laptop overheats when plugged in

I have a gateway FX laptop. It's overheating when a 3D program (a game or google earth) is run, but only when it is plugged in. My guess was there is a problem with the motherboard. Best buy ran a diagnostic and said the hard-drive failed their tests, and needs to be replaced. I asked if it was really likely the problems are related, and they said there are lots of electrical parts in the hard-drive which could cause it to overheat when plugged in. Does this seem likely, or is it more likely something else is causing the problem, and they just don't know what?

 

Welcome to the forum You need to post the the symptoms and as much information about your computer and the issue if you would like help here

What makes you think its overheating?What are the symptoms?

I have a few guesses but that's all they are.Its highly unlikely the hard drive is overheating 'only' when connected to the AC it draws the same amount of current when connected to the battery or AC,its also very strange for a hard drive to over heat at all and 'still' work.

Usually if a laptop is overheating when the AC is connected its because there's a problem with the battery,this could cause other components to be heat damaged such as the harddrive but replacing the harddrive would only be treating the symptom and not the cause.

I would feel the temperature of the battery and then remove the battery and connect the AC to see if the laptop overheats.

 

If a 3d application is running and it is plugged in, within ten minutes or less the computer shuts down - the screen goes black, and any music playing lingers. I think you are right - it seems like the hard-drive failure is probably a symptom of having over-heated frequently, more than the problem. I was thinking it was the battery too - the terminal on the battery is broken so that gold plating is visible instead of black plastic. But, when I remove the battery and run the computer off AC power, it still shuts down. Running off of the battery only never seems to cause the problem. Thanks for the advice - I don't have much faith in best buy to be able to figure out the cause of the problem, based on past experiences with them...

 

I've tried it with both the original AC adapter and a new one, and it happened for both of them. But maybe it could be a problem with the adapters.

 

That's a great idea - no, I haven't done so.

 

If you would like further help diagnosing the problem;

When you've checked the vents are clear of dust and all the fans are spinning you need to take some temperature readings and run some tests.

This is for monitoring your temperatures.

http://majorgeeks.com/SpeedFan_d337.html

First with just the battery connected leave your computer idle ie no programs running just on the desktop and take a reading after 20mins.Now connect the AC and monitor the temperature for 20 mins to see if it rises.

Add your temperature readings with your next post

 

As others have already said, clean it out. My Gateway MX 7120 once has the same problem. When you run on battery power, the CPU underclocks to use less power. This also happens to make it run cooler. When you go to AC power, the laptop will run at full clock speed which results in the CPU running hotter.

 

Agreed that's what I would have recommended next,run some benchmarks such as 3dmark to see if it was throttling on battery alone.