Inspiron 6000 heat question

Question

hi, i recently purchased the 6000. i have the 1.6 512mb ati x300 64mb system, and im very happy with it so far. i did plenty of research beforehand and decided this was the best laptop for me. it was btwn the 700m, this, and the 9300. the i6000 was the perfect size for me. one issue i have about it about it is that it gets very hot in the lower right side on the bottom of the laptop. i was told this was ram heat. ive read that its very common. however, since this is the very first laptop ive ever owned, i am somewhat concerned. ive been using a desktop for the past 10 or so years, and always had some type of decent cooling device inside it. because of this, i have no worries leaving the desktop on 24/7. now, on to the laptop. Is the i6000 safe to leave on, plugged into the power adapter 24/7? im aware that it has a cpu fan, and numerous vents on the front, side, and underneath. but, feeling the bottom after a couple hours i start to worry because its a LOT hotter than i expected. if i leave it on all the time, as i do with my desktop, will i risk overheating or damaging the laptop? im not too familiar with laptop parts and technology. someone fill me in. thanks in advance

tbsteph · Answer

First, I must say, I do not have the definitive answer to your question.  However, I had the same thought as you about the RAM temperature.  I downloaded a program that monitors fan speed and various temperatures such as CPU, HDD, RAM etc.  In monitoring the temperatures of these various components for the last several weeks I found the RAM temperature to run somewhere between 40 and 48 degrees Celsius.  I then researched various websites and boards, including this one, and found those sort of temperatures to be well within the acceptable range for memory.  Some hypothesize RAM temperatures below 65 degrees are OK.  If you are interested in monitoring your laptops temps, do a search and you will find at least 2 or 3 programs that will work with the Dell 6000 series.

NemesisDB · Answer

first off, as it's a notebook, I would suggest buying a warranty for the period that you plan to use it (I would recommend the 3 year plan).  secondly, there's not a lot you can do for ram heat.  as was mentioned, there are programs that can monitor your ram temps (depending on your model) ...  FanGui is decent in this regard:  http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html   a notebook cooler (basically a metal pad with fans that your notebook will sit on) may also help lower the temps on the bottom of the system -- or at least make it more comfortable on your lap.   lastly, be sure that you aren't obstructing any intake fans (if they're on the bottom of the computer).  try to always keep the machine on a hard, level surface or, at the very least, make sure all vents are not obstructed

adobostreak · Answer

no it's fine. it doesn't sound normal to you because i was exaggerating how hot it was... because it is my first laptop i was a bit worried

i avg. 35 degreess CPU and 40ish RAM.. which i found out is not hot. i was just being a little pansy because it was making my thigh warm.

thanks to a neat little baking tray i stole from my kitchen, my thigh isn't hot and my man eggs are fine and dandy

-adobo

vilentj76 · Answer

This doesnt sound normal to me. I have had 5 notebook computers in the last 3 years. 4 of them came from Dell, one from Apple. The last 2 that I have purchased have been Inspiron 6000D's. I have gotten 2 of these in the last 2 months. I must say, I have never had either of my 6000's get very hot at all. I use one computer at work 8+ hours straight and it barely gets warm. I am not using any extra cooling, just stock as it came out of the box. I dont think your 6000 should be getting as hot as you say. But, since this is your first laptop, you may not know that laptops are generally running warmer than a desktop because of limited cooling capability. Of all the laptops I have had, the 6000 is by far the coolest running computer. My Powerbook G4 would get so hot on the bottom I could barely touch it without fearing getting burned. My Inspiron 8200 with the 2.4 Ghz P4 got extremely hot during heavy usage as well. But my 6000's, barely feel warm to me at all.

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