Laptop gets a bit too hot or are these temps normal?

Joshsaurus · Jan 22, 2015

Hello! A week ago, I was able to receive my MSI GE40 lappy. I've been playing a lot of games now with it. However, if I play games like Saints Row III and IV, Assassin's Creed IV, the CPU tends to be so noisy and the vents become a little too hot. I've been monitoring my system using the MSI Gaming Dragon Center and my CPU goes to over 95*C when playing high-end games.

What I've done:
I made a new power scheme and made my maximum processor state to just 50% (games still run absolutely fine) on both battery and plugged. The fans kinda stopped being noisy but some heat remains. And I don't wanna feel uncomfy just by placing my left wrist on my laptop.

~Also: Is it totally okay if I leave it charging even if it's full just to continue gaming? I notice that if I remove my charger the game becomes really unplayable and slow. I've tried setting my minimum processor state to 40% (almost near the maximum which is just 50%) . But still no luck with it, game still runs slow.

More information:
Specs:

Intel i7-4710MQ 2.5 Ghz
Nvidia Geforce GT 750M
4GB DDR3
750GB HDD
(1600 x 900 )

Thanks for reading this! I hope you can help!

Have a good day

EDIT: I noticed that setting the maximum processor state didn't really help. I've set it to 5 percent and nothing changed. I don't know what's happening. Maybe I should enable it in the Bios first? :/

Pr3di · Jan 22, 2015

I think the laptop is switching from High Performance to Power Saver power plan when you unplug it, hence the loss in performance.
If you don`t have Vsync activated in games, please do it. It will stop your GPU+CPU from running full power if not needed.

And 95C is on the toasty side, and you kinda want to avoid that.

Joshsaurus · Jan 22, 2015

I've heard some people say it's normal for laptops, I don't know why.

OriginalCadaver · Jan 22, 2015

You are not doing any damage by keeping the laptop plugged in while it's fully charged. Also, most laptops are going to run hot, especially a gaming laptop. you are packing a lot in to a much smaller space and it's not uncommon to have that heat generate up through the keyboard. You could try a cooling base, but honestly high temps and noise are going to be part of higher end gaming laptops.

Make sure that you are setting the laptop on a solid, flat surface. If you are putting it on a bed or legs or something else that blocks some of the vents you will overheat much quicker.

Joshsaurus · Jan 22, 2015

Thanks for the answer! But isn't it abnormal for it to run at 95 degrees?

PhatLloyd · Jan 22, 2015

It's a fact that laptops tend to run much, much hotter for longer times than desktops while having a longer life span. Another thing is that when it comes to MSI laptops they tend neglect to correctly apply thermal paste to the cpu correctly. When applying paste to a laptop cpu it's different from a pc cpu. Usually the paste is applied right on the full edge of the cpu but sometimes it's only put in the very corners. This paste helps with conductivity BUT also with retaining heat (as strange as it may sound). You might want to have this checked out by the retailer or MSI themselves. So the laptop can run at high temps while being fine.

About the laptop being plugged in, it was mentioned above that it can be used while plugged in (overcharged) unlike cellphones, which decrease battery life. Also check your power plan as Pr3di said, place your laptop on a flat surface, and OriginalCadaver says that it WILL overheat on blankets, and other surfaces which are not flat and blocking vents. If you do let it run on blankets (or other) clean the vents regularly.

Rit_86 · Jan 22, 2015

Do not change the processor state. It will put unnecessary stress on the system.
Do not tinker with a laptop BIOS as it can brick the laptop.
Also, you should leave the laptop plugged in while gaming as many laptops throttle performance severely on battery power and puts unnecessary stress on the system.
As suggested above, keep the laptop on a hard, flat surface where its vents can be free.
Is it showing the high temperature within a few minutes of gaming or after a long time? 95C is too high temperature and is throttling your system so see if a laptop cooler helps, though they have marginal effects. If nothing helps, take it to a service center to see if anything is wrong.
Just as a side advise, increase the amount of RAM to 8gb. If you have a 4gb installed go for another identical 4gb. I have seen in some laptops it reduces a lot of the stress on the machine especially while high end gaming. Although it has marginal effect on the cooling.

Joshsaurus · Jan 22, 2015

Thanks! My laptop is currently on a flat surface. Airflow is good. The laptop is running fine at high temps, I'm only concerned about the temps themselves and the fan noise. Right now, my power scheme is set to high performance. I eliminate the fan noise and heat and I don't really care how it affects my performance. Is there a way I can do that?

