Clevo Gaming Laptop - Choosing components

[Hybrys]

Well, I've never had problems with any laptop I've owned and I've never been able to identify with people who claim to have problems with overheating. I don't want to buy a laptop that I won't be able to place on any surface I desire, so again, am I going to have this problem with the laptop I've chosen? Where does the line go, and at which point will you have to start worrying about overheating?

To make this completely clear.

You cannot play intensive games on any laptop that doesn't have all or most vents able to draw/expel air. That's the bottom line.

If you want to play solitaire on your bed, so be it. But if you start playing CoD:BO on Ultra on your blanket, you're going to fry something mighty quick.

[Drule]

To make this completely clear.

You cannot play intensive games on any laptop that doesn't have all or most vents able to draw/expel air. That's the bottom line.

If you want to play solitaire on your bed, so be it. But if you start playing CoD:BO on Ultra on your blanket, you're going to fry something mighty quick.

Well, like I said, I've never had this problem with any laptop in any way no matter where or how I've used them. For instance, I can play contemporary games perfectly fine on my current Core 2 Duo laptop without any noticeable overheating problems so obviously there must be a point above which the hardware becomes cumbersome and below which it doesn't. What I'd like to know is where this line is drawn, how you calculate it and where my future laptop is going to stand in terms of overheating.

[Hybrys]

Well, like I said, I've never had this problem with any laptop in any way no matter where or how I've used them. For instance, I can play contemporary games perfectly fine on my current Core 2 Duo laptop without any noticeable overheating problems so obviously there must be a point above which the hardware becomes cumbersome and below which it doesn't. What I'd like to know is where this line is drawn, how you calculate it and where my future laptop is going to stand in terms of overheating.

Give me the conditions in which you're playing this 'contemporary game'. Is it the hardest the computer can go? Do you have a discrete graphics card? What surface are you gaming on?

[Drule]

Give me the conditions in which you're playing this 'contemporary game'. Is it the hardest the computer can go? Do you have a discrete graphics card? What surface are you gaming on?

My current laptop is a Core 2 Duo with 2 GHz and 4 GB RAM running on an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330. Playing games like Doom 3, Left4dead 2, Morrowind, Half-Life 2, Hitman: Blood Money, Portal, Prey, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Serious Sam HD has rendered no noticable difference in heat despite the fact that these games match my laptop's generation fairly well. I've felt it getting slightly warm when placing it on my lap or on my bed, but only in a way that you'd expect an electronic device to get and not at all in any way that'd even come close to overheating.

So basically, when we are discussing overheating and "people being stupid" for placing their laptops on surfaces that have melted, I am getting a bit worried as I expect to not have to worry about these things considering it's never been a problem with any of the laptops I've owned to this point.

[Hybrys]

My current laptop is a Core 2 Duo with 2 GHz and 4 GB RAM running on an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330. Playing games like Doom 3, Left4dead 2, Morrowind, Half-Life 2, Hitman: Blood Money, Portal, Prey, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Serious Sam HD has rendered no noticable difference in heat despite the fact that these games match my laptop's generation fairly well. I've felt it getting slightly warm when placing it on my lap or on my bed, but only in a way that you'd expect an electronic device to get and not at all in any way that'd even come close to overheating.

So basically, when we are discussing overheating and "people being stupid" for placing their laptops on plastic surfaces, I am getting a bit worried as I expect to not have to worry about these things considering it's never been a problem with any of the laptops I've owned to this point.

One could argue that you have a rather low end video card. One could also argue that if you were pushing it harder, it might get hotter.

Being realistic, you probably could play games on your sheets. But if you put a powerhouse on a blanket that covers its vents, you're going to melt it apart. The same would probably happen with your laptop now.

Tips for keeping your heat low include repasting the CPU/GPU and undervolting the CPU/GPU (which wouldn't affect performance). There are more, I'm sure you'll get it to work.

[Drule]

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm not arguing that I have a low-end video card, but wouldn't that make it even more likely to overheat when playing the games I just listed? Yet, this is a problem I have never exprienced.

Also, I'm not really looking to underclock the computer I'm about to buy. I want to determine what makes it differ from the computer I have now in terms of overheating when used in a similar context.

[Hybrys]

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm not arguing that I have a low-end video card, but wouldn't that make it even more likely to overheat when playing the games I just listed? Yet, this is a problem I have never exprienced.

Also, I'm not really looking to underclock the computer I'm about to buy. I want to determine what makes it differ from the computer I have now in terms of overheating when used in a similar context.

Well, let me put it this way. Your 4330M uses 7-10W. The 6970M uses 75-100W. That alone makes a massive difference.

Undervolting does not mean underclocking. You just supply the CPU less power, because it already has more power then it needs. No performance differences. Undervolting, just right, you can increase your battery life, processor lifetime, and reduce heat issues.

[Thisisalamp]

Well, to make it simple.

Don't game on your bed with a laptop. The hot airflow just goes back in the vents, then your fans won't do justice. Although it's a problem you've never experienced, it will more likely to appear on a laptop like the NP8170.

There isn't any comparison with your old laptop and a new laptop; bedsheets tied to the bottom of the laptop just won't cut it. I had the NP8690, and gamed on my bed a couple of times. Left4Dead 2 was stuttering after an hour and so was Warcraft III, a less demanding game.