Issue with CPU usage and overheating

[Ivkosky]

First of all - I would like to say hello, as this is my first post. I am fairly new to the FAH and I have already run to an issue with the CPU usage. Unfortunately, my laptop is overheated even under the "light" settings - I have Dell Vostro 3360 (ultra thin = poor ventilation...). My CPU is at around 75C, while motherboard has steady 80C (I have integrated graphic, so that might be the reason) and the fan is constantly on (and quite noisy).

I have tried to lower the percentage of the CPU usage in the advanced settings of the client to as low as 10% (I guess it's better to contribute slowly and steadily than quickly and facing issues with hardware). However, even though the settings now say that the client uses 10% of the CPU, the actual percentage does not go below 27-30% (as shown in the task manager). I am not sure if this is a bug, or if the application cannot go lower than 30%, which is still pretty hot for the laptop (as you can see from the temperatures and the behaviour of the fan, as I described above). Can somebody help please?

Here are the details from the log file:

Code: Select all

*********************** Log Started 2013-10-26T19:14:24Z ***********************
19:14:24:************************* Folding@home Client *************************
19:14:24:      Website: http://folding.stanford.edu/
19:14:24:    Copyright: (c) 2009-2013 Stanford University
19:14:24:       Author: Joseph Coffland <joseph@cauldrondevelopment.com>
19:14:24:         Args: --open-web-control
19:14:24:       Config: <none>
19:14:24:******************************** Build ********************************
19:14:24:      Version: 7.3.6
19:14:24:         Date: Feb 18 2013
19:14:24:         Time: 15:25:17
19:14:24:      SVN Rev: 3923
19:14:24:       Branch: fah/trunk/client
19:14:24:     Compiler: Intel(R) C++ MSVC 1500 mode 1200
19:14:24:      Options: /TP /nologo /EHa /Qdiag-disable:4297,4103,1786,279 /Ox -arch:SSE
19:14:24:               /QaxSSE2,SSE3,SSSE3,SSE4.1,SSE4.2 /Qopenmp /Qrestrict /MT /Qmkl
19:14:24:     Platform: win32 XP
19:14:24:         Bits: 32
19:14:24:         Mode: Release
19:14:24:******************************* System ********************************
19:14:24:          CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3537U CPU @ 2.00GHz
19:14:24:       CPU ID: GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9
19:14:24:         CPUs: 4
19:14:24:       Memory: 7.86GiB
19:14:24:  Free Memory: 5.78GiB
19:14:24:      Threads: WINDOWS_THREADS
19:14:24:  Has Battery: true
19:14:24:   On Battery: false
19:14:24:   UTC offset: 4
19:14:24:          PID: 2624
19:14:24:          CWD: C:/ProgramData/Folding at Home
19:14:24:           OS: Windows 7 Professional
19:14:24:      OS Arch: AMD64
19:14:24:         GPUs: 0
19:14:24:         CUDA: Not detected
19:14:24:Win32 Service: false
19:14:24:***********************************************************************
19:14:24:<config>
19:14:24:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:14:24:</config>
19:14:24:Connecting to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80
19:14:26:Connecting to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:8080
19:14:27:Read GPUs.txt
19:14:27:Trying to access database...
19:14:27:Successfully acquired database lock
19:14:27:Enabled folding slot 00: PAUSED cpu:2 (not configured)
19:14:35:12:127.0.0.1:New Web connection
19:19:24:Set client configured
19:19:24:WU00:FS00:Connecting to assign3.stanford.edu:8080
19:19:25:WU00:FS00:Connecting to assign3.stanford.edu:8080
19:19:26:WU00:FS00:News: Welcome to Folding@Home
19:19:26:WU00:FS00:Assigned to work server 128.143.231.202
19:19:26:WU00:FS00:Requesting new work unit for slot 00: READY cpu:2 from 128.143.231.202
19:19:26:WU00:FS00:Connecting to 128.143.231.202:8080
19:19:28:WU00:FS00:Downloading 3.67MiB
19:19:34:WU00:FS00:Download 5.11%
19:19:43:WU00:FS00:Download 11.93%
19:19:49:WU00:FS00:Download 20.44%
19:19:56:WU00:FS00:Download 27.26%
19:20:02:WU00:FS00:Download 34.07%
19:20:08:WU00:FS00:Download 37.48%
19:20:15:WU00:FS00:Download 44.29%
19:20:24:WU00:FS00:Download 51.11%
19:20:31:WU00:FS00:Download 56.22%
19:20:37:WU00:FS00:Download 64.74%
19:20:43:WU00:FS00:Download 71.55%
19:20:49:WU00:FS00:Download 86.88%
19:20:55:WU00:FS00:Download 98.81%
19:20:57:WU00:FS00:Download complete
19:20:57:WU00:FS00:Received Unit: id:00 state:DOWNLOAD error:NO_ERROR project:8579 run:0 clone:3 gen:274 core:0xa3 unit:0x00000bfb0a3b1e5951226093c5e6cf80
19:20:57:WU00:FS00:Downloading core from http://www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/AMD64/Core_a3.fah
19:20:57:WU00:FS00:Connecting to www.stanford.edu:80
19:20:58:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: Downloading 2.89MiB
19:21:04:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 4.33%
19:21:11:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 12.99%
19:21:20:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 19.48%
19:21:26:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 25.97%
19:21:32:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 36.79%
19:21:38:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 47.61%
19:21:45:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 51.94%
19:21:51:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 64.93%
19:21:59:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 73.58%
19:22:05:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 77.91%
19:22:12:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 82.24%
19:22:18:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: 93.06%
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:FahCore a3: Download complete
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:Valid core signature
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:Unpacked 9.59MiB to cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/AMD64/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:Starting
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:Running FahCore: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Folding at Home/FAHCoreWrapper.exe" "C:/ProgramData/Folding at Home/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/AMD64/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 00 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2624 -checkpoint 15 -np 2
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:Started FahCore on PID 5812
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:Core PID:744
19:22:20:WU00:FS00:FahCore 0xa3 started
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:*------------------------------*
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Created dyn
