Helios 500 - Hard Choices

I have the Predator Helios 500 (i9 8950HK, GTX 1070), and I am a happy user. I like the device, the look, the feel, the performance... everything except one; I have high CPU temperatures.
During games I run always above 85 degrees Celsius for the CPU, it reaches 97 sometimes. The GPU temp is fantastic, never been above 60 for the most demanding games.
I contacted Acer support, and they advised that these temps are not normal and requested to send the device for maintenance... I contacted Amazon and requested a refund, but I haven't sent the device yet.
I am confused, I have couple of choices:
1) Refund and buy another Helios 500. No idea if I'll get a good one, or a defective like the first one.
2) Send the device for maintenance, no idea what it will go through there? maybe I'll get it back with scratches, or even another problem.
3) Refund and buy a desktop, or another laptop.
4) Undervolt and repaste the CPU/ GPU, no idea if I'll end up with a better or worse device.

Help me out guys, please!!

Accepted answers

xapim

EliasM said:

I have the Predator Helios 500 (i9 8950HK, GTX 1070), and I am a happy user. I like the device, the look, the feel, the performance... everything except one; I have high CPU temperatures.
During games I run always above 85 degrees Celsius for the CPU, it reaches 97 sometimes. The GPU temp is fantastic, never been above 60 for the most demanding games.
I contacted Acer support, and they advised that these temps are not normal and requested to send the device for maintenance... I contacted Amazon and requested a refund, but I haven't sent the device yet.
I am confused, I have couple of choices:
1) Refund and buy another Helios 500. No idea if I'll get a good one, or a defective like the first one.
2) Send the device for maintenance, no idea what it will go through there? maybe I'll get it back with scratches, or even another problem.
3) Refund and buy a desktop, or another laptop.
4) Undervolt and repaste the CPU/ GPU, no idea if I'll end up with a better or worse device.

Help me out guys, please!!

@EliasM go for option 4 unless you got one of the bad silicone lottery cpu's (which i don't think so) you should be pretty fine check the links in my signature to discover more start by optimizing windows and undervolt so see where it takes you and go from there.

Ps: if acer offered to repaste your laptop just ask them if you would buy the thermal paste you want on it if they would use it if they say yes just get kryonaut and send it with the laptop if they say no just send it for a repaste by acer and check if its better when it returns, it seems to me the cpu thermal paste is either too much or too less this is why you are getting high temps as the H500 has the best cooling system in the laptops market and no it's definitely not normal to reach those temps on the H500 even with the i9 (which generates a lot of heat)

xapim

EliasM said:

Snapshot from playing Odyssey for around 15 minutes...

Definitely not normal oh well if you don't want to loose too much time just swap it for the i7 as u will never need the i9 for gaming anyway

All comments

xapim

EliasM said:

I have the Predator Helios 500 (i9 8950HK, GTX 1070), and I am a happy user. I like the device, the look, the feel, the performance... everything except one; I have high CPU temperatures.
During games I run always above 85 degrees Celsius for the CPU, it reaches 97 sometimes. The GPU temp is fantastic, never been above 60 for the most demanding games.
I contacted Acer support, and they advised that these temps are not normal and requested to send the device for maintenance... I contacted Amazon and requested a refund, but I haven't sent the device yet.
I am confused, I have couple of choices:
1) Refund and buy another Helios 500. No idea if I'll get a good one, or a defective like the first one.
2) Send the device for maintenance, no idea what it will go through there? maybe I'll get it back with scratches, or even another problem.
3) Refund and buy a desktop, or another laptop.
4) Undervolt and repaste the CPU/ GPU, no idea if I'll end up with a better or worse device.

Help me out guys, please!!

@EliasM go for option 4 unless you got one of the bad silicone lottery cpu's (which i don't think so) you should be pretty fine check the links in my signature to discover more start by optimizing windows and undervolt so see where it takes you and go from there.

