Re: [PLUG] laptop cookbook [was: very large laptop]

On Tue, Apr 21, 2020 at 8:32 PM Rich Mingin (PLUG) <plug@frags.us> wrote:

Generally, irreparable damage starts to accrue right around 100C/212F. That's the temp that some of the finer electronics (CPU/GPU) begin to bridge paths internally and otherwise misbehave. Actual all-damage-in-one-day complete failure type temps? Roughly 1.5-2X that temp.

After replacing the CFO at a previous employer's laptop FOUR TIMES in under a year, I found it helped to spec laptops specifically with just barely enough ram to get by and the fastest storage I could opt for. That got suspend times down to slightly less than "Q time", which was how long it took aforementioned CFO to a. look at the clock, realize it was 4PM, b. slam the lid on her expensive and often replaced laptop and c. chonk that sucker into her totally-adorbs little faux burlap sack designer trash bag. If the laptop hadn't finished suspending before she horked it into the bag, it would generally fail to do so due to motion sensing, leaving it still on when it reached the car, where it would often lock up due to heat and begin slow roasting it's own brains.

Now days, being a sensible sort of nerd who learns from the mistakes of others as much as my own, I fire off the suspend command with the lid still open, verify screen is dark and all telltales are out, and THEN close and stow. It's saved me a couple of toasty laptop moments and probably at least one warranty repair.

On Tue, Apr 21, 2020 at 5:58 PM Alan D. Salewski via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:
On 2020-04-21 16:25:05, Fred Stluka via plug spake thus:
[...]
> How hot can a laptop get before it's permanently damaged?
[...]
> I've also left running (sleeping, hopefully) Windows laptops
> in sealed neoprene covers inside a backpack in a car sitting
> in the sun. Bad idea?
>
> What's a reasonable max external temp? Any metrics to offer?
>
> Thanks!
> --Fred

I don't have any metrics, but can offer an anecdote: I had a laptop in a
sealed backpack die on me a couple of years back, presumably because it cooked
itself.

IIRC, it was a Dell Precision M4800 -- optimized more for processing power,
high screen resolution, and the biggest nipple-sporting keyboard I could find
rather than for portability[0]. It ran warm most of the time, and sometimes
downright hot -- but usually out in the open sitting on my desk or kitchen
counter. The fans (one for the CPU, one for the graphics processor) ran
often[1] and I had to replace the one for the graphics processor when the
first one wore out.

My typical work flow was to suspend it at the office, throw it in my backpack,
and open it back up within an hour or so of being home. The day I found it
dead, though, I had not re-opened it the prior night, and that morning there
was no sign of life. I suspect that it didn't properly suspend for some
reason, so it was probably going nuts inside the bag. And the timing for that
was bad because I happened to not open it overnight.

So how hot before it's permanently damaged? I've got one data point that says
less than ten hours running hot in a contained space. However hot that is...

Take care,
-Al

[0] That's how I roll.

[1] These days I would describe it as "loud", too.
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