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Files status OK
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Expanded 3846396 -> 4375408 (decompressed 113.7 percent)
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3846396 data_size=4375408, decompressed_data_size=4375408 diff=0
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Project: 8579 (Run 0, Clone 3, Gen 274)
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
19:22:21:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Entering M.D.
19:22:27:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
19:22:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Completed 0 out of 500000 steps  (0%)
19:35:20:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:35:20:<config>
19:35:20:  <!-- User Information -->
19:35:20:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:35:20:
19:35:20:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:35:20:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:35:20:</config>
19:36:36:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:36:36:<config>
19:36:36:  <!-- User Information -->
19:36:36:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
19:36:36:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:36:36:
19:36:36:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:36:36:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:36:36:</config>
19:38:47:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:38:47:<config>
19:38:47:  <!-- Folding Core -->
19:38:47:  <cpu-usage v='30'/>
19:38:47:
19:38:47:  <!-- Network -->
19:38:47:  <proxy v=':8080'/>
19:38:47:
19:38:47:  <!-- User Information -->
19:38:47:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
19:38:47:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:38:47:
19:38:47:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:38:47:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:38:47:</config>
19:38:47:FS00:Shutting core down
19:38:51:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Client no longer detected. Shutting down core 
19:38:51:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:38:51:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Folding@home Core Shutdown: CLIENT_DIED
19:38:51:WU00:FS00:FahCore returned: INTERRUPTED (102 = 0x66)
19:38:51:WU00:FS00:Starting
19:38:51:WU00:FS00:Running FahCore: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Folding at Home/FAHCoreWrapper.exe" "C:/ProgramData/Folding at Home/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/AMD64/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 00 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2624 -checkpoint 15 -cpu 30 -np 2
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:Started FahCore on PID 5704
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:Core PID:5204
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:FahCore 0xa3 started
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:*------------------------------*
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
19:38:52:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Files status OK
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Expanded 3846396 -> 4375408 (decompressed 113.7 percent)
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3846396 data_size=4375408, decompressed_data_size=4375408 diff=0
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Project: 8579 (Run 0, Clone 3, Gen 274)
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
19:38:53:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Entering M.D.
19:38:59:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Using Gromacs checkpoints
19:38:59:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
19:39:01:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Resuming from checkpoint
19:39:01:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.log
19:39:01:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.trr
19:39:01:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.edr
19:39:04:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Completed 2150 out of 500000 steps  (0%)
19:43:14:FS00:Shutting core down
19:43:17:WU00:FS00:FahCore returned: INTERRUPTED (102 = 0x66)
19:43:22:WU00:FS00:Starting
19:43:22:WU00:FS00:Running FahCore: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Folding at Home/FAHCoreWrapper.exe" "C:/ProgramData/Folding at Home/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/AMD64/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 00 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2624 -checkpoint 15 -cpu 30 -np 2
19:43:22:WU00:FS00:Started FahCore on PID 4560
19:43:22:WU00:FS00:Core PID:3344
19:43:22:WU00:FS00:FahCore 0xa3 started
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:*------------------------------*
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Files status OK
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Expanded 3846396 -> 4375408 (decompressed 113.7 percent)
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3846396 data_size=4375408, decompressed_data_size=4375408 diff=0
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Project: 8579 (Run 0, Clone 3, Gen 274)
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
19:43:23:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Entering M.D.
19:43:29:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Using Gromacs checkpoints
19:43:30:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
19:43:32:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Resuming from checkpoint
19:43:32:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.log
19:43:32:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.trr
19:43:32:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.edr
19:43:34:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Completed 2150 out of 500000 steps  (0%)
19:44:23:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:44:23:<config>
19:44:23:  <!-- Folding Core -->
19:44:23:  <cpu-usage v='30'/>
19:44:23:
19:44:23:  <!-- Network -->
19:44:23:  <proxy v=':8080'/>
19:44:23:
19:44:23:  <!-- User Information -->
19:44:23:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
19:44:23:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:44:23:
19:44:23:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:44:23:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:44:23:</config>
19:45:34:268:127.0.0.1:New Web connection
19:45:34:WARNING:274:127.0.0.1:500 HTTP INTERNAL SERVER ERROR /api/updates?sid: Session id= does not exist
19:45:34:ERROR:Exception in WebHandler: Session id= does not exist
19:45:35:WARNING:273:127.0.0.1:500 HTTP INTERNAL SERVER ERROR /api/updates?sid: Session id= does not exist
19:45:35:ERROR:Exception in WebHandler: Session id= does not exist
19:45:35:WARNING:276:127.0.0.1:500 HTTP INTERNAL SERVER ERROR /api/updates?sid: Session id= does not exist
19:45:35:ERROR:Exception in WebHandler: Session id= does not exist
19:45:36:WARNING:277:127.0.0.1:500 HTTP INTERNAL SERVER ERROR /api/updates?sid: Session id= does not exist
19:45:36:ERROR:Exception in WebHandler: Session id= does not exist
19:45:36:WARNING:278:127.0.0.1:500 HTTP INTERNAL SERVER ERROR /api/updates?sid: Session id= does not exist
19:45:36:ERROR:Exception in WebHandler: Session id= does not exist
19:48:38:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:48:38:<config>
19:48:38:  <!-- Folding Core -->
19:48:38:  <cpu-usage v='15'/>
19:48:38:
19:48:38:  <!-- Network -->
19:48:38:  <proxy v=':8080'/>
19:48:38:
19:48:38:  <!-- User Information -->
19:48:38:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
19:48:38:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:48:38:
19:48:38:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:48:38:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:48:38:</config>
19:48:38:FS00:Shutting core down
19:48:42:WU00:FS00:FahCore returned: INTERRUPTED (102 = 0x66)
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:Starting
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:Running FahCore: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Folding at Home/FAHCoreWrapper.exe" "C:/ProgramData/Folding at Home/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/AMD64/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 00 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2624 -checkpoint 15 -cpu 15 -np 2
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:Started FahCore on PID 3780
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:Core PID:1908
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:FahCore 0xa3 started
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:*------------------------------*
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Files status OK
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Expanded 3846396 -> 4375408 (decompressed 113.7 percent)
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3846396 data_size=4375408, decompressed_data_size=4375408 diff=0
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Project: 8579 (Run 0, Clone 3, Gen 274)
19:48:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:48:44:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
19:48:44:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Entering M.D.
19:48:50:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Using Gromacs checkpoints
19:48:51:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
19:48:55:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Resuming from checkpoint
19:48:55:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.log
19:48:55:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.trr
19:48:55:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.edr
19:48:59:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Completed 2150 out of 500000 steps  (0%)
19:50:20:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:50:20:<config>
19:50:20:  <!-- Folding Core -->
19:50:20:  <cpu-usage v='10'/>
19:50:20:
19:50:20:  <!-- Network -->
19:50:20:  <proxy v=':8080'/>
19:50:20:
19:50:20:  <!-- User Information -->
19:50:20:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
19:50:20:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:50:20:
19:50:20:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:50:20:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:50:20:</config>
19:50:20:FS00:Shutting core down
19:50:27:WU00:FS00:FahCore returned: INTERRUPTED (102 = 0x66)
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:Starting
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:Running FahCore: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Folding at Home/FAHCoreWrapper.exe" "C:/ProgramData/Folding at Home/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/AMD64/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 00 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2624 -checkpoint 15 -cpu 10 -np 2
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:Started FahCore on PID 4148
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:Core PID:3448
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:FahCore 0xa3 started
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:*------------------------------*
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Files status OK
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Expanded 3846396 -> 4375408 (decompressed 113.7 percent)
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3846396 data_size=4375408, decompressed_data_size=4375408 diff=0
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Project: 8579 (Run 0, Clone 3, Gen 274)
19:50:28:WU00:FS00:0xa3:
19:50:29:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
19:50:29:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Entering M.D.
19:50:35:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Using Gromacs checkpoints
19:50:36:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
19:50:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Resuming from checkpoint
19:50:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.log
19:50:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.trr
19:50:43:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Verified 00/wudata_01.edr
19:50:49:WU00:FS00:0xa3:Completed 2150 out of 500000 steps  (0%)
19:52:37:294:127.0.0.1:New Web connection
19:53:51:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:53:51:<config>
19:53:51:  <!-- Folding Core -->
19:53:51:  <cpu-usage v='10'/>
19:53:51:
19:53:51:  <!-- Network -->
19:53:51:  <proxy v=':8080'/>
19:53:51:
19:53:51:  <!-- User Information -->
19:53:51:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
19:53:51:  <team v='124'/>
19:53:51:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:53:51:
19:53:51:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:53:51:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:53:51:</config>
19:54:45:308:127.0.0.1:New Web connection
19:57:04:Saving configuration to config.xml
19:57:04:<config>
19:57:04:  <!-- Folding Core -->
19:57:04:  <cpu-usage v='10'/>
19:57:04:
19:57:04:  <!-- Network -->
19:57:04:  <proxy v=':8080'/>
19:57:04:
19:57:04:  <!-- User Information -->
19:57:04:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
19:57:04:  <team v='124'/>
19:57:04:  <user v='Ivkosky'/>
19:57:04:
19:57:04:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
19:57:04:  <slot id='0' type='CPU'/>
19:57:04:</config>

