Dell Studio 1557 overheating issue

[Hemenesgard]

Hi guys, i am having the following problem.
I installed Ubuntu 10.04 (64bits) on my laptop in dual boot with Windows 7, and now it is overheating too much, till it turns off suddently. Even if I let it in an idle state it becomes very hot, like 70 °C, and if a do anything (like play chess) it rises the temperature till 90-100 °C and turns off.
I am pretty sure that it is not a hardware problem, because I can use Windows 7 with no overheating (it becomes a little hot too, but supportable)
I Hope you can give me some help, guys. I really like Ubuntu, but i can not use it in this state. I will appreciate any reply, even if you just want to say that you have the same problem.

My laptop specifications are listed below:

Name: Dell studio 1557
Processor : Intel Core i7 720-QM 1.60--2.80GHz
Memory : 4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz
MotherBoard Shipset : Intel Ibex Peak-M PM55, Intel Lynnfield
Graphics Card : Ati Mobility Radeon HD 4570 512MB

[cj.surrusco]

You might want to use frequency scaling. You can do that easily by adding the CPU Frequency Scaling applet to your panel. Set it to "On Demand" so that your processor will underclock itself when it has light load.

Edit: I noticed that you have a multi-core CPU, so you have to add four applets and change the settings so that each core has it's own applet.

[wojox]

Are the fan and cooling ports dusty at all? Are the fans kicking on?

[cj.surrusco]

I was looking over the specs for your CPU, and I wonder if the turbo boost has something to do with it. A i7 is going to get really hot running at 2.8ghz, especially with laptop cooling. Maybe you could try disabling the boost in the bios?

[wojox]

Maybe you should try the 32 bit version. That's what I installed on my Dell Studio, even though it's 64 bit.

[Hemenesgard]

You might want to use frequency scaling. You can do that easily by adding the CPU Frequency Scaling applet to your panel. Set it to "On Demand" so that your processor will underclock itself when it has light load.

Edit: I noticed that you have a multi-core CPU, so you have to add four applets and change the settings so that each core has it's own applet.

I will try this.

Are the fan and cooling ports dusty at all? Are the fans kicking on?

The fan ports are not dirty, actually they are very clean. And it is spinning normally.

I was looking over the specs for your CPU, and I wonder if the turbo boost has something to do with it. A i7 is going to get really hot running at 2.8ghz, especially with laptop cooling. Maybe you could try disabling the boost in the bios?

I wont try this because i bought a core i7 to have high performance. Doing this maybe really low the temperature, but that would be palliative, wont really solve my problem.

Maybe you should try the 32 bit version. That's what I installed on my Dell Studio, even though it's 64 bit.

I will try this too, but now, after having read several foruns, I really start to think that migth be a hardware problem. Its happening with lots of Windows users too. Be what appears, it is related with core i7 processors.

[cj.surrusco]

I wont try this because i bought a core i7 to have high performance. Doing this maybe really low the temperature, but that would be palliative, wont really solve my problem.

The reason that I suggested this was to see if the problem lied within the speed boost. I though that the boost might be occurring when not needed. You should try disabling it just to see if it is, in fact, the problem.

[Hemenesgard]

Hi guys. I installed the 32-bits version, and used the CPU frequency applets but nothing helped me, still overheating till shutdown. I am pretty sure that is a hardware defect. Something is wrong with this model, Studio 1557. At least i can still use Windows 7, very very hot, but usable.

[Cypress421]

Stick with Ubuntu 64-bit if you have 4GB or more RAM, but look in the BIOS if you can find any throttling options for turbo boost, otherwise use the frequency scaling. Your Core i7 will be used to its full potential if necessary, but otherwise underclocked. Try out the different scaling options.

[anupcshan]

I've had the same issues too. But my system runs at ~45-55°C under no load.
You could try propping up the rear of the laptop with a book or something similar to ensure better ventilation (make sure the air ducts at the back are not blocked).