Must underclock

[Oroka Sempai]

My Laptop is a heat monger, I cant keep it running for long before it overheats (I hope my problem is overheating). I dont use my laptop for heavy gaming or anything, so cutting my CPU speed in half would be no issue to me.

I am running a P4 2.8GHz, 512k L2 cache, with HTT (I haven no idea how to enable HTT).

Are there any utilities inwhich I can use to underclock? The BIOS on this thing is horrid, it has virtually zero options for anything, I cant even get a CPU temp out of it, letalone change anything related to anything useful. I need a windows based utility to do this.

Any suggestions?


Oh, also, a way to control my HSF fans... they go on and off when needed (which is sometimes too late). If they were on all the time, it would save me alot of hassel too.

[Sjaak]

How do you know your laptop is overheating / what are the symptons of failure?

If the fans don't spin continuesly, i doubt if it is overheating.

[Lancelot]

My 2.3Ghz P4 laptop is also horrible when compared to my 1.6Ghz Pentium-M laptop. It gets hot and noisy even when only browsing/emailing and on IM. If your Mobile P4 has speedstep it must be possible to set it 'always-forced' to the lowest speed. (under power options or something, anyone?!) Do a websearch on this, I'm sure you'll find a lot of useful tips&tricks on the subject of speedstep.

[Oroka Sempai]

How do you know your laptop is overheating / what are the symptons of failure?

If the fans don't spin continuesly, i doubt if it is overheating.

Well, I get BSODs, sometimes the screen just goes black. Often after going black, the system will power-up but HDD activity and the screen just stays black. Now, I have considered that this might be a videocard problem, but when the systems idle temps vary from 47c to 60c.

Below is an attachment of a screen cap of mobile meter that I have installed on the system. It was run overnight in a room that was about 15c. Each line is about 5 mins.


Lancelot: Thanks for mentioning Speedstep, I will look into it now.

[Oroka Sempai]

Well, I looked into speedstep and it seems that either there was no recent program written for it, or my CPU dont support it.

I really dont know where to go from here... my mobo has zero options, and two other programs I have tried dont help either.

[Jimbob7]

how long have you had it? I'd send it back. Do you have any cover for it?

[mattspalace]

I think his CPU is a desktop, not a P4m.. so no speedstep.

*edit* Oh yeah, now that I see his laptop in his sig, that's definately a desktop CPU. Alienware (Clevo) just about always use desktop CPU's because they are designed to be desktop replacement laptops.

[Oroka Sempai]

Okay, so it is a desktop replacement (aka suck ass battery life and dumb cooling vents placement). Really I dont mind it not being super portable, I just use it at home and work on desks with the power cable attached.

So, not a mobile, so what do I do now? Is there some desktop utility for over/underclocking I can use?

[Sjaak]

There might be a version of setFSB (http://www13.plala.or.jp/setfsb/) for your chipset..since its a desktop chip its likely to be a desktop chipset as well.

[Oroka Sempai]

About the only good thing that has come out of me trying to underclock is finding out more stats about my laptop.

SiSoftware Sandra 2004 Pro reports my chipset as being 'Clevo/Kapok Computer Brookdale Host-Hub Interface Bridge (E0-step)'... I think. That is what is labled under the model of Chipset 1.

:edit: and after checking the SetFSB site... it dont seem like I am going to have any luck there.

[Sjaak]

SiSoftware Sandra 2004 Pro reports my chipset as being 'Clevo/Kapok Computer Brookdale Host-Hub Interface Bridge

can you eat that? :p

[SNieX]

lol

[Oroka Sempai]

I think it is some form of sponge cake...


Has anyone even heard of that chipset? Is it the chipset? I cant seem to get a motherboard model out of Sandra. I can on my desktop... not the laptop.

[Sjaak]

Its a chipset (http://www.google.nl/search?q=Clevo%2FKapok+Computer+Brookdale+Host-Hub+Interface+Bridge&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:nl-NL:official) i845-offspring to be precise

[Oroka Sempai]

****.... why didnt I think of searching google? I am constantly telling people to search google before asking me. I can hear Napolean now... "uhhhh.... idiot".


Okay, so in setFSB, would that be the 'intel845(D/E/G)/850(E) - ICH2/4?

[Sjaak]

Okay, so in setFSB, would that be the 'intel845(D/E/G)/850(E) - ICH2/4?

You can try a few versions for chipsets alike of yours. Wrong one cant do much damage, so its just a matter of trying.

[Oroka Sempai]

I downloaded that one, and try to run it, but I get the XP program crash notification immediatly.

[Sjaak]

Try any other FSB tweaking devices you can find for that chipset (google ;)) You may just be lucky and find one that will work.

[Oroka Sempai]

Okay, I will do that tonight after work. Thanks alot, I will post my results later.

[mattspalace]

P4m's are socket 478 also, so I see no reason why you couldn't change to a mobile CPU..

[Oroka Sempai]

P4m's are socket 478 also, so I see no reason why you couldn't change to a mobile CPU..

I really dont want to pay several hundred bucks for that. Personally I think my BIOS/mobo is the biggest hurdle to any underclocking attempts. On boot-up there isnt even a ID string to work with.


I am starting to think my instability issue is really my videocard overheating. I have seen the laptop crash at temps well below the critical temps. The two primary air intakes have about a inch clearance underneath the laptop, but what I am assuming is a videocard cooling fan has about a centimeter of clearance... alot of opportunity to overheat and crash. Several BSODs I have had refrenced 'AGP440.sys' as the error, which is the most specific info I can get out of windows.


Still, I cant find a program that will let me underclock my system. They often need a motherboard model to configure itself.

[Sjaak]

Thats a really small fan for a VGA. The AGP thing might really well be the video card, so maybe you could open up the laptop (theres usually a slot cover nearby) to allow for better cooling. Or you could put it on a pile of books or something, to allow for more clearance under that fan, then see how it goes.

[Oroka Sempai]

Well, I used to put some books under the back to give the main fans clearance, but I dont think it really helped the smaller fan. Now I have something (a box or rivits :D) holding the front up too so there is equal clearance all over. It seems to be stable at the moment, but it has done that before... stable stable stabel then I cant get into windows for more than 3-4 mins without getting a BSOD.

I am going to build myself a cooler pad for my laptop, but now I will have to change the design to take this other fan into consideration.

I still want to underclock though, less heat, better battery life, increased CPU life. The most demanding thing I have done on this unit is play Star Trek Bridge Commander, as a test, on max graphics level, with high detail ships installed. On my desktop my system starts getting choppy with about 8 high quality ships. My laptop did 25 no problem, and I am sure it could do more.

[Sjaak]

You might also open it up and see if you can fit a fan or some heatsinks on the VGA..just a suggestion.

[Oroka Sempai]

Actually, i had the laptop opened as far as I could, and I couldnt get down to where that fan is blowing on. Honestly, I am not sure what I am even looking for, wether it is just a chip, or a card or something?

I did learn that my Alienware Area 51m 5620D is really a Sager NP5600 series branded to alienware, even to the point that I have the exact same driver CD that comes with the Sager branded model. i am going to do some searching about that model and if there have been any simular issues.


Lookie... they allowed me to have an avatar :santa: