Dell XPS 15 L521x Overheating

I was asked to take a look at a Dell XPS 15 L521x ultrabook because it was having video flicker problems. I originally took the approach of swapping out the thermal paste which helped a little, but the problem persisted. However, looking at the heatsink assembly, it was clear the problem wasn't the thermal paste, rather the heatpipe and heatsink is way too small for the Intel Core i7 and nVidia video processor. Remembering a similar issue with the HP Pavilion tx1000, the Dell XPS 15 L521x also had the heatpipe and parts of the heatfin covered in a black paint. I decided that it was time to scrub it off.

Before photo of the heatpipe and heatfin.

After photo of the heatpipe and heatfin. I scrubbed off the black paint using high isopropyl alcohol and a 800 grit sandpaper. A regular toothbrush had no effect on the paint. I had to use something a little more abrasive. The 800 grit sandpaper doesn't grind, it polishes. I use this particular sandpaper to polish down uneven heatsink surfaces. Even still, I couldn't get all the paint off.

HP Pavilion dv4165cl Upgrade and Cooling Mod

I came upon an old HP Pavilion dv4165cl (see here for specifications).

The owner loved the old computer but it was having a serious problem it would shutdown after a few minutes of work. I decided help out and take a look. If I was lucky it would be an easy fix and make someone happy and it would also save someone a lot of money.

I want to apologize in advance for the blurry pictures but my camera and I weren't getting along and I was having trouble focusing.

The HP Pavilion dv4165cl was generally in good condition. The battery wouldn't hold a charge but all in all, it was fully functional, except for the overheating issue.

Linksys WRT160N Overheat Solution

I have a Linksys WRT160N that I used for about 1 month before it crashed hard.  I took the device apart to discover that the Broadcom chips get very hot to the touch.

Alienware Aurora m7700 Overheating

I came upon an Alienware Aurora m7700 with a very common problem, overheating.  The symptoms were the following:

• Sudden shutdowns
• Startup failures

Alienware Aurora m7700 original specifications can be found here:
Release Year:  2006
Display: 17" 1900 x 1200 pixel display.  Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra graphics card PCI Express 256 megs of graphics memory.
Battery: 12 cell 6,600 mAh Lithium Ion battery. 220 watt brick charger.
Performance: AMD desktop CPU. Athlon 64 x2 4200+. 2 memory slots for PC400 SODIMMs.
Motherboard: VIA K8T890 chipset.
Size: (H x W x D): 2.1” x 15.6” x 11.7”. Our unit weighs 12 pounds, 5 ounces.
Drives: 8X dual layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW.  80GB hard drives SATA (serial ATA) RAID capable.
Audio: Sound: Realtek AC97 Audio for VIA chipsets, high-definition audio with surround sound, five built in speakers (one is a subwoofer). 3.5mm standard stereo headphone and 5.1 SPDIF jacks. Built-in mic.
Networking: Aftermarket Dell Wireless 1350 WLAN mini-PCI WiFi 802.11 a/b/g. Realtek RTL8169/8110 Gigabit Ethernet and 56k V. 92 modem.
Ports and slots: One PCMCIA - Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support, 4 slot card reader (reads 7 media types). One parallel port, one serial port, one DVI connector, One S-Video out connector, Video-IN Ports (TV-Tuner required, not included, two PS2 connections, two mini IEEE 1394a (4-pin) ports, 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0, one headphone jack, 5.1 channel out (S/PDIF) / Line-in, microphone in, gigabit ethernet RJ-45, 56K V.92 modem RJ-11, Infrared port for Data transfer.