Tutorial A video on how to undervolt a locked laptop CPU.

[SaberLilly]

This isn't my video, but i figure why not share it, i can vouch for it working with my Asus's i7-7700hq. It used to run at 50-60c idle and get up to 80+ under load, now it runs at 38-40c idle, and barely touches 60c under load. Just make sure that you properly adjust it so you don't end up getting a BSOD when you unplug it. My adjustment for AC power was spot on, but I had to dial it back a bit because unplugging it gave a "WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR"

 

[FAST6191]

If laptop repair and modification is back to doing something interesting (give or take that stuff with the uber secure laptops you see at hacker conferences* I had not seen much in a while) I might have to start paying attention.

*they go so far as disabling CPU microcode updates, seeking only models with open souce BIOS options and beyond.

 

[Foxi4]

It's a shame we're forced to do stuff like this purely because the industry wants to appeal to hipster Joe Shmoe and makes devices as thin as humanly possible. This issue could be easily solved with a bit of copper, and unlike undervolting it would allow users to squeeze out the performance that's advertised on the box. Apple is the biggest offender in this department with Macbook cooling that makes no logical sense.

 

[SaberLilly]

It's a shame we're forced to do stuff like this purely because the industry wants to appeal to hipster Joe Shmoe and makes devices as thin as humanly possible. This issue could be easily solved with a bit of copper, and unlike undervolting it would allow users to squeeze out the performance that's advertised on the box. Apple is the biggest offender in this department with Macbook cooling that makes no logical sense.

Yeah i kind of don't like it either, and yes, i wholeheartedly agree that most laptop thermal issues can be fixed with a bit more copper especially for a thinner laptop, for example mine has 2 heatpipes that are both shared for the CPU and dedicated GPU, the former of which is a 2.8ghz (turbos up to 3.40ghz) hyperthreaded quad-core, and the GPU is a 4gb 1050ti. Although as for performance, you don't really find a CPU thats unlocked in laptops very often, probably for the reason that they usually have inadequate or just barely adequate cooling. Unless you shell out a few thousand dollars for a "desktop replacement" laptop like the new-ish Alienware with the i9-9900k, which is a desktop grade processor, in a CPU socket instead of soldered to the board. On your topic of "making things as thin as possible" I do believe thats a combination of Apple starting the thin computer trend with the Macbook Air, combined with simple tech evolution, miniaturization of computer components and things like removing optical drives and making batteries that are essentially built in instead of a large removable component.

 

[Foxi4]

Yeah i kind of don't like it either, and yes, i wholeheartedly agree that most laptop thermal issues can be fixed with a bit more copper especially for a thinner laptop, for example mine has 2 heatpipes that are both shared for the CPU and dedicated GPU, the former of which is a 2.8ghz (turbos up to 3.40ghz) hyperthreaded quad-core, and the GPU is a 4gb 1050ti. Although as for performance, you don't really find a CPU thats unlocked in laptops very often, probably for the reason that they usually have inadequate or just barely adequate cooling. Unless you shell out a few thousand dollars for a "desktop replacement" laptop like the new-ish Alienware with the i9-9900k, which is a desktop grade processor, in a CPU socket instead of soldered to the board. On your topic of "making things as thin as possible" I do believe thats a combination of Apple starting the thin computer trend with the Macbook Air, combined with simple tech evolution, miniaturization of computer components and things like removing optical drives and making batteries that are essentially built in instead of a large removable component.

To be fair, I have nothing against thin devices, they certainly have advantages in terms of space savings and weight, but in the last couple of years I noticed a trend of chasing every mm of thickness at the cost of actual usability. iPhone's bendgate comes to mind, but the same problem affects laptop computers which nowadays have to resort to strongly reinforced shells just to avoid flex damage. I find those devices unwieldy - they're "too thin", especially in the smartphone and tablet segments, there is no real way to hold them comfortably without some kind of extra protective case. These devices often have metal shells with a large amount of surface area that serves no practical function. Even in the case of Macbooks where the aluminium shell could be used to dump heat into, all this extra material is not taken advantage of as the engineers favoured "thermal comfort" of the user over performance. Now, I don't know about you, but if my laptop throttles 90% of the time, I don't blame the low energy chip inside of it, I blame the manufacturer for the poor thermal design of their device, especially if the problem can be fixed with one thermal pad to close the gap. That's neither here nor there though - you are right, we're slaves to the trend. Computers are not made for nerds anymore, unless they're very rich nerds - they're for amateur scriptwriters or other professional time wasters who live in coffee shops.

 

[Sakitoshi]

buy a better laptop brand then?
I recently acquired a lenovo laptop and it barely heats up. it's a gaming laptop though, but even when I'm hammering it playing rpcs3, yuzu or borderlands 3 the temps remain acceptable (around 70°C, maximum 80°C).
my previous laptop, an asus, also never had cooling issues (save for a design flaw that doesn't allow it to blow air out effectively when the lid is closed, same as a macbook. but temps remained below 85°C) while using it and it was a regular laptop.

of course buying a different brand isn't always the solution because you probably already bought one or the problem appeared only after some time.
but I'm saying that you should pay attention to the design of the laptop when you are buying instead of ranting online that the laptop is bad when you choose it.