Alienware m5790 is overheating

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by coaubry, Sep 4, 2009.

  1. coaubry

    coaubry Private E-2

    I have an Alienware m5790. The warranty has expired a little less than a year ago. Since day 1, it has been overheating and Alienware couldn't fix it. The CPU is constantly over 150 F. and the fan never comes on. The heat sink is not plugged, thermal grease is all good, video card and memory are all just fine. I believe that the fan or the fan controller is malfunctioning. Does anybody know how I can find out if it is one or the other?
     
  2. Bold Eagle

    Bold Eagle MajorGeek

    What OS are you running?

    I would be looking in your BIOS settings under Hardware Monitoring and modify the settings for fan controls, it may get a bit more noisy but also give you piece of mind.

    When you say the HS is NOT PLUGGED what do you mean?????? Surely it goes to a fan header? or is it "passive"?

    No offence but when Dell bought Alienware they have ruined a good company, furthermore imho gaming and laptops just doesn't work unless you have some modding for cooling.
     
  3. coaubry

    coaubry Private E-2

    The BIOS on this laptop sucks WAY bad and it doesn't give me the option to modify ANYTHING. It sucks. And by "not plugged" I mean that dust is not blocking the exhaust port. I've worked on a few computers that were so bad that you couldn't see light through them.

    I know what you mean, I sent my laptop in a total of six times, each time it was something different. I thought that the fan wasn't working and told them as much, but their "experts" said that it was everything from the BIOS settings to the LCD screen. Don't ask me how the LCD screen would have anything to do with it, but that's what they said. The best part is, a month after my warranty expired I called tech support (again) and they said "Oh, that would be your processor (which I've replaced, wasn't the problem). But we can't fix it since your warranty has expired, it'll be $400 including shop time and you're responsible for shipping." So basicly I'm stuck with a $2,000 paperweight until I find out what's wrong.

    End nerd rage

    Anyways, I'm going to replace the cooling fan and see if that does anything. Thanks for the reply.
     
  4. Bold Eagle

    Bold Eagle MajorGeek

    Well here's a reasonable review exposing the inner workings Alienware Area-51 m5790 Review .

    "You do this at your own risk". I would be tempted to start with removing the back cover, jamming the fan with a pencil etc (to stop it spinning) and then using a vacuum on the fan housing and on the outlet port (fan still jammed). If you can find what the machine is a "rebrand" off I maybe able to find you a decent guide so you can remove the heatsink (HS) and reapply thermal paste.
     
  5. Bold Eagle

    Bold Eagle MajorGeek

    Last edited: Sep 5, 2009
  6. coaubry

    coaubry Private E-2

    Well, I found out what's going wrong... Should've spotted it sooner. The cooling fan is shot. Instead of a healthy "zip" sound when you shoot compressed air into it, it sounds like a deck of cards being shuffled. Replaced it and it works like a charm. I can't believe that this has been the problem all along, something so simple. Kindof embarrasing that it escaped my notice, too. I need to find a part though. Any idea what size the fan is? I think it's a 30mm x 10mm 5v but I'm not sure. The lable peeled off and I can't find it.
     
  7. Bold Eagle

    Bold Eagle MajorGeek

    I'm not sure, can you just replace the fan or do you need the whole Heatsink? Pose the question with their tech support and see what they say. At least you seem to have isolated the problem.
     
  8. coaubry

    coaubry Private E-2

    Yeah, thank God for small mercies right? I only need the fan. The heat sink is working just fine. Thanks for the help, you've been great. When I find the model number I'll post in case anyone else has the same problem.
     

MajorGeeks.Com Menu

Downloads All In One Tweaks \ Android \ Anti-Malware \ Anti-Virus \ Appearance \ Backup \ Browsers \ CD\DVD\Blu-Ray \ Covert Ops \ Drive Utilities \ Drivers \ Graphics \ Internet Tools \ Multimedia \ Networking \ Office Tools \ PC Games \ System Tools \ Mac/Apple/Ipad Downloads

Other News: Top Downloads \ News (Tech) \ Off Base (Other Websites News) \ Way Off Base (Offbeat Stories and Pics)

Social: Facebook \ YouTube \ Twitter \ Tumblr \ Pintrest \ RSS Feeds