J
Does the heavy aluminum hp elitebook 8460p i7 overheat quickly during heavy multitasking?
The hp elitebook 8460p i7 is famous for its thick indestructible aluminum casing and heavy weight. Because it uses an older 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processor which draws a massive amount of power I am very concerned about thermal management. If I am running heavy statistical software and having 20 Chrome tabs open does the hp elitebook 8460p i7 overheat and burn your lap? Do the fans sound like a jet engine taking off when the processor is pushed to its absolute limits?
0 Answers
Community Answers
5 ResponsesCan you help answer this?
You must be logged in to participate in the discussion.
Log in to Replyjosh
3 days agoThe hp elitebook 8460p i7 is an absolute marvel of classic corporate engineering built with an incredibly thick military grade aluminum chassis. Your concern about thermal management with the 2nd generation Core i7 (Sandy Bridge architecture) is highly accurate. These older processors were not optimized for power efficiency; they draw massive voltage and generate a tremendous amount of raw heat under load. If you are running heavy statistical software and 20 Chrome tabs simultaneously the processor will turbo boost to its maximum frequency. Consequently the massive copper heatsink inside will absorb the heat and the entire bottom aluminum chassis will become extremely hot to the touch. You absolutely cannot place this laptop directly on your bare lap while rendering data or it will burn you.
josh
3 days agoTo prevent the hp elitebook 8460p i7 from thermal throttling the internal cooling fan is programmed very aggressively. When the CPU hits 80 degrees Celsius the fan will spin up to its maximum RPM. Because the fan is quite large it does sound like a miniature jet engine taking off and the noise will be very noticeable in a quiet office environment. However this loud fan is actually a good thing; it means the cooling system is working efficiently to prevent the motherboard from frying. To manage the heat you must place the laptop on a hard flat desk so the side exhaust vent can blow the hot air away freely. If you place it on a bed the blankets will block the air intake and the laptop will shut down from overheating in ten minutes.
josh
3 days agoI still have this laptop. The aluminum body is indestructible but it conducts heat perfectly. The palm rest gets very warm during heavy work which is actually quite nice during cold rainy nights but terrible during the hot dry season.
josh
3 days agoIt is vital to have an engineer open the laptop and apply new premium thermal paste (like Arctic Silver) to the processor. The original factory thermal paste is completely dried into dust by now which makes the overheating much worse.
josh
3 days agoThe fan noise is loud but the raw performance is amazing for such an old machine. The 2nd Gen i7 still crushes basic office tasks today. Just treat it like a desktop and leave it on a cooling pad.