Is the Thai power outlet ruining my American laptop?

[KunMatt]

I have installed a heat monitoring program. I notice that my temperature is 88 - 100 Fahrenheit.

This seems just way too hot? Is this normal? Is there something I can buy that will mete out the electricity in a manner that will not cause my laptop to overheat?

Are you sure that is Fahrenheit? Normal temp when idling is around 35°C, your laptop running under load can easily be 50 to 70 degrees Celsius or more.

You need to be monitoring the temperature when your laptop has the issues you were previously describing. Does the program you are using log data so you can go back and look at the log file after an issue?

All you are doing above is just confirming the most likely cause. You might as well try to fix the problem now by cleaning the fans, checking they all spin, making sure the vents are not blocked wherever you laptop is seated, and use the laptop on a decent cooling pad.

Is your laptop an ultra thin model like a Thinkpad X etc?

[lostinisaan]

As stated: a laptop has an external universal AC power adapter (100 to 240 V, 50 to 60 Hz) which supplies the laptop with a fairly clean DC voltage (depending on model, about 19 V or so).

Even if there is undervoltage you should not notice anything on a laptop.

Heat is an issue.

You would not be the first whose laptop taken here has given up, showed strange graphics.

Also the batteries suffer from heat.

Some good advice has been given (cooling pad, cleaning the fans etc.).

Monitor the CPU core temperatures with a program like:

Core Temp http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

My laptop (which I watch televison with) currently shows about 86 C with 100 C being the max allowed temp.

So quite hot.

You guys with your Fahrenheit. It's really time for you to use the metric system and Celcius...

Another "cool" program checking the "heat" of the hard drives is called Hard Drive Sentinel and once you reach more than 45 degrees Celcius you know that you've got a cooling problem.

I had my relatively new hard drive of my DELL running hot, I think it was around 50 Cel.when I saw it and the "health" immediately dropped down from 100 % to 95 percent.

Heat for all parts inside a PC or notebook is pretty much similar to garlic for vampires.

Here's a trial version of HD Sentinel.It also shows you how healthy your hard drive is, how many starts and shut downs, etc...

http://www.hdsentinel.com/hard_disk_sentinel_trial.php

[lostinisaan]

I have installed a heat monitoring program. I notice that my temperature is 88 - 100 Fahrenheit.

This seems just way too hot? Is this normal? Is there something I can buy that will mete out the electricity in a manner that will not cause my laptop to overheat?

Are you sure that is Fahrenheit? Normal temp when idling is around 35°C, your laptop running under load can easily be 50 to 70 degrees Celsius or more.

You need to be monitoring the temperature when your laptop has the issues you were previously describing. Does the program you are using log data so you can go back and look at the log file after an issue?

All you are doing above is just confirming the most likely cause. You might as well try to fix the problem now by cleaning the fans, checking they all spin, making sure the vents are not blocked wherever you laptop is seated, and use the laptop on a decent cooling pad.

Is your laptop an ultra thin model like a Thinkpad X etc?

Arrai Na??? All temperatures over 50 degrees are really very bad for all parts inside a computer.

. And 70 degrees Celcius would really BBQ many parts.

[SoiBiker]

I have installed a heat monitoring program. I notice that my temperature is 88 - 100 Fahrenheit.

This seems just way too hot? Is this normal? Is there something I can buy that will mete out the electricity in a manner that will not cause my laptop to overheat?

Are you sure that is Fahrenheit? Normal temp when idling is around 35°C, your laptop running under load can easily be 50 to 70 degrees Celsius or more.

You need to be monitoring the temperature when your laptop has the issues you were previously describing. Does the program you are using log data so you can go back and look at the log file after an issue?

All you are doing above is just confirming the most likely cause. You might as well try to fix the problem now by cleaning the fans, checking they all spin, making sure the vents are not blocked wherever you laptop is seated, and use the laptop on a decent cooling pad.

Is your laptop an ultra thin model like a Thinkpad X etc?

Arrai Na??? All temperatures over 50 degrees are really very bad for all parts inside a computer.

. And 70 degrees Celcius would really BBQ many parts.

Nope. Some CPUs and GPUs can happily run up to 75 degrees or more.

[jacko45k]

Sounds more like a cooling issue to me, exacerbated by the climate here.

A common mistake when playing games is to put the computer down on the bed or a chair rather than a flat hard surface like a desk or table and impede the cooling. Should be apparent by the speed of the fan.

I think it is unlikely to be a mains supply issue.

[bodymassagemyfriend]

Those are the symptoms of a laptop that is overheating. It happened to me too. Ensure there is no dust inside so that the fan can do its job at 100%. Use your laptop on a metalic surface to dissipate more heat if you can. Avoid wooden surfaces.

[KunMatt]

I have installed a heat monitoring program. I notice that my temperature is 88 - 100 Fahrenheit.

This seems just way too hot? Is this normal? Is there something I can buy that will mete out the electricity in a manner that will not cause my laptop to overheat?

