How to check if laptop components are damaged from ESD?

[cmleong2618]

So my laptop is almost 3 years old now (details below) and I do use it for gaming. The temperatures were rising so I decided to replace the thermal paste. Everything was going well till I put the battery pack back in, which caused a small spark between the battery and the battery socket. There was no pop sounds like when a capacitor breaks or burned smell. It was an amateur mistake to have tried fixing it on a carpeted floor.🙁

I couldn't turn my laptop on after that and a computer specialist also told me it was pretty much dead. After a month, I tried turning on the laptop and it started working. I could access my files and browse the internet. I haven't tried gaming on it yet.

Questions are:

What software should I run to check if any of the components are damaged?
> Tried Asus pc diagnostics tool but it doesn't run.

Will it cause my laptop battery to suddenly explode and combust(unlikely but still possible I think)?

Is it safer to just to purchase a new laptop instead than to try to diagnose and use the old laptop?
> If possible I would like to purchase a gaming laptop but not anytime soon as I have a limited budget and I do have another simple work laptop at the moment.

Laptop details (Asus N550jk):
2.4 GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ (Haswell)
16GB of DDR3 RAM
1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M Graphics (4GB)
Windows 10 (upgraded from windows 8.1)
15.6" Glossy IPS Touchscreen
Full HD 1920 x 1080 Native Resolution
SuperMulti DVD Burner, ASUS Subwoofer
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, SonicMaster

 

[CountMike]

I would just run a test program like OCCT http://www.ocbase.com/index.php/download it loads up whole system and any weakness would be exposed.

 

[cmleong2618]

I would just run a test program like OCCT http://www.ocbase.com/index.php/download it loads up whole system and any weakness would be exposed.

I see. Thank you very much. Does that program only check the CPU and GPU cause that is what I found on their website?

If that is the case, what other programs should I use to check the rest of the hardware, for example, RAM, Harddisk etc?

 

[CountMike]

OCCT also puts load on RAM, chipset etc. They are all part of system. IT's pretty tough on HW so it's important to keep tabs on temeperatures, HWInfo https://www.lifewire.com/free-memory-test-programs-2626178 is good for that.
Some other RAM testers: https://www.lifewire.com/free-memory-test-programs-2626178

 

[cmleong2618]

Noted. So I guess I need to run CPU: OCCT and GPU: 3D for at least 1 hour while running HWInfo to check the temperature.

Will let you know the results of running the tests. Probably need to keep a fire extinguisher beside me just in case :/.

 

[CountMike]

Yes. one hour should be more than enough to flush out any instability. Typically heat rises within first few minutes of load and with good ventilation it should stay there for the rest of testing.

 

[cmleong2618]

Yes. one hour should be more than enough to flush out any instability. Typically heat rises within first few minutes of load and with good ventilation it should stay there for the rest of testing.

So I manage to run OCCT after installing a fresh windows copy with the latest graphics drivers.

I was able to run OCCT: CPU for an hour and it returned me zero errors. HWInfo gave the same results.
Max CPU temp was around 82~83 degree Celsius.

I couldn't run GPU: 3D though cause after 5~10 mins, the GPU was reaching temps above 85 degree Celsius.
Should I disable the temperature limit and run again with "error check" enabled?

I also have a cooling pad so I might as well test the laptop with it nex time.

 

[CountMike]

Looks like it's all OK, laptops can get really hot so for heavy work and testing like this it's better to have some added cooling. CPU and GPU are the main hot spots but again, laptops are made for power efficiency in mind, not some heavy work.

 

[cmleong2618]

Looks like it's all OK, laptops can get really hot so for heavy work and testing like this it's better to have some added cooling. CPU and GPU are the main hot spots but again, laptops are made for power efficiency in mind, not some heavy work.

True that.

So I manage to run the GPU: 3D test for 30 mins with the temp limit disable and error check enabled.
I set my air conditioning to 20 C and added a cooling pad.
The results were no errors and the max temp was 86 C.

I guess my old laptop is still good and in working conditions I suppose.
Idle temps for CPU were 40 C and the GPU was 35 C.

 

[CountMike]

That looks encouraging. I have an old HP from 2004 and XP era and it still runs fine with XP and battery holds for hours. They don't make them like they used to.

 

[cmleong2618]

That looks encouraging. I have an old HP from 2004 and XP era and it still runs fine with XP and battery holds for hours. They don't make them like they used to.

Agreed, wished modern laptops were more durable and less buggy. Thank you very much for your help thus far.

I'm going to spent the next half-day reinstalling my software and reconfiguring the settings, sigh....🙁