Ps: if acer offered to repaste your laptop just ask them if you would buy the thermal paste you want on it if they would use it if they say yes just get kryonaut and send it with the laptop if they say no just send it for a repaste by acer and check if its better when it returns, it seems to me the cpu thermal paste is either too much or too less this is why you are getting high temps as the H500 has the best cooling system in the laptops market and no it's definitely not normal to reach those temps on the H500 even with the i9 (which generates a lot of heat)

EliasM

xapim said:

EliasM said:

I have the Predator Helios 500 (i9 8950HK, GTX 1070), and I am a happy user. I like the device, the look, the feel, the performance... everything except one; I have high CPU temperatures.
During games I run always above 85 degrees Celsius for the CPU, it reaches 97 sometimes. The GPU temp is fantastic, never been above 60 for the most demanding games.
I contacted Acer support, and they advised that these temps are not normal and requested to send the device for maintenance... I contacted Amazon and requested a refund, but I haven't sent the device yet.
I am confused, I have couple of choices:
1) Refund and buy another Helios 500. No idea if I'll get a good one, or a defective like the first one.
2) Send the device for maintenance, no idea what it will go through there? maybe I'll get it back with scratches, or even another problem.
3) Refund and buy a desktop, or another laptop.
4) Undervolt and repaste the CPU/ GPU, no idea if I'll end up with a better or worse device.

Help me out guys, please!!

@EliasM go for option 4 unless you got one of the bad silicone lottery cpu's (which i don't think so) you should be pretty fine check the links in my signature to discover more start by optimizing windows and undervolt so see where it takes you and go from there.

Ps: if acer offered to repaste your laptop just ask them if you would buy the thermal paste you want on it if they would use it if they say yes just get kryonaut and send it with the laptop if they say no just send it for a repaste by acer and check if its better when it returns, it seems to me the cpu thermal paste is either too much or too less this is why you are getting high temps as the H500 has the best cooling system in the laptops market and no it's definitely not normal to reach those temps on the H500 even with the i9 (which generates a lot of heat)

Thanks a lot for your reply, don't you think it's better to refund and get another unit? Maybe this time I'll take the i7 model because everybody is telling me I don't need i9 for gaming. If I send it for maintenance, it'll take 14 days. If I refund and buy another one, it'll take less than a week. Also, if it gets back not in good shape from Acer, I'll lose my return window time, and I'll be stuck, because last day of return is Feb 01. what do you think?

xapim

Well if you think you don't need the i9 u can take the i7 its more than enough but again its up to you the i7 its already a beast but the i9 its beastier if you get what i mean

EliasM

xapim said:

Well if you think you don't need the i9 u can take the i7 its more than enough but again its up to you the i7 its already a beast but the i9 its beastier if you get what i mean

I chose the i9 at first to be future proof, maybe I'll need a high computing device in the future to work on something... but now you spooked me saying that i9 generates lots of heat..

Put yourself in my shoes, do you take the i9 or i7? I really can't think now. This issue wasted my mind, 3000 dollars is a lot for me..

EliasM

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/wz/gcuhb7ba04jt.png

Snapshot from playing Odyssey for around 15 minutes...

xapim

EliasM said:

Snapshot from playing Odyssey for around 15 minutes...

Definitely not normal oh well if you don't want to loose too much time just swap it for the i7 as u will never need the i9 for gaming anyway

xapim

Its a fact that the i9 generates much more heat than the i7 but this said you shouldn't still reach those temps personally i would love to own one if i could afford it lol ill just stick to my humble and already expensive to me G3-572 and im pretty happy with it after some tweaks i have awesome temps and don't get scared the H500 series either intel or ryzen they are just beasts well worth the money this being said the triton 500/900 rtx its coming out soon but to me rtx ray tech its not fully developed and inserted in games it will take a couple of years until we see it fully developed so my advice to anyone don't jump on rtx just yet

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