Are you sure that is Fahrenheit? Normal temp when idling is around 35°C, your laptop running under load can easily be 50 to 70 degrees Celsius or more.

You need to be monitoring the temperature when your laptop has the issues you were previously describing. Does the program you are using log data so you can go back and look at the log file after an issue?

All you are doing above is just confirming the most likely cause. You might as well try to fix the problem now by cleaning the fans, checking they all spin, making sure the vents are not blocked wherever you laptop is seated, and use the laptop on a decent cooling pad.

Is your laptop an ultra thin model like a Thinkpad X etc?

Arrai Na??? All temperatures over 50 degrees are really very bad for all parts inside a computer.

. And 70 degrees Celcius would really BBQ many parts.

I don't know where you get that from. Graphics cards can happily run over 80°C. It's best to keep the temp down using cooling as much as you can to prolong the life of the parts but saying anything over 50°C is "very bad" is just nonsense. I've got my GPU fans set to keep the temp lower than 60°C and even that is quite low in gaming terms.

[Pib]

Yes, the max operating temp for most GPUs is around 95-105C, but they should operate much lower than that. Most GPUs probably operate in the 60 to 80C ballpark.

[ravip]

I am sure your Laptop from the USA is not the only equipment that is been used in Thailand.

Why not check your house electricity supply, power points AND your Laptop from the USA?

This is simple basic and logical thing to do.

[HerbalEd]

Virtually all laptop computer today are multi-volt units and will run well on all the voltage systems worldwide.

I have been using American-purchased Mac laptops and desktops in Thailand for many years and have never had a problem caused by electrical input. In fact,here in Thailand, normally my MacBook Pro is plugged into a wall socket 24/7.

I'm guessing your problem may be in the electrical wiring to and/or in your house. Thai electrical work is TERRIBLE and often dangerous. I just had a Belgium electrical engineer and his two assistants spend three weeks in my recently-purchased Hua Hin house reworking all the electrical wiring. What he found was a nightmare of unprofessional wiring and panels. It cost me 200K baht to fix it all but now I have electrical system that meets USA and Western European standards.

One example: We found the grounding/earthing was done with a 75cm-long rusty rebarb rod with the grounding wire wrapped around the top. What I now have is a 2-meter-long,1.7cm-wide 100% copper rod with higher-grade grounding wire heat-fused to the rod. We also did the same with a separate lightening-strike grounding/earthing system.

Edited November 9, 2015 by HerbalEd

[NeverSure]

Many good posts here.

I agree that laptops including American laptops are auto switching and will run on most wall power anywhere.

I agree that the laptop doesn't get it's power from the wall but rather from the battery. Only the battery charger gets power from the wall.

I agree that the laptop sounds hot. Recently my cat who sleeps on my desk on a blanket next to my computer pushed the blanket up against the cooling vents and my laptop overheated and shut off. I got lucky because when it cooled down a bit it was fine. My cat got lucky in that I have no ability to get angry with her, ever, LOL.

[Pib]

I agree that the laptop doesn't get it's power from the wall but rather from the battery. Only the battery charger gets power from the wall.

A laptop will run "without" a battery installed; therefore, the laptop can get its power directly from the charging adapter/wall.

In a laptop there is a power supply circuit that is involved in charging the battery properly, drawing power from the battery when needed, providing the various voltages the laptop circuits need to run.

[Tatertot]

Perhaps related, my i phone 6 plus, started acting hinky whilst plugged to charger. Tech told me 'twas my aftermarket high output charger..... Something bout how it was wired .... Anywho, got the big OEM I pad charger and all seems fine.

I have found "evil" Thai wallsockets wired ass backwards, and ones with grounds not at all grounded. Just sayin....

[ev1lchris]

I knew the wiring was off. They can't do anything right!

[SoiBiker]

Dude, either you're not reading the thread or you're just plain trolling. The problem isn't the outlet. Your laptop is overheating.

[ev1lchris]

Let's not rule out shoddy Thai electrical wiring.

[SoiBiker]

What's the point of asking for advice if you're going to ignore the answers you get?

[fang37]

I have absolutely no idea.

I did hear a rumour that Bill Gate's company is watching INTENSELY. As a result, a lot of heat is created.

[SoiBiker]

To be honest I think the OP just picked the most obscure, roundabout way he could to do a little anti-Thai trolling.

[manarak]

Let's not rule out shoddy Thai electrical wiring.

Now I got to agree with other posters: you are a TROLL

[mmh8]

I understand where you are coming from, you see the amateur work done within the houses and question water quality, sewage treatment, thinking skills, electricity, structural integrity etc.

in all those cases you are correct, these people should not be let loose on anything important

however , I think the other posters are correct, it is a heat issue.

some computers are better at dealing with the heat than others, cheap builds will not last long and will be frustratingly slow, though that is true wherever they are used.

[ev1lchris]

I have an ASUS that runs like a <deleted> dream.

[smedly]

open your laptop up and clean all the fans and filters