SpeedFan tells me this: Screenshot: When idling Temp/Core0/Core1 are ~60C and CPU Fan is at 4000 RPM. I have to say that I cleaned my fan/cooler yesterday but I reattached it as it was before and I can hear it running fine. I am a bit worried. Could I have done something wrong which resulted in these stats? I never used SpeedFan before, so I don't have any before values to compare.
Did you tweak the system lately? As others have said there is possibly need to get worried and make sure debris is removed from the vents, fan and re-apply fresh thermal paste or compound. Another thing, don't forget to check what are running at the background at your Task Manager(even when not doing anything with your system) and scan your system for malware.
@ Mutoid Thanks for your answer! I've just tried your suggestion and replaced the thermal compound (Arctic MX-4) for the CPU as well as thermal pad for the GPU (?). Doing the same task as before (CPU Usage: 40-50%) I get: So, there's basically no difference and 40% CPU usage isn't that high, isn't it? Idle status for Temp/Core0/Core1 are ~54C and CPU Fan is at 3300RPM which is a bit better but still isn't normal, is it? edit: I found some tests done by someone else with the same laptop but another SSD: which isn't that different from my stats. So maybe everything's fine after all? @Hadron-Curious: I didn't tweak my system, which I reinstalled a couple of days ago, so there shouldn't be a malware problem. I cleaned the fan and NOW applied some thermal paste too which got me the result you see in this posting. It got a little better than without thermal paste but not significantly.
You can always clean up, it does not do any harm, but there is everything ok with these temperatures. Remember, that this is old and slow processor and if it works then is good, if the temperatures are less than 95° C, if is idle, then 65° C or a bit less.
@NeverCleanARunningSystem That is hotter than most mobile processors (with exception of some of the i7-xxxxQM 4c/8t chips). The TJunction for your processor is 100 C, so as long as it stays below that then in Intel's eyes you're technically okay. Like others here I'd recommend cleaning any dust out of the fan and heatsink, as well as removing old thermal paste and applying new quality thermal compound. Stress the machine for an hour with something like Prime95 to make sure the temperature doesn't go too high or turn itself off. If you think it still isn't cool enough for your liking, you can always polish the contact point of the heatsink with Brasso (metal polish) and make it all shiny and smooth, and then go buy a laptop cooling pad. If your laptop ever gets really really hot to the touch and turns itself off on it's own, THEN you have a serious problem. On a side note, I stopped using Speedfan a long time ago in favor of other programs. I found Speedfan unreliable on a couple notebooks I've worked on in the past. I currently use AIDA64 (paid).
Thanks for your reply. I've done all this you mentioned in bold and get around 45-50C for SSD and 50-60C for Core 0/1 while idling/surfing. Using Prime95 for one hr. increases my SSD temp up to 55C and the Cores temp up to 90C which, as you say, is still below 100 and is therotically ok. Since, I rarely overload my system, I believe I shouldn't be worried too much with these values
I wish you have a spare 'recommended' fan to test this and see the difference. What others suggested are completely correct and if there is no much change to your system temperature it is time to address it from the hardware standpoint.
For a Laptop, use an extra small stand with built-in fan('s) below the Laptop for to get extra cooling, which will also have the effect with an extra, and therefore better airflow for the CPU Cooler Fan. That's cheap stuff which is sold in Bangkok for about US$ 5.-!!