HP/Compaq :: Maybe This Is The Reason Why The 8400M And 8600M Keep Failing

I just discovered an interesting issue after undervolting my DV9700's CPU and overclocking its graphics chip but forgot to post it earlier. When playing GTAIV (which is extremely GPU intensive as you know), the whole notebook will get warm. I already know from FurMark that my 8400M GS will reach 80C in its current configuration so i can understand why the thing gets warm. However the fan always runs at minimum speed when playing GTAIV...

This leads me to believe that the cooling fan is exclusively controlled by the CPU temperature. It wouldn't matter if the graphics chip would be on fire - the fan will still not ramp up unless the CPU reaches the temperature threshold. I'll check exactly what these threshold values are later, but i remember that on my DV5 it's 75C for high and 85C for maximum. The fans on these things have 4 speeds IIRC.

Now, my DV9700 is a large and rather solidly built machine. It easily copes with the heat even with the fan turned down, i have no issues with GTAIV or any other game, and if you recall it had a faulty fan when i got it yet it was still able to work for 20 minutes before reaching shutdown temperature.

But if this is true for all laptops, i can see why these GPUs fail. Notebook manufacturers should consider implementing a fan controller that reads from both CPU and GPU sensors.