Acer aspire nitro vn7-591g problem with high CPU and GPU temperatures

Spaj
Spaj Member Posts: 8

Tinkerer
in 2016 Archives

Hi! I recently noticed some performance issues(lower fps) when playing semi-demanding games like CS:GO and Overwatch, even though using pretty much the lowest settings. I proceeded to download CPUID(software to monitor to your hardware) to check my temperatures and noticed that I reach low-to-high 90's(depending on game) when I play.

I figured it could be dust or something inside so I removed the keyboard-part of the laptop and used some canned air to remove all the dust I could reach (without removing the motherboard). I also managed to get hold of a laptop cooling stand. The problem is that none of these efforts really solved the issue. Just a slightly lower temperature on the GPU and pretty much the same on the CPUs. I'm starting to wonder if it could be the thermal paste that have to be replaced? I've had the computer for a little over a year now. Anyone else experiencing similar issues? Help or tips would be appriecated!

Best Answer

  • sharky25k
    sharky25k Member Posts: 473 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon
    Answer ✓

    Hi,

     

    The CPU and GPU are designed to work at those temperatures. If they will get too high they will throttle, and if even that's not enough then at certain point they will just shut down instantly to avoid potential damage.

     

    Changing the thermal paste could improve the performance, but you will not get lower temperatures. Your CPU/GPU will most probably work at higher clock speeds and they will not throttle but the temperatures will be in the same range. But from my experience if you can change the thermal paste, you should.

     

    Also you can use notebook fan control which has configuration for 591g and it can increase the fan speed even more. I think from the factory the max speed of the fan is just around 60-70%.

    https://github.com/hirschmann/nbfc/

Answers

  • Shumayal
    Shumayal Member Posts: 58 Die Hard WiFi Icon

    I have a VN7-592G and I find this weird to see you have problems running something like CS:GO. I would consider overwatch to be more demanding than CS:GO.

    How old is your laptop? Did you try closing background applications and reducing graphic settings? Did it solve the problem? 

    The temperature will get high while gaming which is why its recommended the vents are not blocked. As you have taken care of the vents cleaning, let me know what changing the settings does to the performance.

  • Spaj
    Spaj Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Yeah, I use the lowest settings and as mentioned in the top post it's just over a year old.

    Actually, the "fps-drops" or performance issues are not "that" bad, even though I wouldve expected a little bit better from a computer in this price-range. The real issue are the high temperatures at these low settings. Could it potentially cause any damage?

  • sharky25k
    sharky25k Member Posts: 473 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon
    Answer ✓

    Hi,

     

    The CPU and GPU are designed to work at those temperatures. If they will get too high they will throttle, and if even that's not enough then at certain point they will just shut down instantly to avoid potential damage.

     

    Changing the thermal paste could improve the performance, but you will not get lower temperatures. Your CPU/GPU will most probably work at higher clock speeds and they will not throttle but the temperatures will be in the same range. But from my experience if you can change the thermal paste, you should.

     

    Also you can use notebook fan control which has configuration for 591g and it can increase the fan speed even more. I think from the factory the max speed of the fan is just around 60-70%.

    https://github.com/hirschmann/nbfc/

  • Spaj
    Spaj Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Hi. Thank you for your answer! I have now replaced the thermal paste. I haven't experienced any substantial performance improvements. And as you mentioned, the temperatures didn't really change. 

    I find it weird though. Can you explain it even further or refer to another website where I can read more about it? Wouldn't 99 C peaks cause performance issues in the long run and shorten the lifespan of the component? Why would acer sell a relatively high-end computer that they can't cool down? How exact are the temperature measuring software programs btw?

     

     

  • sharky25k
    sharky25k Member Posts: 473 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon

    Hi,

     

    You should have checked the working frequency before and after the replacement of the thermal paste. I am sure that now the CPU works at higher frequency, even if at the same temperature.

     

    http://ark.intel.com/products/78934/Intel-Core-i7-4720HQ-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz

    An example of the CPU which is in 591g (I am not sure if your model exactly). You see the tjunction temperature is at 100 C which is why you see peaks below this temperature. If it would exceed 100C the notebook would automatically shut down to prevent damage. Usually at 95C (or lower, I am not sure) the CPU starts to throttle (reduce it's frequency to have lower heat output)

     

    The software is not measuring the temperature. It's just reading the sensors which measure the temperature, and unless they are defective (extremely rare case) they are reading the correct temperatures.

     

    The issue with cooling is mainly the design and airflow. It's a slim notebook with a limited airflow. A good example is the macbook air which does not have any cooling at all and can pack a powerful CPU, which usually is always throttled in high load applications.

    With Acer, another issue is the maximum rpm of the fans. Acer does not crank up the fans to 100% to cool even better the CPU. It's true if you crank up both of the fans to 100% you will see some improvement and of course your notebook will sound like a jet engine. For example in my case the notebook was running at 2.2-2.3 GHZ at full load (CPU and GPU) before changing the thermal paste. After changing the thermal paste the CPU frequency increased at 2.8-2.9 Ghz, but the same temperatures. If I use notebook fan control with configuration for 591G I can run the CPU at 3.2 Ghz but again the same temperatures.

    Higher frequencies=more power=more heat, this is why even increasing the airflow you see the same temperatures.

     

    I am running the notebook with these temperatures sometimes for days (I do intense bioinformatics, and believe me no game can put so much load as I can with a simple phylogenetic analysis), and I don't have any issues with it so far.

     

  • Spaj
    Spaj Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Hi again! Thank you for your amazing in-depth answer. Really interesting and I really appreciate it and I'm sure that others do aswell. Your'e right, I should have checked the freq before the replacement. I haven't had the time to monitor the frequencies post-replacement but I will do and post it here later.

    Your full load numbers, are those peaks or average numbers? Again, big thank you!

  • sharky25k
    sharky25k Member Posts: 473 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon

    Hi,

     

    Those numbers are the stable frequency after around 10 minutes of stress test. on a I7-4720HQ. So usually the frequency does not drop below this value. Generally the CPU will start at much higher frequency (mine at 3.5 Ghz), but slowly decrease as the temperature is increasing. Then at certain point it will reach equilibrium, where the temperature is below the throttling value, or not a significant amount of time above that value, and thus the frequency will be kept. This is how modern CPU's use the turbo boost technology.

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