Specs:
Windows 11
Intel Core i7-10875H CPU @ 2.30 GHz
16.0 GB RAM (2933 MHz SODIMM form factor)
RTX 2070 Super Max-Q (8 GB dedicated memory)
As the title suggests, my laptop undergoes thermal shutdown (screen off, flashing green power light, fans still running) after a few minutes of being on, even if HWMonitor or Task Manager is the only thing running. It would run warm but was still perfectly usable two weeks ago when I shut it down and left home for a trip, but now it's unusable.
I use this laptop daily for school and for gaming on weekends (Rivals of Aether, Overwatch 2, NFS Heat/Rivals, sometimes Minecraft and Terraria, etc.) The original battery went bad about 2 years ago, and the replacement lasted another year, and the laptop currently doesn't have a battery.
HWMonitor shows that the GPU hovers at 60C on startup while the CPU starts at 70 and rapidly spikes to 100C. Total CPU utilization never goes above 15%.
I have already tried:
- Cleaning the fans and heatsink
- Removing all of the thermal paste and replacing it (Corsair TM30)
Did this a total of three times (with startups and overheats in between) to be sure I did it correctly rfull chip coverage without any overspill, torqued screws as tightly as possible without stripping them]). I didn't replace the thermal pads, but all but one were still malleable and seemed fine.
- Putting the laptop on a lifted grate for increased airflow
- Checking for malware: Microsoft Defender's last scans reported nothing, and any scan attempt now gets thermal shutdown before it can complete (I'm 99.5% sure there's no malware though)
- Disabling CPU Turbo Boost
- Running max fans
This and disabling turbo helped marginally, I get spikes to 100C and hover around 70 on idle, but i still can’t do anything more intensive than watching a YouTube video
- Uninstalling several games (My ssd was almost full when the first shutdown happened and I thought that caused it
- Disabling all nonessential startup apps
- Checking for system updates
- Updating BIOS (from 1.04 to 1.06)
Everything except perma-max fans and turbo-boost off did nothing to help. I took it to Staples and they weren't able to help either.
I’m working on undervolting, but I’ve read that it doesn’t really help idle temperatures which is what I’m struggling with.
I'm out of ideas, the laptop’s out of warranty, and every forum I've seen discussing Blades overheating suggests doing things I've already done. Is there *anything* else I can try short of soldering something on the motherboard or buying a new computer?
I need this computer for school so I really need this issue resolved quickly. I’d appreciate any advice you all have.
