Dell XPS M1530 Overheating: Redux

Jonathan_Loewen · 01-31-2009, 09:38 AM

Once upon a time, I got a laptop. These were good days, back in September of '08.

In October and November, however, I realized that my computer's 80+ degree temperatures during normal usage were not normal. I couldn't spare to part with my laptop (classes), so I waited until December. I had a dell support technician come in and fix my computer. He replaced the Heat Sink, the Motherboard, and my Graphics Card.

All was good, or so I thought (when in reality, nothing had really been fixed, I thought it had, due to, well, a guy replacing stuff).

Fast forward a month.

I have the same heating problems as always, but not as extreme (I used to hit 110+, now I hit 90+). Games cause it to overheat (not playing on a soft surface, in fact, it's in the air, propped on my legs for maximum air flow), Java causes it to warm up. I have the same problems as I did two months ago, minus heat-damaged computer parts (though I'm sure some stuff has been damaged since December due to heat). The fan doesn't seem to work properly (I used to be able to feel it pushing air at 60 degrees, now it won't push at 90, and all I feel is the heat).

Now, I've read about this problem on the internets, and have seen that, for some, it is caused by letting the computer go into sleep mode, and that it's fixed with a shut down/power up. However:
-My computer never goes into sleep mode
-the power down/power up didn't fix anything.

My computer (while I write this after a reboot) doesn't have it's fan working, and it's running at 63 degrees (20 degrees above average, from what I've read). The fan just doesn't seem to want to work, and it shuts itself down at random.

Can anyone help me with this?

rbalaji · 01-31-2009, 03:58 PM

Given that the computer is still in warranty, I think you should get Dell to pay you one more visit. You should explain that it is the fan that is causing you grief and that will probably get them to replace the fan and/or make sure that it is being given the right signals by the motherboard and other sensors. In the meantime, you might want to invest in a laptop cooler pad with its own fans.

**TriggerFinger** · 01-31-2009, 04:54 PM

Check your BIOS level and compare to this one:

http://support.dell.com/support/down...id=267480#2Win

If it is out of warranty may be you would consider opening it up and remove the fan, clean the insides and reapply thermal paste. If your GPU has a fan or has a heatsink, it may need thermal paste too. I hope DELL tech did not forget to apply this when he replaced fan, mobo and GPU.

Here's the manual:

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/SM/index.htm

01-31-2009, 09:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
Jonathan_Loewen Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 28 OS: Vista Home Premium SP1	Dell XPS M1530 Overheating: Redux Once upon a time, I got a laptop. These were good days, back in September of '08. In October and November, however, I realized that my computer's 80+ degree temperatures during normal usage were not normal. I couldn't spare to part with my laptop (classes), so I waited until December. I had a dell support technician come in and fix my computer. He replaced the Heat Sink, the Motherboard, and my Graphics Card. All was good, or so I thought (when in reality, nothing had really been fixed, I thought it had, due to, well, a guy replacing stuff). Fast forward a month. I have the same heating problems as always, but not as extreme (I used to hit 110+, now I hit 90+). Games cause it to overheat (not playing on a soft surface, in fact, it's in the air, propped on my legs for maximum air flow), Java causes it to warm up. I have the same problems as I did two months ago, minus heat-damaged computer parts (though I'm sure some stuff has been damaged since December due to heat). The fan doesn't seem to work properly (I used to be able to feel it pushing air at 60 degrees, now it won't push at 90, and all I feel is the heat). Now, I've read about this problem on the internets, and have seen that, for some, it is caused by letting the computer go into sleep mode, and that it's fixed with a shut down/power up. However: -My computer never goes into sleep mode -the power down/power up didn't fix anything. My computer (while I write this after a reboot) doesn't have it's fan working, and it's running at 63 degrees (20 degrees above average, from what I've read). The fan just doesn't seem to want to work, and it shuts itself down at random. Can anyone help me with this?

01-31-2009, 03:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
rbalaji Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,193 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Dell XPS M1530 Overheating: Redux Given that the computer is still in warranty, I think you should get Dell to pay you one more visit. You should explain that it is the fan that is causing you grief and that will probably get them to replace the fan and/or make sure that it is being given the right signals by the motherboard and other sensors. In the meantime, you might want to invest in a laptop cooler pad with its own fans. __________________ Balaji Ramanathan Computers - You can't live with them, you can't live without them! [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

01-31-2009, 04:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
TriggerFinger Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 12,054 OS: Vista SP1, XP SP3, PCLinuxOS2007	Re: Dell XPS M1530 Overheating: Redux Check your BIOS level and compare to this one: http://support.dell.com/support/down...id=267480#2Win If it is out of warranty may be you would consider opening it up and remove the fan, clean the insides and reapply thermal paste. If your GPU has a fan or has a heatsink, it may need thermal paste too. I hope DELL tech did not forget to apply this when he replaced fan, mobo and GPU. Here's the manual: http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/SM/index.htm __________________ DBAN - Memtest86+ - BartPE - Linux LiveCD - ImgBurn - HDD Diags - Disk Copy HOW TO BURN AN ISO FILE Last edited by TriggerFinger; 01-31-2009 at 05:15 PM.