[rickoic]

Probably the only help is to make sure that air can get into where the fan can get to it. Lying flat on a surface of any kind is not going to allow the kind of airflow required. You could try a laptop fan that the laptop can sit on top of and it'll plug into a usb port and help the cpu fan. I've tried one and it does seem to help some, but still not a really good air flow. You might try also sitting the laptop on it's side with the lid open to give it some stability and put a small electric fan to blowing onto the laptop. I believe the fan is designed to pull air out through the bottom so instead of fighting that air flow you'd have to put it where it would blow on the keyboard to help the air flow.

[Jesse_V]

From the log, it looks like F@h will only work with your CPU. Your i7 has four cores, and Folding@home is certainly capable of using however many cores you specify. Thus, it can use 25% of your CPU, which should cut your temperatures about as low as it can while still contributing something. Go under Configure->Slots, and double-click on the CPU slot. At the top, lower the number of cores to 1, hit Ok/Save. The F@h software should then use only 25% of your CPU.

That CPU percentage slider setting is not accepted by some of the FAHCores. I don't think it's accepted by FahCore_a3, hence why it wasn't working for you. Some of the FahCores are newer than others, and some were written before that slider was introduced.

[bruce]

The CPU usage setting only applies to uniprocessor assignments. Since your CPU has 2 cores/4 threads and the log says you are using 2 of them, you're running at about 90% and there's not a lot you can do about it other than to limit it to one thread, and that approach is likely to have trouble getting new assignments with the current server configurations.

Your GPU is an Intel 4000 which is not supported for folding.

Traditionally, the ability to fold on a laptop is often limited by how well it can dissipate heat. I don't have any direct experience with the ultra-thin / ultra-low-voltage systems that have recently come on the market.

[P5-133XL]

A few suggestions on solving your cooling issue on your laptop.

1. Make sure that the airflow is unobstructed (both exhaust and intake). That may require you to raise the laptop.
2. Try some canned air to remove any debris in the cooling system.
3. You may need to replace the thermal grease between the fan and the CPU to allow better heat conduction. It tends to age and become less efficient over time.

[Jesse_V]

A few suggestions on solving your cooling issue on your laptop.

1. Make sure that the airflow is unobstructed (both exhaust and intake). That may require you to raise the laptop.
2. Try some canned air to remove any debris in the cooling system.
3. You may need to replace the thermal grease between the fan and the CPU to allow better heat conduction. It tends to age and become less efficient over time.

