Inspiron E1505 / 6400 getting hot

sounds like the processor isn't getting air flow. if it is getting that hot it should turn its self off. might need some cleaning. i know with my notebook if i try to lay it on my bed it gets blocked by the blankets and will get a little warm, but turns off before any harm is done. make sure it isn't get blocked. i don't see how this could be caused by fc, you should check out debian though :)

Thanks. It does appear to be form the location of the hard drive. I have noticed excessive hard drive activity from time to time, but I have not noticed that it occurs exclusively when the unit is hot. Also, despite the beefy hardware, I've never really pushed the machine to it's limits. I've usually got KDE and it's PIM running with Open Office, Firefox (yes, I know that Fx is a processor and memory hog), KnowIt, and Kate. Very rarely do I use other apps, and certainly not when many other programs are running. I do not use Beryl or Compiz, as the X1400 is not supported by the open source drivers and the ATI driver does not support the Composite extension. I have successfully used Google Earth with the fglrx driver but I do not use it regularly.

I should note two more things:
1) The computer is never used on blankets like BenWara mentions: it is always either on my work desk or on a desk in the university (when it's powered on, of course).
2) The rubber feet had fallen off within the first month that I had the computer. I replaced them with different rubber feet that _may_ have lowered the computer to the workdesk, though I do not believe this is the case. In any event, I today replaced those rubber feet with small rubber 'stilts' about 2 cm in height. Now the computer sits on an angle and so far so cool. It's even more comfortable to type on!

Any other advice would be appreciated. Should I attempt CPU scaling? How does one go about that in Fedora?

Thanks.

Dotan Cohen

It sure sounds like it is the HD. Hence, CPU related measures will probably not help much (the CPU already clocks down when idle). The CPU and cooling is in the upper left which are not the problem areas for you.

Two possibilities that I see:

1. Your HD is defective or is simply a model that runs very hot (doesn't make sense for a laptop because that heat has to come from the battery!).
2. You don't have enough RAM so you are constantly swapping.

Use something like Everest to check the HD temps to see if they are excessively high. I just checked my 6400 after running my software tests for 10 minutes and the HD temp went from 21C to 28C (82F). The underside of the HD is barely warm. The top of the machine is cool to the touch.

Update: after 30 minutes, HD: 35C (95F), CPU 58C. Laptop warm but not hot under CPU and HD. Keyboard slightly warm, Cool elsewhere on top.

2nd Update: after 1 hour, HD: 39C (102F). Underside and keyboard feel the same.

How much RAM do you have?

Peter

Message Edited by PETER345 on 05-12-2007 09:30 AM

Everest seems to be a Windows app, and this is not a dual boot system. I've got 2 GB of physical RAM and a 3 GB swap partition. Yes, I know the rule of physical RAM * 2.5, but I figure with 2 GB of physical RAM the machine doesn't even need a swap partition! I have it so that I can suspend to disk.

Even raised 2 cm in the air, the machine is getting a bit toasty after a few hours of work. No excessive disk activity, though.

Install gkrellm and the i8k plugin. It provides you with control over the fans in the 6400, and also lets you monitor the temperatures.

Is DMA enabled for the harddisk? Without DMA your system needs more cycles to read/write to the disk and it may get hotter.

Apparently DMA is _not_ on, but I cannot seem to enable it:

dotancohen@laptop:~$ mount -l
/dev/sda1 on / type ext3 (rw,errors=remount-ro) []
proc on /proc type proc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
/sys on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=0755)
varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)
procbususb on /proc/bus/usb type usbfs (rw)
udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
devshm on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)
lrm on /lib/modules/2.6.20-15-generic/volatile type tmpfs (rw)
/dev/sda4 on /home type ext3 (rw) []
binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw)
dotancohen@laptop:~$ sudo hdparm /dev/sda1

/dev/sda1:
IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 256 (on)
geometry = 9729/255/63, sectors = 29302497, start = 63
dotancohen@laptop:~$ sudo hdparm -d1 /dev/sda1

/dev/sda1:
setting using_dma to 1 (on)
HDIO_SET_DMA failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device
dotancohen@laptop:~$ sudo hdparm /dev/sda1

/dev/sda1:
IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 256 (on)
geometry = 9729/255/63, sectors = 29302497, start = 63
dotancohen@laptop:~$

I have a Vostro 1500 and it too gets extremely hot on one side.  I downloaded and installed a fan controller called "I8kfanGUI" to monitor the temparatures.  I set the auto fan speed to "High"  when the processor gets above 50 degrees celcius.  As soon as I open a web page the temparature immediately increases and the fan speed increases.

I'm using AC power most of the time.

What I have noticed is that I don't have any overheating problems when running from the battery.  The fan never switches to high because the temparature never gets above 47 degrees.

I have no idea what the problem is (battery, AC adapter, MoBo, etc.)