Undervolting my Helios 300 PH315-53 with Bios version v2.04

nivreph

Hi! Recently my helios 300 keeps getting high idle temps between 60-70 C and up to 95 C when AAA gaming. I want to try undervolting my CPU using XTU but it seems voltage offset is greyed out. I have version 2.04 bios. quick specs: i5-10300H, rtx 3060

JackE

Those areas serve two functions. They act as mounting pads and help immobilize for 'finned heat exchangers' from fan air to coolant inside the tubes to the CPU and GPU. And they help cool other chips like VRAM underneath. If the pink putty is still sticky and not dried out, you can spread it on top of the chips and re-use it. Cooling those chips is not as critical as CPU & GPU.

JackE

>>>those temps are from the cpu. the gpu seems stable.>>>

Can you confirm both fans are running?

JackE

>>> idle temps between 60-70 C and  up to 95 C when AAA gaming.>>>>

Way too high at both idle and gaming! Undervolting will likely make games unplayable. When was the last time your changed the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU heatsinks? This is regular maintenance that should be done yearly if you're a heavy gamer.

nivreph

JackE said:

>>> idle temps between 60-70 C and  up to 95 C when AAA gaming.>>>>

Way too high at both idle and gaming! Undervolting will likely make games unplayable. When was the last time your changed the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU heatsinks? This is regular maintenance that should be done yearly if you're a heavy gamer.

I haven't tried repasting yet since my laptop is just 11 mos old. Maybe it's high time that i do it. Just one more question, what thermal pad thickness should i put? Or is it fine if i just change the thermal paste and ignore the other components with the pink factory thermal paste?

JackE

Yeah, I think after 11 mos, the factory stuff might be dried out. If it was mine, I'd just use Kryonaut or ArcticMX4. Not factory paste. No pad either. I think only thin layer of paste, grease or putty is best.

nivreph

JackE said:

Yeah, I think after 11 mos, the factory stuff might be dried out. If it was mine, I'd just use Kryonaut or ArcticMX4. Not factory paste. No pad either. I think only thin layer of paste, grease or putty is best.

Hello, thanks for replying. I was talking about these (highlighted in orange). Should i put thermal pads? Or just leave them alone. 

JackE

Those areas serve two functions. They act as mounting pads and help immobilize for 'finned heat exchangers' from fan air to coolant inside the tubes to the CPU and GPU. And they help cool other chips like VRAM underneath. If the pink putty is still sticky and not dried out, you can spread it on top of the chips and re-use it. Cooling those chips is not as critical as CPU & GPU.

nivreph

Thanks for the help, man. Greatly appreciated. 😀

nivreph

Repasting didn't fix the issue. Still idling at same temperatures. btw those temps are from the cpu. the gpu seems stable. also i just found out that the process "System" in task manager keeps using up to 20% cpu and cpu speeds stay at maximum even at idle. i did a clean format. but nothing changed.

JackE

>>>those temps are from the cpu. the gpu seems stable.>>>

Can you confirm both fans are running?

nivreph

JackE said:

>>>those temps are from the cpu. the gpu seems stable.>>>

Can you confirm both fans are running?

Yes. I even cleaned them well.

JackE

Then I suspect the tube carrying coolant from the fan's heat exchanger to the CPU's heatsink is either blocked or broken. New modules without the fans should be about $50usd. Google search the part no for vendors who ship to your location.

 

nivreph

JackE said:

Then I suspect the tube carrying coolant from the fan's heat exchanger to the CPU's heatsink is either blocked or broken. New modules without the fans should be about $50usd. Google search the part no for vendors who ship to your location.

 

I did find some discoloration on top of the heatsink. Some small areas have a darker color like it was smeared with grease but it's mostly around the GPU area.

nivreph

Btw, about repasting. I just spread out the pea sized paste to cover the entire cpu chip in a thin layer, just enough not to see the surface of the cpu chip. Was that enough?

JackE

No. Sorry. Don't think heat sinks are problem. Problem is the tube carrying the coolant from the fans to the cpu.

nivreph

JackE said:

No. Sorry. Don't think heat sinks are problem. Problem is the tube carrying the coolant from the fans to the cpu.

This is gonna be a real problem for me since here in my area these parts require the laptop to be surrendered to an acer service center. 😥

Btw, just some observation: sometimes the cpu runs cool if it was turned off overnight. Then, the high temps return if under heavy use. I also noticed that turning off boost, either through TS or adjusting cpu power in power options, the temps drop instantly. From 90°+ down to 76°.

JackE

>>>Btw, just some observation: sometimes the cpu runs cool if it was turned off overnight. Then, the high temps return if under heavy use. I also noticed that turning off boost, either through TS or adjusting cpu power in power options, the temps drop instantly. From 90°+ down to 76°.>>>

If gaming performance doesn't suffer, then that may be your solution.

BTW, if this machine is still within warranty period as you suggest, you should not have even tried to open the bottom cover and re-pasted as it could already have voided the warranty. Especially if any tamper seals over screws or case seams were torn in doing this.

nivreph

JackE said:

>>>Btw, just some observation: sometimes the cpu runs cool if it was turned off overnight. Then, the high temps return if under heavy use. I also noticed that turning off boost, either through TS or adjusting cpu power in power options, the temps drop instantly. From 90°+ down to 76°.>>>

If gaming performance doesn't suffer, then that may be your solution.

BTW, if this machine is still within warranty period as you suggest, you should not have even tried to open the bottom cover and re-pasted as it could already have voided the warranty. Especially if any tamper seals over screws or case seams were torn in doing this.

Yeah seems i voided the warranty. The problem is service centers aren't available in our province. I have to surrender my laptop to the seller so they can send the unit to the service center which is 12-15 hours away from our location. Then, it will take months before the unit returns to me. Given my situation, i need the laptop not just for gaming but for my daily work.

As with throttlestop, performance DID drop while i was playing AC origins. Haven't tried in other games, tho. Will update you soon.

JackE

>>>Yeah seems i voided the warranty.>>>

Then you're free to replace the thermal module yourself. You can order it on line from any vendor who ships to your location. Just google search the part nos.

nivreph

JackE said:

>>>Yeah seems i voided the warranty.>>>

Then you're free to replace the thermal module yourself. You can order it on line from any vendor who ships to your location. Just google search the part nos.

Hi. i just finished downgrading my os from win 11 to win 10. Thermals didn't improve much except for idle temps which went down to average of 41 - 58°. Also, i brought my laptop to the workplace because it's air-conditioned compared to my room, and thermals seem to be doing ok. Idles are at 36-46° but heavy use still hits 96° though less frequent. it usually stays at 88 - 91

JackE

>>>but heavy use still hits 96° though less frequent. it usually stays at 88 - 91 >>>

Sorry. This is still way too high. There's only a limited number of times the processor will tolerate temperatures above about 94°C. Then they just stop working altogether. If it was mine, I'd replace the thermal module to reduce the chances of this happening. A lot cheaper insurance than buyng a mainboard.

nivreph

JackE said:

>>>but heavy use still hits 96° though less frequent. it usually stays at 88 - 91 >>>

Sorry. This is still way too high. There's only a limited number of times the processor will tolerate temperatures above about 94°C. Then they just stop working altogether. If it was mine, I'd replace the thermal module to reduce the chances of this happening. A lot cheaper insurance than buyng a mainboard.

Ok i'll consider buying one then. I'll have to show it to the seller first so they can order.