Laptop overheating

May 27, 2008 11:21 AM

Please help me figure out how to access the heatsink on my laptop.

My laptop is overheating regularly. I suppose I should take a look at the heatsink. Can anyone tell me where, in this picture, I should start? Is it by any chance that panel right below the fan?

posted by poweredbybeard to computers & internet (9 comments total)

I have not worked on a Toshiba for a while. The last one I did, I accessed the CPU and GPU from the keyboard side, not the back. Picture of keyboard side?
posted by JigSawMan at 11:26 AM on May 27, 2008

Oh, and a model number would help too..
posted by JigSawMan at 11:28 AM on May 27, 2008

Try this site: How to take apart Toshiba Laptops.
posted by Floydd at 11:30 AM on May 27, 2008

You might also google "toshiba laptop schematic"
posted by JigSawMan at 11:31 AM on May 27, 2008

It's a Satellite M70, which I wasn't able to find via Google or on that site Floydd linked. Picture of keyboard side coming shortly.
posted by poweredbybeard at 11:41 AM on May 27, 2008

Keyboard
posted by poweredbybeard at 11:47 AM on May 27, 2008

You are going to have to dismantle your laptop a bit. You have to separate the shell and remove the keyboard, unless you can just flip it out of the way. The heatsink is in the guts.
You should look on Toshiba's site for a manual as you will need guidance.
Laptops are lots of tiny screws and secret hidden screws and annoying why did they do it this way moments.
Depending on your comfort level, you may not want to do this at all. If you do go for it. Clear a nice table are to work at. Get something to put screws in, preferably things you can put different screws in to keep the sizes separate. Make notes on what size came from where. Take your time, be methodical. You don't want to have to go back in when you are done because of extra parts.
Also, the heat sink is probably not the culprit. Unless it is very loose. But the fan on the heat sink may be screwed.
Does that run at all? You should hear it kick on when the laptop gets good and hot.
Good luck.
posted by a3matrix at 12:28 PM on May 27, 2008

I can see the dust in your fan from here! Ever tried cleaning that sucker? You'd be amazed how nasty things can get in there. And how well it works once it can move freely again...
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 12:34 PM on May 27, 2008

Does that run at all? You should hear it kick on when the laptop gets good and hot.

The fan is running nearly non-stop - way more often than it used to.

I've read that overheating was a common problem with Satellites, and that a clogged heatsink is often the issue. (Mu~ha~etc., I think it's mostly a trick of the light in that photograph, since the picture does make it look far more dusty than it actually is...)

I guess maybe I could just get some compressed air and blast it through the vents?
posted by poweredbybeard at 1:10 PM on May 27, 2008