PC bogs at high temps

I am wondering how much PC temp effects performance. My gf's computer model is known for hot running temps (Dell Inspiron 1100). Anytime the HDD temp gets to 120?F or higher, it slows down significantly. I'm talking 5-10 times as long to open programs, compared to when its cooler. If it really is the temperature itself that's hurting performance, what exactly happens to the hardware at the higher temps to slow it down? Has anyone else experienced this on their computers?

Well, since heat causes the components to expand, and a hard drive requires accuracy within a few millionths of an inch, my best guess is that high temps cause the read/write head to become inaccurate, which leads to read errors, and the hard drive has to perform the read multiple times to get it right. That is just my guess, mind you, as I haven't actually read up on baked hard drives.

But regardless of what happens, I would highly recommend installing a fan to blow over the drive and cool it down. Hopefully the Dell has some form of fan holder, which you can measure to determine the size of the fan you will need (computer fan sizes are generally divisible by 20 and measured in millimeters: 60mm, 80mm, 120mm, etc.). If you can't find a place to install a fan, another idea would be to see if there are any spots you can move the hard drive to so it won't be quite so close to the other heat-producing components. If the hard drive is in a rack that looks like it could hold several more, you could always move it down a couple spaces, and shave off a few degrees. Every little bit helps!

Unfortunately this is a laptop, so adding fans really isn't an option. It has a normal case fan like most laptops that turns on at higher temps, and seems to work fine. It just doesn't keep the computer cool at all. Your explanation of the HDD sounds interesting...maybe thats whats going on.

I just wish there was something I could do because its virtually unusable when the temps get high.

Oh dear... I forgot that Inspirons are not desktops; notebooks are a very different story.

What sort of surface do you have your notebook sitting on? Your lap? Carpet or bedsheets? A hard surface? Most notebooks have at least one air intake or outtake on the bottom and one or more on the side, so the surface your notebook sits on could very well be one that doesn't let in much air. Back when I had my notebook, I always had it sitting on a desk, so to give it better airflow, I glued some little round "feet" onto the bottom of it to raise it up a few extra millimeters, and that little bit of space made a big difference.

Another idea is to go into you BIOS and see if there is a spot where you can adjust the fan speed (I know HP and Avaratec let you adjust fan speed; not sure about Dell). If you can, crank up the default speed a little higher and see if it positively affects performance. The only downside with this suggestion is that notebook fans get really loud and whiny when you raise the RPMs, so if noise bothers you, you may want to try the first suggestion before messing around with fan speeds.

The machine is always sitting on a hard wooden desk. However, I just realized that the fan is on the bottom! This seems like an incredibly bad design to me. I've always had my laptop raised off the desk by about 1/2 an inch to help cooling, and I'll definitely start doing that on this machine as well.

I know for a fact that this PC has a reputation for running hot. Here's an article on Wikipedia: Inspiron Overheating

Prop it up on Legos.

Prop it up on Legos.
LOL! If it works use it! I've seen like those fan bases. You could place the laptop on one of those. Personally, I don't know how well they work.

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