Quiet laptop that runs SL?

Does anyone have a quiet laptop (not MAC) that can run SL adequately? My current HP laptop sounds like a loud hairdryer that runs constantly when I use SL or photoshop and is impossible to use.

I run SL and PaintShop on an ACER AS7520G and it's as quiet as the proverbial tomb.

My mac runs much more quietly after I installed a fan control utility. Basically the fan runs all the time at a quiet speed rather than cranking up loud when it gets hot. Perhaps there is a PC version?

Oh geez, no, don't burn out your laptop cooling fan running SL. Get one of those laptop cooler pads that you run by plugging it in to a USB port. I have an Antec - it's very quiet. A lot of places had them for $10 on Black Friday, but you can usually pick one up on sale for $20-25.

I run SL on a lowly HP Pavillion dv6000. Seems ok for a few hours at least

Prefer the desktop obviously but ok if I'm away from home or fighting for the desktop LOL

It also helps to keep the laptop on a hard surface where it can get ventilation - so using it under the blankets in bed is a strict no no ......

That's what I have, cheap too. Doesn't make a sound. And, doesn't get too hot on your lap either.

I second the cooling pads. As for laptops, I've been running SL more than sufficiently on a Sony Vaio AR630E with the settings maxed and still have a smooth framerate, along with all of the other programs I run.

You can put it on your lap?

My Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo laptop ran SL flawlessly until a few weeks ago when the client simply stopped running. It has an optional fan that can be turned on or off by a switch on the front; even with it on though, it is practically silent.

On top of it, no less.

i have a Dell Inspriations 600m i've had for over a year now and i've used it on SL a handful of times both with a cable and a DSL connection. i've been in SL with it for up to 4 hours at a time and it runs as quietly on SL as it runs when doing word processing which is as quiet as my Dell Dimentions Duel 6000. Now keep in mind i got the Inspriations with an add on graphics card so this might be helping. Also i don't notice any additional heat after running SL and can't hear the computers fan unless i put my ear very near the laptop. Hope this helps.

I have an HP dv9000 that sits over here next to my desktop which collects dust. It's a great machine, shiny and all black. (friends call it the Darth Vader computer) It has a cooler which I bought at Best Buy for like 20 dollars. It runs for hours on wireless internet ever so quietly. Despite the name, don't ever put your laptop on your lap unless you have a cooler between you and the computer. There are vents in the bottoms of some of them, and they wont be able to breathe! Coolers make a special place for them to breathe and allow you to put the comp in your lap. Also, you might want to shut it off, unplug it, flip it over, and check the bottom air vents for dust.

I'm pretty well NOT up to speed on hardware so ... I have an Acer 3002LC Laptop and I seem to have the prob with the fan running constantly and noisily and then after about 20 mins in SL the laptop shuts down entirely ... and I mean BAM and all is dark.

My question would be: is this just from overheating? or do I need a heavier graphics card? more ram? a faster processor? a brand new laptop that can handle SL? to get a clue about hardware??

Lotus

Looking at the spec sheet on your laptop, I'd say you definitely could use a RAM upgrade if you never did that. As for the graphics card and processor, you're pretty much stuck with those. Only a select few of the newest laptops can you upgrade a video card.

Look and make sure the vents are not clogged with dust/debris.

I suggest the ram upgrade as SL is a memory hog and sucks us system resources. It's a possibility you could be suffering from a 'memory dump'. I've seen it do exactly that on laptops and desktops with little ram.

From the spec sheet on the laptop:


Which means even less of the 256mb module is used for running applications since the 256mbs is shared between the system and the video.

Try this:

Go to your control panel, double click on system.
Click the 'Advanced' tab and under 'Performance' click settings.
When that window opens go to the 'advanced' tab.
Then click on 'change'.

Here you will get a few options. If the area that says 'system managed size' isn't selected, select it. Once you do this and click OK on that window and the previous, your computer will tell you "Windows needs to restart for changes to take effect" Go a head and do so.

With that little of ram, a system managed size helps a lot. If this does not fix the problem, look into the cooling issue or take it to a shop or computer geek friend.


Good luck.

I use SpeedFan ( http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php ) and Notebook Hardward Control ( http://www.pbus-167.com/ ). The first controls the fan speeds and reports temperatures, the second dynamically changes the clock speed depending upon load. Despite the latter being a laptop utility I use it on the desktop. They are both free.

I have it setup so when I'm not doing much (like posting on the forums) it drops the CPU speed (from 2.2 to 1.0 Ghz) and the CPU fan turns off. /me loves overkill heatsink.

<.<

It depends on the quality of the graphics. If you want Windlight and all the bells and whistles you are unlikely to find a quiet laptop. If on the other hand you don't mind a short draw distance on the normal client then you shouldn't have much trouble.

Absolutely. I always have it on my lap, never on a table. Too cumbersome to use that way.

If you can figure out how, take the back off the thing and blow it out with some pressurized air. Then wipe down what you can with an alcohol swab. They get filthy inside and that can cause them to run hot. Mine is always on my lap, but I have it sitting on a thin little piece of board so it can suck clean air in and not lint from any material it might be sitting on, ahmmm like the bedspread.

Every day I turn the thing upside down to let any food particles fall off. (don't shake it, it will have a heart attack) Then tip it on the side and blow it out with air. Then I clean the thing with eye glass cleaner and a soft cloth. I had to replace my fan once because it got so much kunk in it from not being on a board and it was a pain in the ass.