Laptop CPU 80% Temp when playing GTA 5

[saas1980]

Hi, hope someone can help!

Is this normal? ...

When playing GTA 5 (single player story mode) on my Dell XPS 17 laptop (L702x), the CPU temp gets very hot. When playing, the area around the vent on the left side gets quite hot hence I downloaded 'speccy' to see what the temps were like whilst playing. When not playing, the CPU temp hangs around 40-60 degrees depending on use of applications and whilst playing hits between 75-85 degrees (and sometimes short spikes of around 90 degrees). Is this normal?

My laptop resolution is best recommended at 1920x1080 but when playing the game in this resolution, I always encounter lags after 20-30 mins of play. So I changed the game settings to 1360x768 which works flawlessly and pretty smooth for full screen view too. This hasn't helped the cpu temp though, the figures remain the same with very little change.

I have already opened the laptop and cleaned out dust and made certain that no obstacles were blocking the air flow. Also I have viewed many articles online which mention replacing the thermal paste. Credible Youtube videos further give clear instructions how to apply this formulation but I am a first timer hence seek any help which can put me in the right direction.

My Laptop specs are:

Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium (64 BIT)
2nd generation Intel Core i7-2860QM 2.50 GHz, Turbo Boost > 3.60 GHz
8192MB (2x4096) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
17.3in Full HD WLED AG (1920x1080) with 2.0 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera
Intel HD Graphics 3000
3GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Graphics Card
1TB (2x500GB) Serial ATA (7200RPM) Dual HDD

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Get a cooling pad to put under the laptop. Also laptops like yours are not really intended to play GTA5 so keep that in mind.

 

[velo3100]

First the dell xps is not a gaming machine, it is designed more for portability and intense usage. When I mean intense, I mean coding, maybe a bit of 3d modelling and image and video editing. The reason why the temps are so high is that the cooling system is designed to handle games.

The max you can do about it is get a cooling pad, reduce the settings further or throttle the cpu when playing the game as it is gpu intensive. Also make sure that the laptop is using the dgpu rather than the igpu which is soldered onto the cpu which can cause the temps to be high as the i7 produces a lot of waste heat.

 

[saas1980]

Thanks! I never knew these cooling pads existed, purchased one on Ebay as soon as I read your posts. I should have asked first before purchasing but is the correct type:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360703801843?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Or do you guys recommend a better one (or branded)?

Truth is I cant afford a gaming machine and I have seen video clips of people running the game on same laptop on youtube with zero problems (low resolution, unfortunately). Since my fan makes a little noise which I cleaned up recently too, still a noisy ah heck, today I placed an order for a new one, fingers crossed it might do the job + the additional of the cooling pad. Will definitely come back to report the difference and hopefully a big thank you

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

That one will work fine. Good luck and do not forget to select the best answer.

 

[saas1980]

Update:

1. Got my cooling pad (quiet as anything)
2. Purchased a used fan replacement (quiet as anything)

Result: 60-70 degrees when playing GTA 5. Thats a WHOPPING drop from 85-90 degrees. I also realised with a flat based laptop (6-cell) it may have also needed some more room to breath, the Cooling pad allows both cool air and loads of breathing space.

Question now is, is 60-70 degrees safe whilst playing game? The laptop is no longer over heating on the surface, just a little comfortably warm on the left side, which im assuming is normal

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Yes. Totally safe

 

[saas1980]

Thank you IntelTurtleFan

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Your welcome