TravelMate P214-51 overheating due to SSD ?

Hi everybody,

I have a TravelMate P214-51, Windows 10, up to date. Since the beginning, the laptop had occasional overheating problems, leading to an unexpected shutdown. Core temperatures can hit above 90 deg C (> 200 F), even with CPU loads below 15-20%. Funnily, I can run a full CPU test without problems.

After this morning's Windows Update, Windows insisted to (re-)run the Search Index with a consistent low CPU load of 10-20% and a Disk "load" of 5-10%. However, Package and core temperature were around 80-95 deg C (up to 205 Fahrenheit) and I had consistent shut-down every 10 minutes. I finally ended up with disabling Windows Search and core temperatures are now down to 50 deg C (120 F) at low CPU load. This confirmed my growing suspicion that the problem might be more related to the SSD than the processor.

I run the Silver CPU test: Even at 100% CPU, temperatures were around 80 deg C (170-180 F).

I also run the ATTO SSD test. With 60-70% disk load and 10-20% CPU load, core and package temperature were also around 80 deg C (180 F), but with occasional jumps up to 95 deg C (200 F).

I did not find a schematic for the P214-51, but if I turn the laptop around, the hottest spot is in the upper-left corner where the ethernet plug goes in.

Is it possible for a (defective) SSD to cause overheating problems? And how can I test that it is actually the SSD other than just going right out and buy a new one. (And the problem might still be the bus or something else.)

Cheers,

Accepted answers

All comments

Ro46

Can you give more details about the ssd? Also have you checked if there is any app running in the background?

FSmtl

It's the default SSD with my Travelmate. CrystalDiskInfo identifies it as "WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G-1014 512.1 GB" and reports its health status as "Good".

There are of course several apps running in the background, always. However, simple high CPU usage does not cause any overheating, but anything with prolonged disk access (e. g. ID-drive, Windows Update) causes high temperatures and (eventually) an overheating shutdown.

The temperature identified by CrystalDiskInfo on the SSD does not exceed 65 deg, however, even when a lot in use.

billsey

It's really not possible that the SSD is causing the heating issue. The SSD is more toward the middle of the unit, under the fan. More likely would be something with the charging circuit, since the charger port is right next to the Ethernet. Does connecting or removing the charger make any difference?

FSmtl

You must be thinking about a different model. On my Travelmate (P214-51) the charger is on the left side (screen on top). The hot spot is on the right side (screen on top), next to the ethernet and video connections.

Does anybody have a layout for the P214-51.

billsey

Yes, sorry. I was looking at the USB-C charging port not the barrel charging port. It's still unlikely the SSD is the issue, since it's no where near the Ethernet port. Do you have anything connected to any of the ports on that side? The CPU itself is about halfway between the fan and the right side, but down more at the level of the VGA port rather than the Ethernet. Perhaps the thermal module doesn't have good contact with the CPU and that's causing the issue?

FSmtl

Thank you for the answer. I finally opened the laptop up and, yup, you were right : the CPU is very close to the hot spot, the SSD not at all.

Still, that dependence on SSD activity is a mystery to me. As I said, CPU stress tests work without a problem, but today I had two shutdowns on installing a bigger program. (CPU temperatures actually went slightly **down** when McAffee kicked in to 100% CPU usage, but less disk usage. I am not sure if that can be a driver issue? I checked and it seems up to date. I have write-cache activated for the SSD... but that should not lead to higher CPU temperatures on SSD usage, AFAIK.

The thermal arm seems decently installed, and I do not have time to dig too deep into the hardware side right now. For the moment, I just throttled my CPU to see if this helps with the problem. It's for the most part a Word/Excel laptop and I can live easier with 75% CPU power than with constant thermal shutdowns. Annoying though!

Thanks for your help! If you have any additional tips, they are welcome.

billsey

What do the CPU temperatures run at? I'm still thinking it's got to be there, just not coming up with a good theorem as to why.

FSmtl

When I ran a pure CPU test (Silver): Even at 100% CPU, temperatures were around 80 deg C (170-180 F).

When I ran a test on the SSD : with 60-70% disk load and 10-20% CPU load, core and package temperature were also around 80 deg C (180 F), but with occasional jumps up to 95 deg C (200 F).

Yesterday, during installation with 30-50% CPU, I got spikes above 90 deg.

billsey

I wonder if there's a way to also monitor fan speeds. If they are running low when the CPU load is light you would also see higher than expected temperatures. The fan table for the TravelMate P214-51 models is:

So you should be seeing fan speeds near or above 4000RPM when the temperatures are running that high.

FSmtl

Not sure how to read the fan speed. I had tried three different programs, but none of them showed the value of the fan speed, although they claim to have that option. And I do not want to randomly install everything I find.