Good ideas. The third option is pretty technical and can be tricky to do. If you're not up for something like that, viewtopic.php?f=38&t=23942 is a possibility, assuming there is a panel to do such a thing.

[Ivkosky]

All


Thanks a lot for your quick replies and help. The laptop is fairly new and I don't think there has been any dust accumulated so far. Anyway, I will try to clean it. I have tried to use just one core, but as correctly noted by bruce, I didn't get any work done. I am now back at two cores and will see what happens.

My main vent intake is on the side, FYI:



I will, however, also try to keep the laptop lifted from the table. Unfortunately, it is not practical for me to buy an external cooling pad, as (i) I travel a lot and (ii) I have only three USB slots - all of these used almost all the time (mouse, external hard drive, external keyboard). I can eventually buy an USB hub, but that solution will probably just lower the voltage in the ports and increase the voltage demand on the laptop itself (not sure how this works though).

I know that achieving temperatures at around 80C is not critical, but I have some experience with BOINC on my previous laptop (Dell XPS 13), where I damaged the vent and had to have it repaired. That's why I am super cautious now. Any further suggestions will be much appreciated. Thanks!

[bruce]

Don't buy a cooling pad. Do get bottle-caps or some other small spacers which will raise the chassis off the table leaving enough space for air to circulate.

[Jesse_V]

Don't buy a cooling pad. Do get bottle-caps or some other small spacers which will raise the chassis off the table leaving enough space for air to circulate.

My spacer of choice is the cardboard tubes from empty rolls of electrical tape. Durable, stable, and just the right height IMO.

[P5-133XL]

If the cooling system design is poor, there's really nothing that you can do about it short of replacing the notebook. Parts are proprietary so you do not have the ability to get better 3rd party parts. So you are stuck with fixing any defects in the airflow. If that isn't enough, folding may not be an option.

[billford]

My spacer of choice is the cardboard tubes from empty rolls of electrical tape. Durable, stable, and just the right height IMO.

I don't know what's available in the US, but I've got a couple of laptop stands from Amazon (UK)- these.

They're advertised for Macbooks, but they don't seem able to read the brand label- I use one on an Acer. Cheap, effective and fold away to practically nothing. I'd be surprised if you can't find something similar.

[Ivkosky]

Thanks for your responses. I have tried to lift the back of the laptop using my wallet, so now the back of the laptop is lifted by cca 2 cm off the desk. While it seemed to work a bit on my previous laptop (and BOINC), there is no difference with this one. Temperatures are still the same, although I guess the fan is not as frantic as it was yesterday... However, this might be just my subjective perception, as I am now in a bit noisier environment.

EDIT: Just FYI, with folding turned off, the temperatures are 59-60C for both CPU and motherboard, and without the need to have the fan turned on. This means that the actual folding at 30% of CPU and for two cores increases the temperature by 20C and with fan constantly turned on to keep it at 80C... Is this a normal behaviour?

[7im]

Yes, very normal for a light weight device with a light weight cooling system. It was designed for portability, not power. On the other hand, FAH was designed with adequate cooling in mind. Apparently yours doesn't have that. You may prefer a light weight program like BOINC.

[P5-133XL]

Actually, 59-60C for a machine at idle is quite high. 30C - 35C should be a normal idle temp.

A simple google search produced this: Review of Dell Vostro 3460 Notebook. Scroll down and Look at the temperature section to see normal.

[Ivkosky]

Hi 7im

Thanks for your input. Interestingly, I had worse experience with BOINC on this laptop and therefore I have decided to switch to FAH... BOINC did some weird stuff to my laptop and even with low configuration my CPU was at 90C and motherboard as high as 100C! When I tried to change the config of my BOINC work station to absolute minimum in terms of the % of CPU, it kept reversing back and ignoring my setup...

I think that the bottom line is, that you should not be requested to become a computer scientist or an IT guy to be able to use a software such as BOINC on your PC... They lose a lot of potential users who would be happy to share their computing power, but just cannot be bothered to spend hours and hours trying to figure out how to set it up on their PCs with a constant threat of damaging their precious hardware, or they just don't have the skills to do that.

I guess BOINC misses an important point and that is, that science should not be available only to geeks anymore and all the people from basic to advanced users (not programmers!) should be given the opportunity to participate! I strongly believe that this would make the world a bit better place... On the other hand, I understand that there might not be enough funds or staff to arrive to such a point with the usability of BOINC software. I have, however, thought that FAH was able to break this "barrier" and bring the science and participation through donation of the computing power to the ordinary people...

Anyway, I am sliding to the off-topic here - I am sorry about that.