Pavilion dv6 Overheating.

[dv6user83]

Thats worked a treat for me 🙂

I have a DV6 with an I5 and ATI graphics

Tempature was hitting around 100 but after reducing CPU power to 90% im getting a steady 65 degrees Much better but still hotter than my Dell ever gets.....................

[BigManAndy]

I'm waiting to see if this "workaround" gets me up and running.

[Ephraim_Tallow]

I, too, own a Pavilion dv6, and after much work, I have figured out the problem, as well as how to permanently fix it.  I believe the problem is a design flaw that is simple in nature, but difficult to find and fix.

Now, first let me explain how cooling works for the dv6.  The computer's fan is hooked up to a series of flat copper tubes, which then pass over the CPU, Integrated VPU, and the additional Video Card if you have one.  The purpose of the copper is to efficiently conduct heat, which the fan then removes from the computer via airflow.  In order to ensure that the heat exchange between the chip and the cooling system is maximally efficient, the contact area between them is filled with a layer of thermally conducting paste.

That's the theory, anyways.  But when I took apart my laptop (and my father, who also has a dv6, found the same thing when he took apart his), what I discovered is that the Integrated VPU and the heat ducts had too much space between them.  Evidently, HP also noticed this, so they made up the difference by sticking a square piece of material between them so that they're in contact.

Now, in order for the VPU to dump heat properly, the padding in this space would have to be comprised of metal and thermal conduction paste.  However, what I actually found there was a square of soft, heat-insulating silicon. The same was found in my father's laptop, and if those in this thread were to take their laptops apart and look at the heat conduction system, they would probably find the same thing.

So how to fix this?  What I did was to remove the square of silicon.  I then sawed off an appropriately-sized piece from an old heat sink and used that to make up the gap, sealing both the top and bottom with thermal conducting paste.  DO NOT forget to scrape off the old thermal conducting paste they already used for the contact area of the CPU and non-integrated VPU (if you have it) and replace it.  That stuff has to be replaced every time you remove the heat conduction array.  Also, don't add too much paste; a thin uniform layer across the chip's black contact square is enough (it's a good idea to spread it thin with a thin, flat blade).  Make sure the paste doesn't touch anything outside that contact square.  That stuff's highly conductive, and it'll short any circuit it touches.  I accidentally smeared it because we'd added too much the first time we took it apart, and we wound up spending ages cleaning it off the CPU and Video Card.  Once you've got the CPU, Integrated VPU, and Non-Integrated VPU properly sealed, reconnect and reassemble the laptop.

Both computers, after implementing this fix, now run like a dream.  Temperature doesn't exceed 70 degrees, and it only gets up there on a spike.  The fan runs pretty quiet, and the computer doesn't produce anywhere near the heat levels that used to make it spontaneously shut down.

[Ephraim_Tallow]

By the way, I should mention that taking apart the laptop is not a simple affair, and should be done with extreme caution.

[into_311]

Would it be possible for you to upload a pic of the process that you are describing? I'm not sure if I quite understand what it is that you are saying. Are you just talking about scraping the existing thermal paste off the heatsink by the VPU and then replacing it with an aftermarket one? Or what? I wasn't sure, when you said that you sawed it off the hold heatsink...

[GeekedBySophie]

I am repairing an HP Pav DV6 that has bit the heat train bullet.  I had cleaned the fan and got temps down to a normal range - and I guess the HP gremlins didn't like that too much becuase the very next day it won't boot up at all.  Got lights on - fan's running and even the cd tray spun up - but no HD activity and keyboard is completely unresponsive.  Tried to boot from CD and nothing - tried to boot w/out HD just to get the infamous no boot disk error - and i was denied that! took the memory out and booted hoping to get the "hey! where's my memory chip beep...and no beep.  Pretty sure the board it toast.

So  I am ordering a new motherboard - and will be installing it in a few days.  My question is regarding the piece of old heat sinc you mentioned - are you talking about a piece of copper the size of this insulation pad you discovered? Thanks!

[techsyn]

My dv6 shuts down during operations and I have noticed that it is quite hot.?

how can you help me, i am quite comfertable , as a computer hardware engineer, till opned and repaired Desktops more,

but laptop are very less , i have dv6 downloaded the service manual.  still i  want to solve this by through your guidence,

can u help me please ?

[GeekedBySophie]

The overheating is a design flaw (though i am wondering if it was an intentional flaw) The processor gets hot - and the heat-sync cannot handle all the heat.  Most people mistake thier laptops for being the equivelent to a desktop - just more portable - thing is - the small space doesn't cool well.  There is a shim kit that can be purchased online (ebay) by Chips2481 - you have to tell him which motherboard you have - the part # is located under the ram. 

There is another guy on there claiming to be able to fix the problem by installing this shim.  He charges 79 bucks i think to do this but you have to send him your motherboard.

If you can do it your self more power to you.  But the overheating is not going to go away by itself.  I haven't tried the shim kit yet - but am planning on it.  Im ordering that tonight.

Best thing i can recommend though is put your laptop on a laptop cooling pad on a laptop tray - never put the laptop on your bed, blanket, pillow or lap - it needs good airflow.  2nd thing is don't play dvds or high resolution graphical games on it - it wasn't designed for that.  the processor and the video card may have been, but in the confined space the laptop has - the heat that is generated from these things - is too great and cannot be compensated for.

This particular model is known for overheating and frying video cards - once the card is gone the board is toast.

best of luck.

Sophie

GeekedBySophie.com

[Starlite]

HI,

I too have a dv6 and recently noticed that every n ow and then the motor races as if it has gone down into second gear.

I think it happens when I am on line or when I somethimes have a few programs open.

At this time it opens and runs programs very very slowly.

I notice that a lot of heat comes out of the left side vent as it races.

I have it resting flat on a lap tray.

Is this overheating?

I have just bought a small tray with three little fans in it so will try that.

I am not sure about the changes to the type of power as my admin seemed not to have some of the places where I could take it back to 90% etc.

It was on 'HP recomended' but I took it to 'High Performance'. It is much brighter now which good as at times it was very dull even on 240 power which I am mainly on.

Thanks

rock

[Hlow_Guy]

@  Shadowerr_DV6

I found that turning off Superfetch helped as well.

Your fix didn't work for me, nice post though.