View Full Version : I'll be cutting down on folding...
Lancelot
12-02-07, 05:34 AM
The laptop in my sig used to be my main folder. However it's tiny cooling system is not upto the task. It's fans are running full speed 24/7 and the small heatsinks get completely clogged up with a curtain of ultra fine dust so the CPU starts throttling. I've taken the entire laptop apart in August to clean the heatsinks and add Arctic Silver 5, and now last week I had to take the entire thing apart again. Having to do this every 4 months is crazy, screw-threads and housingparts will wear and tear long before this laptop's normal lifespan. So only the fileserver in my sig keeps folding for now...
This pic is of the Go7900GS heatpipe, the CPU sink was just as bad. It looks like the blades are too sharp so every dust particle gets caught, the fans themselves weren't so clogged...
http://members.home.nl/lancelot/dirt.jpg
Many laptops do have a problem with excess heat, so that's a good catch, Lancelot.
If you start the client with the " -config" option, you can re-set how much of your cpu's cycles (in percent), that you want FAH to use.
The default is 100%, of course, but I've used as low as 60% on laptops that had a hard time handling the heat, here in the hot Southwest US. Quiets those fans right on down, but I'm not saying it's your answer to this problem - just an idea.
I'd be concerned for your own breathing, in an environment that has that much fine dust around. The finer the dust, the more damage it causes in your lungs, over time. (It settles down deeper in the lungs).
Sorry to hear of your troubles, and good luck, whatever you decide.
Lancelot
12-02-07, 06:54 AM
I'd be concerned for your own breathing, in an environment that has that much fine dust around. The finer the dust, the more damage it causes in your lungs, over time. (It settles down deeper in the lungs).
That's nonsense, it's the result of blowing a fan through a 1.5" meshed hole 24/7 for 4 months....
Zerix01
12-02-07, 07:24 AM
Up to the task of a laptop water cooling mod? lol
I've had good luck keeping laptops running with a regular dose of canned air.
That's nonsense, it's the result of blowing a fan through a 1.5" meshed hole 24/7 for 4 months....
The dust you see in the laptop, is actually IN the air, but dispersed. The laptop merely collects some of it.
You can prove it with a little experiment, you don't have to take my word for it.
harlam357
12-02-07, 11:50 AM
If and when I get a laptop... this is why it will not Fold. Not worth it for something not easily replaced or fixed.
Just cover the air intakes with a foam filter or some pantyhose. It will stop 99% of the dust. It's not like you carry your laptop around when it's folding. :P I hit mine with a can of air every month or so backwards in the exhaust and it stays fine like that.
Just cover the air intakes with a foam filter or some pantyhose. It will stop 99% of the dust. It's not like you carry your laptop around when it's folding. :P I hit mine with a can of air every month or so backwards in the exhaust and it stays fine like that.
QFTW I pretty much do the same and don't have any problems been running over 2 yrs now/
Alpha_One
12-03-07, 05:39 AM
I personally stick a hose from some great big vacuum on the intake hole to get rid of the gunk. My laptop used to shut down overheating back then before I started folding on it - that's actually the reason why I wasn't folding on it. However, the vacuum did the trick and it pulled little clumps of dust, and after that, I can feel the air through the vent hole again.
And now it's folding. :)
Lancelot
12-09-07, 01:43 AM
I personally stick a hose from some great big vacuum on the intake hole to get rid of the gunk. My laptop used to shut down overheating back then before I started folding on it - that's actually the reason why I wasn't folding on it. However, the vacuum did the trick and it pulled little clumps of dust, and after that, I can feel the air through the vent hole again.
And now it's folding. :)
Maybe I should do that once every week and things will be fine. At least it's worth giving a try. I was thinking about running W2K off a USB stick just for folding overnight. It gets better results compared to Vista Ultimate x86 that is loaded on the laptop for normal use.
Zerix01
12-09-07, 02:10 AM
Maybe I should do that once every week and things will be fine. At least it's worth giving a try. I was thinking about running W2K off a USB stick just for folding overnight. It gets better results compared to Vista Ultimate x86 that is loaded on the laptop for normal use.
LOL, isn't that a rule not to use a vacuum on or near electronics because it can generate static and kill your stuff?
LOL, isn't that a rule not to use a vacuum on or near electronics because it can generate static and kill your stuff?
I hope not. I usually take a wet dry vac to all the vents on my PSU and the back vent on my GPU once every 6 months or so to make sure nothing nasty builds up.
Wouldn't it only generate static, if at all, if it was being moved across a (usually carpeted) floor? If it's stationary, shouldn't it be fine?
orion456
12-16-07, 03:38 AM
Wouldn't it only generate static, if at all, if it was being moved across a (usually carpeted) floor? If it's stationary, shouldn't it be fine?
Dust moving in air naturally becomes positively charged and in doing so it charges objects the dust moves near. Dusty air will build up static charges without the vacuum cleaner actually moving itself. That's one reason the dust appears to stick so hard to the fins of a heat sink because it isn't just sitting there, it is actually electrically attracted to the more neutral heat sink metal. You can't just blow it off, you actually have to rub the metal surface to get all the dust off.
Normally dust is gray or brown, so I'm interested in why its so white. Something like ceiling tiles must be leaking particles.
I recall learning about this when I was using a commercial vacuum cleaner to remove old sprayed in insulation. The vacuum never moved, but had a long (huge) hose.
About every two minutes, I'd wind up getting too close to *something*, and *zap*. The vacuum doesn't have to move, but the static build up is also closely related to the power of the vacuum, and the humidity. Less humidity or more air flow = more static charge.
Wings on planes also build up static. It's leaping sparks are called St. Elmo's Fire, iirc.
A home vacuum with no wire in the hose tip, should be fine to use around a computer for a short while. I've done it many times with no problem, and all the dust is not easy to clean off, as per Orion456's post. I agree also, that he probably has a dust source, in the house or office where the laptop is running, despite his assertions to the contrary.
You just don't notice the dust, because it's impossible to see it in smaller concentrations.
Put an air purifier (a powered one), with a new hepa filter in the room - and you'll be shocked at what it collects in 24 hours.
AlabamaCajun
12-16-07, 08:31 AM
Sources of dust.
White - Human skin and dander/dandruff, paper, fabric, yes-ceiling tiles and food packaging including bags and TV dinner cartons.
Gray and colored - Environmental, fabric, packaging, foam seals on doors and windows, etc.
I would say your home is well sealed and fairly clean but check you furnace filters. Fiberglass mesh is a poor dust collector. Pleated filters greatly improve the air quality and avoid expensive HVAC repairs due to the stuff getting into the coils. Even with that I see a lot of gray dust, some white and a lot of cat fur.
I use the window AC foam stuff which keeps most stuff out. I rarely have to use the vacume on the machine. I just pop the covers, blow the dust off outside and wash the filters which improves the static properties that collect the dust.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.