Can someone advise on the temperature requirements of the CPU for a Dell Vostro 400?

I returned home to find the computer with the blue screen and a memory dump.

The ambient in the office was about 85°F.

Tried to restart it and it was so slow that Outlook wouldn't start and the blue screen returned.

Shut it down again and let it sit 30 minutes while the a/c dropped the temp. to about 76°F.

Restarted a bit slow but nothing unmanageable.

What's the deal with temperature on these things..........do they have to operate in a fully air conditioned environment at all times?

When was the last time you cleaned out the inside of it?

(Just started a thread on this the other day actually)

Take an air compressor to the inside of your computers!

__________________
1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

How about..........never.........

It's two years old............

And how dusty is your office?

You use a Dell Vostro? Sigh.

Anyways, try cleaning it. If that doesn't work, buy a non-dell computer.

Most CPU's will run fine if under 55-60C or so, and an ambient case temp of 40-45C or less. Most store bought PC's are fine-tuned to run real hot inside for the sake of being quiet. They throttle their fans to run right on the "Edge". That is why self-built are better, you can crank the fans up and keep everything running cooler.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

'Only picture I get when Googled.

If so you might try a "Laptop Cooling Platform":
http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=Laptop+cooling+platform&btnG=Google+Search

I've got an older Dell tower and it's amazing how much Infrastructure the
"Dust Bunnies" can set up in only six months. (ShopVac cures that.)
I gave some thought to using some of 3M's filter media made for Window
AirCon units,BUT no idea what the critical flow rate is for internal cooling.

You'll notice in any industrial environment,Genset backups for computer room cooling.

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

I've had one of my big transmitters shut down due to AC failure in the building and when the temp. hit 95° F., the SS stuff just said "No Mas!" and hit the "idle" mode. Once I got on site, I ended up using a bottle (#200) of compressed Nitrogen to "spray out" the cottonwood that infested the AC Compressor unit outside the building. Once that was done, the AC could then operate properly. When the building FINALLY got down below 94° F., we got back on the air and stayed there.

SS stuff DOES NOT LIKE heat whatsoever...and a laptop just JAMS anything into every nook and cranny. IF your fan is starting to make any noise DIFFERENT from when it was new, you're in for a world of hurt in the operating department.

See if there's an upgrade in the CFM parameters, but be careful there...even TOO much air movement can SOMETIMES still result in "thermal shutdowns" like what you're seeing...the root cause is this; NOW the air is being pulled so fast from the container, that it has changed the flow patterns enough that the critical stuff may not even be in the main air flow path anymore.

An increase of a few CFM are fine, but doubling or just going "hog wild" may make the situation worse instead of fixing the problem altogether.

Another aspect to keep in mind...have you added anything to the original computer from the day you bought it? Then, you're operating over the design parameters already unless you already upgraded the fan too.

And the power supply. There's a whole book on what you may be looking at there too.

Just last week, I had one external PS unit come to me...it turned out the gal ran over the cord (carpeted office) with her wheeled office chair. She pinched the cable bad enough that the "sense line" for the PS was broken and the supply couldn't regulate the power requirements enough to keep her laptop from hanging/crashing.

Remember, those cables are a bit more fragile than anyone will tell you. That's why you should do everything in your power to be sure the cables are properly bundled and UP and OFF the FLOORS.

AND DON'T LET ANYONE WALK/STEP ON YOUR CABLES!!!

Kick 'em in the shins if they think you're joking. Better yet, send them the bill for a new cable or three. They'll watch where they're stepping in the future...gauranteed.

__________________

M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

I lived in a place a couple years ago with no AC, and I was living in the attic. My PC would regularly see over 100*F ambient temps and still cool adequately, even while doing pretty CPU-intense stuff. Even if the outside air is hot, the CPU fan should automatically crank up a couple notches to keep the core temp below 60*C. Laptops are a different story - I have had some get so hot that they actually burn your legs, who knows what improper airflow could do in that situation.

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

You're right about that...my own desktop (DT) at work runs a bit on the warm side, but I monitor the fan's airflow output (about 98° average) but occasionally, it will crash...I think more from a case of the "Billgate's Syndrome" than anything else. But when you consider the fact that a DT has a ton of open area inside that box compared to a Laptop (LT), you have a better idea why the LT would fail in comparable circumstances verses the DT.

__________________

M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

Absolutely, sometimes the best/easiest thing you can do for a desktop is just take off the side panel. I run mine without the side panel all of the time, but to be fair I do a lot of tinkering.

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Updating the current situation:

I removed the fan and heat sink from the CPU and thoroughly cleaned the heat sink with compressed air. Reinstalled the fan and heat sink but without any additional heat transfer "paste" between the CPU and the heat sink.

The problem remains.

The computer won't tolerate any sustained room temperature above 76°F. It will slow to a crawl and stop loading any large programs. Finally, Windows will shut itself down and the blue screen with white letters will appear warning that something is amiss and Windows was shutdown because of it.

So, is my situation simply a lack of that "paste"?

Any way to monitor CPU temperature and confirm this anomaly?

TIA

you need the paste, there is a great deal of efficiency loss without it. make sure you wash your hands well if you touch it.

__________________

1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Sounds like something else if it starts crawling, and then locks up...

__________________
-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

As I figured..........any specific product to purchase for this...........or must I get it from Dell?

I would have thought so as well, but I've got more than enough data to confirm that it's a temperature issue. If I leave the a/c off overnight, the machine dumps Windows.

On the past two nights, I left the a/c running in the office and the machine is perfectly fine the next morning.

You can get these computer paste at Frye's. I think most people recommend Arctic Silver or something. There are differnct types though, some with a slightly differnt compound or consistency, if I recall. A dab like a size of a rice grain is sufficent, anymore and the paste loses its effeciency.