Old laptop repaired and cleaned, still overheating

[eXtremeDevil]

Hello. I 've had this laptop since it came out (can't remember the year, but it's been a few now).  It never gave me major problems, apart from the light buttons on the top part of the keyboard going off at random.

In the last years, the heat has been increasing, making the touchpad and part of the keyboard hot at touch.

The past month, it suddenly stopped working. It was unable to boot, like if there wasn't any battery or energy.

I took it to a tech support. They changed the GPU chip and cleaned the laptop (it had never been cleaned before).

Now is working fine, the light buttons are OK by now, but the overheat is still present.

It is no big deal, but it is uncomfortable to use the touchpad or the keyboard when they're hot.

Heres a pic of the normally affected area:

Sometimes the HDD areas becomes hot as well, but I guess it is normal when the disks are being used, I'm I right?

I have not marked any particular OS as it happens on anyone (I have WinXP, Win10 and Linux).

My motherboard is HP 461069-001.

I use MSI Afterburner to check the temperature. Average CPU temp is 40-60 (sometimes it goes up to 70) and average GPU temp is 50-60.

Is it normal for this model to overheat on those parts?

Is there something wrong with my laptop?

Or is it just the passing of time?

Thanks in advance!

[Huffer]

The shop may have told you they changed the GPU chip but that is not possible. It is soldered into the motherboard. This model series, the entire dv9xxx series, was faulty and tended toward overheating. This is one of the last survivors I think. The Intel models were slightly less prone to problems than the AMDs but the real issue is the nVidia graphics chip which uses bad connecting solder. 

The temps you mention are not particularly excessive. I suggest you should be thankful it has lasted as long as it has. if you must try to keep using it, you might see lower temperatures if you considered perhaps a solid state drive.  

[eXtremeDevil]

They told me the GPU chip was faulty so they soldered a new one. It was actually a tech lab, more than a regular shop. Is that possible or not?

So you're saying that heat on the touchpad and keyboard is normal?

As for the SSD, are there compatible models for this laptop? Because the SATA connection is on a different position on my drives...

Thanks!

EDIT

Forgot to mention that I have a fan-base at all times as well.

[Huffer · Accepted solution]

On that model I have heard of tech shops doing a reflow/reball of the gpu chip but not a replacement. It would be cheaper and easier to just replace the motherboard. I guess it is possible to replace it since the factory got it there in the first place but would require very advanced equipment and skill. Reball/reflow is much more likely. 

The temperatures you are measuring are not extreme. I don't know how hot it feels to the touch. 

There is a plastic proprietary connector piece over the normal SATA port on the drive. It uses regular standard SATA drives. 

This what the piece looks like and it just slides off:

If this is "the Answer" please click "Accept as Solution" to help others find it. 

[eXtremeDevil]

I don't know what they did then (they told me they used a new chip and, although it was not reaaally expensive, it wasn't cheap eigther), but as long as it works...

About the SSD, you're telling me that little piece you show me would go on any SSD to be "compatible" with this model?

Thanks!

[Huffer]

Yeah but you don't need to buy one you have one already on your existing hard drive....just swap it over. The SSD may be thinner but will still fit in the same caddy. 

And I don't know how long ago you had the repair done but repairs on that model....reflows reballs, etc. generally do not last a year and problems resurface. Unexplained overheating is one of the ways the issues manifest...dead wifi slot, bad hdd connection, garbled screen, lots of ways. 

[eXtremeDevil]

I did it a month ago, or less. They gave me 3 months warranty, so let's see how it goes 😞

Is it worth it to but a new motherboard if the problem comes back?

Thanks for all the info!

[Huffer]

No Im even on the fence on the SSD. You could reuse that, though. All the motherboards that were built have the same GPU issue so the ones being sold have been reflowed/reballed. You never know which and they are prone to failure, too. The dv9xxx was a historic laptop that foreshadowed current design. They still look good but they are deeply flawed machines. I would not invest anything significant into it. 

[eXtremeDevil]

OK then. Thanks for the SSD tip.

I don't know what they did on the lab, given what you told me, although I asked if it was a reball and they told me that it wasn't, that it was a replacement of the CPU.

Based on what you tell me, I guess I'm lucky the laptop has been working all this time. Let's see how long it goes now.

Thanks for all the information!