PhatLloyd · Jan 22, 2015

Joshsaurus :

Stop gaming :pt1cable:

Joshsaurus · Jan 22, 2015

Rit_86 :

Yeah, the airflow is pretty good. The laptop turns to 95 degrees when gaming for about 20 mins. I've heard that the GE40 is crazy about temperature. I have to admit I may changed the processor state. Should I change it back to normal? How do I disable the turbo boost for my cpu?

Rit_86 · Jan 22, 2015

Yes. change all the settings to their default. There is no use changing the states / disabling turbo boost as, if the temperature goes up, the processor will throttle itself back to a lower speed and cool down.
Yes, the GE40 is known for high temperature, but not that high that fast, though it depends on a lot of factors.
What is your room temperature by the way?

Joshsaurus · Jan 23, 2015

Rit_86 :

Here in Philippines, it's really hot on daytime. Around 30*C and at night maybe 23*C

Rit_86 · Jan 23, 2015

Just as I was suspecting. High room temperature coupled with stressful gaming is making your laptop toasty.
Here is a review of the GE40 (though not the exact model, but pretty close, if not same for the heat development matter)
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-MSI-GE40-i760M2811-Notebook.108445.0.html
Most probably the testing was carries out in Germany and even in that cool climate it is quite hot under stress as evident in the "Temperature" section. Yours is working in a much hotter climate.
Try turning down the details in games and keeping it in as cool and airy environment as possible. That's all you can do.

Joshsaurus · Jan 23, 2015

Rit_86 :

Thanks! I've actually been trying to run games in medium right now. If I keep on running games on high and maintaining the old temperature, will it damage my laptop badly?

Rit_86 · Jan 23, 2015

Let me put it this way, in general heat is the worst enemy of any computer and it may affect the longevity of your laptop in the very long run.
Processors and graphics cards nowadays are designed to work at full power up to a certain temperature limit and then throttle to save itself when you cross the limit. But, any machine has its wear limit and given enough time all of them will break down eventually. Given, all of them are identical, obviously the ones which has underwent higher temperature operations is logically the most susceptible to break down earlier.
Recent laptops, in general are better to cope with heat (compared to older ones) and I am sure that if you do not misuse the laptop by deliberately blocking its vent and putting high stress on it, it will last you at least 3 years (at least the CPU, GPU and mobo) even if you continue to game heavily on it.
Just out of curiosity, has the lowering of details helped with the temperature?

Pr3di · Jan 23, 2015

Let`s say you will start having problems with your laptop sooner rather than later.
A laptop cooling pad will help you, but only if the laptop is intaking the air from underneath and blowing hot air on the sides. If it`s the other way around, it might actually do more bad than good.

Joshsaurus · Jan 23, 2015

Rit_86 :

Let me put it this way, in general heat is the worst enemy of any computer and it may affect the longevity of your laptop in the very long run.
Processors and graphics cards nowadays are designed to work at full power up to a certain temperature limit and then throttle to save itself when you cross the limit. But, any machine has its wear limit and given enough time all of them will break down eventually. Given, all of them are identical, obviously the ones which has underwent higher temperature operations is logically the most susceptible to break down earlier.
Recent laptops, in general are better to cope with heat (compared to older ones) and I am sure that if you do not misuse the laptop by deliberately blocking its vent and putting high stress on it, it will last you at least 3 years (at least the CPU, GPU and mobo) even if you continue to game heavily on it.
Just out of curiosity, has the lowering of details helped with the temperature?

Temps are now at 80*C . Do you recommend any good programs to monitor it? I am currently using Dragon Gaming Center

Rit_86 · Jan 23, 2015

That's not bad actually. You can game pretty long with that sort of temperature.
TBH, Dragon Gaming Center is a good enough tool to monitor your PC.
You can try Speccy as the program is very small, yet a handy tool and gives you all sorts of info.

ilikeverymuch · Jul 16, 2015

I had issues with my GE70. When I consulted MSI directly they told me to update the BIOS and firmware. 100% worked for me. took my temps from 94C down to 76C. Neither my GPU or CPU hit 80C. I also re-pasted the heatsinks but that only gave me 2 or 3C less heat. I would highly suggest checking if your BIOS is updated.

Laptop gets a bit too hot or are these temps normal?

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