Laptop Repair

[sandman]

I got brave and finally replaced my heatsink fan on our dv9720 Laptop took 4 hours and about 40 plus screw later and a mod for the video chip thermal pad ( made a copper shim to take its place) used Arctic Silver for paste and drop temps about 5-7 degrees ,but its quit no more fan clicking. Most of the time took solder one of the small wires on a plug for the LCD that pulled out of the pin what a job, wish i had loops were using a magnifier to help and finally got it done and a couple shots later of scotch. One glitch was put a longer screw in some were and it was sticking up in the battery compartment and had to take touch panel back off to replace the longer screw.

 

[fafhrd]

It is one of my first rules in purchasing laptops - how easy is the access to the cooling fan. If it is just pop the keyboard and a back panel off - fine, if a complete dismantling job, I look elsewhere.

Acer Aspire 7520 - 4 screws for back panel, three to remove fan.
Packard Bell dot s netbook - pop out keyboard, undo about 5 screws and push the backplate off through a hole under the keyboard, 3 more screws for the fan.

My old Acer Travelmate 2420 - complete disassembly, never again.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Well done!

 

[FliGi7]

You'll be doing a lot of jobs like this with your HP DV series if you want it to keep working longer than a couple years. One of their worst lines of laptops ever made in terms of heat problems. You're lucky that your wireless and/or video components haven't de-soldered themselves from the heat (yet). Don't ask me how I know that happens, with two separate DV series.

 

[sandman]

Ya this is one that runs a little cooler than the rest running prime 95 full 100% cpu usage and 75 % ram its doesn't go over 56 GPU and the cores stay under 56 also no signes of getting hot around the video chip but its a piss poor setup for cooling. I picked it up for $50.00 and its like brand new was an Arrons rental. They have engineers that get payed big buck and cannot make these things moduler for repair better than they are in my book. Would go over 60c before the mod so hopefully I will have a good laptop for at least a couple years, didn't have any left over screws LOL. Watch videos for a week of people taking this Model apart which helped. I had an Intel powered one that was shot and sold for next to nothing on ebay I also picked up for $50.00 but that one ran real hot.

 

[FliGi7]

Well, at least you'll be good at the teardown from now on. Nice job.

 

[sandman]

Thanks for all the support give me a desktop any day. Maybe some day and I will get an Alienware Laptop.