Swift 3 SF314-57G overheating

JDME

Lately my Swift 3 (model SF314-57G) is getting really hot above the keyboard on the right (above the pause key) and to the left of the keyboard (next to the Caps lock) 

I'm not sure how hot it's getting because I'm not sure which CPU temp app to use, but it's way hotter than before - almost too hot to touch above the keyboard. Low power mode seems to keep the heat to a minimum. The fan is running but it does seem to have only one speed no matter what the CPU power settings - I don't remember if the fan had more than one speed previously.

This may have happened when I upgraded the bios or some of the drivers, but I can't say. I don't know if that is a true correlation. I don't remember when I noticed the heat vs. updating drivers and bios. It also may have begun when after I used the Type-C port for charging; which I have done only a few times. To be clear, it gets hot when using the standard factory charging brick, but one of the recent things that has happened with the laptop is my also trying a Type-C charger a few times.

The laptop is past the warranty, so I was thinking the first thing to so is open up the case and potentially clean out the fan blades - possibly making it more efficient. What do you think?

Please let me know your expert advice!!!  

Thanks so much. 

billsey

No, 85°C is normal for heavier use. On most systems that have programmable fan speeds they go to full speed in the middle 80s, on gaming rigs that is 10 degrees higher yet. 50°C is near the bottom of the heat/performance curve, much lower and it would turn the fan completely off. Things don't throttle until the 90s and don't shut down until 100°C.

Jack22

@JDME
Over heating is common on the Acer Nitro and Predator since they are powerful gaming laptop and they have 2 fans. The components of those laptop can withstand high temperature. But since you telling its getting very hot to touch the keyboard . So please call Acer support and let them know about it. Check the link below to call Acer support
https://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/

billsey

That location is right over the end of the thermal module and the fan blows through it to move air out the back through those vents. Checking the fan function is a great idea, it might have just built up enough dust to impede air flow. Check also those fins since they can get blocked as well. Can you tell if the fan is running?

JDME

Jack22 said:

@JDME
Over heating is common on the Acer Nitro and Predator since they are powerful gaming laptop and they have 2 fans. The components of those laptop can withstand high temperature. But since you telling its getting very hot to touch the keyboard . So please call Acer support and let them know about it. Check the link below to call Acer support
https://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/

I originally called Acer support and because it was no longer under warranty, all they would do is try to sell me an extension to my warranty - which included only Software support. There was no additional hardware support available. 

My laptop was also purchased in Thailand and since my Thai language is not great, I called US support (I'm American). This may have complicated the issue.

My laptop is a Swift 3

JDME

billsey said:

That location is right over the end of the thermal module and the fan blows through it to move air out the back through those vents. Checking the fan function is a great idea, it might have just built up enough dust to impede air flow. Check also those fins since they can get blocked as well. Can you tell if the fan is running?

Thanks for your help

@billsey
@Jack22

it's very kind of you to help someone you've never met.

The fan is indeed running. I can hear it - when I put my ear to the underside of the laptop. Is there a way to make it run at the fastest setting all the time - a way to control that manually?

I opened the laptop and was almost hoping to find a ton of dust in the fan and vents but it was pretty clean. I did take a handheld vacuum and tried to clean the fan. After which I also took a q-tip ear bud and gently wiped the fan blades, cleaning off some more dust and then vacuuming again (in case I left some cotton from the ear bud).

I put it back together and am typing now - and still hot in those two areas.

Is there a CPU temp app that you recommend, so I can be aware of the heat more objectively?

THANK YOU!!!

billsey

I use an app called Core Temp that puts my CPU temperature on the status bar. My laptop is currently at 38, 40, 40 and 42°C on the four cores.

JDME

billsey said:

I use an app called Core Temp that puts my CPU temperature on the status bar. My laptop is currently at 38, 40, 40 and 42°C on the four cores.

@billsey

thank you very much for your continued help...

My current temps are 50± a few degrees. But my max temp got up to 84 degrees (see attached photo) - which seems quite high to me. Is my thinking correct?

billsey

No, 85°C is normal for heavier use. On most systems that have programmable fan speeds they go to full speed in the middle 80s, on gaming rigs that is 10 degrees higher yet. 50°C is near the bottom of the heat/performance curve, much lower and it would turn the fan completely off. Things don't throttle until the 90s and don't shut down until 100°C.

ed4myra

Hi, I also live in Thailand and have the previous gen swift 3. What is your ambient temperature? Today in Ko Chang it was without AC 30C, which can make your laptop feels warmer on the touch. I use notebook fan control app to check if the fan is blowing at it's max, but it does not improve the cooling of the laptop.

On the hardware side you can do the following: check if the thermal paste of your cpu heat sink has been dried out. Putting up new paste can help. You can also add thermal pads to spread the heat from your heatsink to the metal bottom lid of your laptop. 

On the software side: check if you have runaway processes due to malware, if your normal activity does not use much cpu power. Do some cleanup. When idle Windows should not use more than 1-2% cpu.

JDME

billsey said:

No, 85°C is normal for heavier use. On most systems that have programmable fan speeds they go to full speed in the middle 80s, on gaming rigs that is 10 degrees higher yet. 50°C is near the bottom of the heat/performance curve, much lower and it would turn the fan completely off. Things don't throttle until the 90s and don't shut down until 100°C.

Thanks a lot. That's GREAT perspective. What I'm getting from you is that even though the machine feels hot to me, if the CPU doesn't do much over 85 (or even 90 on a rare occasion) all is OK and nothing about which to be concerned. Am I reading that right?

JDME

ed4myra said:

Hi, I also live in Thailand and have the previous gen swift 3. What is your ambient temperature? Today in Ko Chang it was without AC 30C, which can make your laptop feels warmer on the touch. I use notebook fan control app to check if the fan is blowing at it's max, but it does not improve the cooling of the laptop.

On the hardware side you can do the following: check if the thermal paste of your cpu heat sink has been dried out. Putting up new paste can help. You can also add thermal pads to spread the heat from your heatsink to the metal bottom lid of your laptop. 

On the software side: check if you have runaway processes due to malware, if your normal activity does not use much cpu power. Do some cleanup. When idle Windows should not use more than 1-2% cpu.

Hi ed4myra,

Off Topic: What's Ko Chang like right now. I was there my very first trip to Thailand but not in the 10 years since. I had an amazing couple of nights there in a great hotel quite south from the population, up on the hill, with a lovely sea view.

I'm in Bangkok and the truth is I'm almost always in 24 degree aircon. So while that's a good suggestion, I'm not sure it applies to me.

I thought about more thermal pad/paste, etc, but after I took off the back to look at the fan, I was a bit confronted with digging all the way down to the CPU. But hey! There's lots of computer stores around here to buy another laptop should I happen to bugger this one up! (just kidding, I really DON"T want to have to buy a new laptop at this time) This might be something I pay a bit and have done at a repair shop, while I look on. If I want it to run cooler, that's probably the way to go. Thank you!

JDME

@ed4myra

Which notebook fan control app do you use?

billsey

Yes, that is exactly right. No need to worry with the numbers you are seeing.

JDME

@billsey

Thank you 🙂