I have a three months old laptop from a respectful company equipped
with P4 processor. I have been experiencing random shut down and I
feel this computer is too hot. I put a digital thermometer at the
ventilation port and the highest temperature was 59.2 Celsius. The
manufacturer says there is no problem with the computer. In his reply
at http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=209287
hornit-ga says “Putting a P4 processor in a laptop has proven to be a
disaster (just ask Toshiba)” I would like to know more information
about it. Where can I find that? What is it with Toshiba?

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Clarification of Question by blastoise-ga on 28 Jun 2003 12:55 PDT

The random shut down is independent from software or OS. It happens
even if I try to restore the system from recovery CDs if the computer
was used before and therefore warm. Also, it only happens if a
software uses the full speed of processor, less resource require
applications do not cause the symptom to oocure.

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Clarification of Question by blastoise-ga on 29 Jun 2003 04:14 PDT

I am very grateful for your comments. I use XP prof, but there is no
"blue death" or any error message before shut down, even the system
logs contains no entry. It is just like I would press the on/off
button for more than 4 seconds. The computer does not restart
automatically. There is no possibility to change anything in BIOS
regarding power management, it says "CPU Performance control: Not
Support". There is a power management application which came with
computer and it only allows me to change the thermal control strategy
from performace to quiet. It does not seem to be doing anything, the
Intel's processor frequency utility reports the same 2.4 GHz in both
settings. There are many correspondences regarding how badly a P4 can
behave in laptops, but I could find no direct reports so far. That is
this question for.

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 29 Jun 2003 10:59 PDT

blastoise...

When you said:

"There is a power management application which came with computer
 and it only allows me to change the thermal control strategy
 from performance to quiet. It does not seem to be doing anything.."

...this made me wonder. It sounds a bit like this is a fan speed
adjustment - hence, the setting 'quiet'. If that is so, *and*
"It does not seem to be doing anything..", perhaps this is the 
reason for the thermal failure? Perhaps the 'performance' setting
is supposed to produce a higher fan speed, and improved cooling?
I'm just guessing here, obviously, but it seems worth a thought.

sublime1-ga

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Clarification of Question by blastoise-ga on 29 Jun 2003 12:06 PDT

Hello sublime1

and thanks for your effort. The computer is a Sony Vaio GRZ european
model which comes with application called Power Panel. This allows to
make some changes how the system handles certain things like backlight
level etc. including the change the system thermal control strategy;
the available options are performance and quiet. When I said it did
not seem to be doing anything I meant that I did not notice any change
in the fan's behaviour. What these settings are supposed to do, I do
not have a clue. It is my feeling that this poor processor does not
receive the necessary cooling and would like to take the case further
with Sony, but I need more information about this topic, but I found
was only references without facts. I found a German site where
somebody complained similar symptomes, but the discussion ended
without giving any result.

Thanks again, Blastoise

In many years of experience with computers, I have found again and
again that toshiba computers have never been reliable, regardless of
cpu type.

A lot of the current P4 cpu laptops use a heatpipe technology that
makes it so the exhaust will be a lot hotter than the cpu itself is,
so it's normal for things to be hot.... but still 60 degrees C does
seem a bit much.

blastoise...

59.2 degrees Celsius is a little above 138 degrees Farenheit.
My AMD 1.66 GHZ processor commonly reaches 136 F when running
an intensive application like the SETI screensaver, without
any shutdown problems. If you are using Windows 2K or XP, I 
would set the system so that it does not automatically reboot
upon system failure. This may give you a chance to see some
more detail in error messages. Let me know if you need to 
know how to do this.

sublime1-ga

sublime, your cpu may not be running that hot. a common problem with a
wide variety of AMD platform motherboards will incorrectly read the
cpu temperature as much higher than it really is. A cpu of your type
(sounds like a 2000+?) should be running cooler than that, even with
"stock amd cooling" and even when running 100% cpu usage.

Blastoise...

Well, I couldn't find out anything about this 'Power Panel'
application, except that it is commonly included in the 
software bundles for laptops. Another possibility for the
'quiet' setting is that it allows your harddrive to 'rest'
when it senses no activity...I don't know.

I have to disagree with funkywizard - the exhaust by definition is
cooler than the fins attached to the end of the heatpipe, which is by
definition cooler than the hottest heat source the heatpipe is
attached to.  That would be the CPU (or possibly but unlikely, the
video chip).  A heatpipe is merely a way of moving heat from one place
to another by taking advantage of the heat of vaporization of a gas.

As regards the theory that your laptop is overheating (quite possibly
so, especially if your laptop uses the fastest few P4 chips, which are
actually desktop CPUs and not optimized for low heat production), that
is easy to test.  Find a few boxes about 3" high and put them a foot
or so apart and place the laptop across the gap.  Then direct a fan to
blow air under the laptop, where it will cool the entire bottom
surface of the chassis.  On my laptop, propping the machine up like
that, even without a fan, dramatically reduces the CPU temperature. 
If the laptop stops randomly shutting down, it is a thermal problem,
and you should RMA the machine.