_ab]

Hello,

I was wondering if someone could help me with this. I have a laptop - ASUS F3e Series, which apparently has some problems with overheating.

I've cleaned it from the dust, changed the thermal compund (various types), even added a copper shim between heatsink and the gpu (which seems to give a bit better results, but not enough), but it always gets hot to approx 78-80C, when i run a burn-in tests on it.

The problem is - sometimes it just turns off (no restart, just turns off, with no fans, no lights running). I'm not 100% sure, but i think in these moments it somehow exceeds 80C, maybe even 85C barrier, and turns off because of overheating protection.

Please give me some ideas, what could cause such a problem, because i'm running out of options, as hell.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Asus F3E overheating problem

You can use a software such as HWINFO32 to check temperatures.

This laptop of yours i see uses Intel onboard video. Overheating rarely happens with those. Since yours really does appear to overheat, make sure the fan is running properly. If it is making rattle noises or spins slower than it should (doesn't push much air out), try replacing the fan.

If the fan is good, replace the heatsink. It doesn't happen too often, but heatpipes do lose pressure sometimes, i've had a couple laptops with this problem. The heatpipe is filled with a gas under pressure to move heat fast, and if some of that leaks out, it will be no longer effective.

[edgars_ab]

Re: Asus F3E overheating problem

Hey, thanks for the info, mate! Fan is working as it should - spins fast, airflow is good, no rattle noises. However didn't knew about that heatpipe thing, so it's actually a valuable tip! The only problem is - where to find a replacement. I took an eye on eBay, but I couldn't find any active listing with this exact heatsink.

I guess your theory explains why a copper shim gave a bit better results - because of ineffective heatpipes, heat was not traveling away from chips as fast as it should, and with a copper shim I somehow managed to increase the heat dissipation area, so at least it doesn't turn off anymore.

Laptop is pretty old anyways. I think it has some 5 years or so. In result, i'm not really surprised about why this happened. I will double check that video card model, when i'll get at home.

Anyways, I have also one more, a bit sick idea - could it be, that sometimes the overheating is caused by a bad circuitry on the motherboard (for example a badly soldered BGA chip, incorrect voltages somewhere on the board), or is it always a heatsink/heatpipe/fan/thermal compound problem?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Asus F3E overheating problem

It is possible for malfunctioning power circuitry to cause overheating, but that basically never happens. VRMs tend to either work perfectly or not at all.

[edgars_ab]

Re: Asus F3E overheating problem

Well, it seems coper shim does the job well. Laptop still hasn't turned off by itself since the time I implanted it in