Heat of the Battle

[Elektranaut]

I have SH3 plus GWX 3 installed on my laptop,its a newish model and the game runs very smoothly with no problems.However the machine generates some serious heat when I play SH much more than with any other comparable programme,why is this?

[pickinthebanjo]

Yeah mine runs hot also (I can dry out wet smokes in minutes on it) it is because it taxes your system. Quite simply they are not designed for it

[Elektranaut]

Well I've actually stopped playing SH on the laptop because I don't want it bursting into flames during a convoy attack(guess it would add to the immersion factor though)but the point I'm making is that its only SH 3 which sends the fan into hyperdrive in comparison to other games such as Civ 4,Sim City 4,Rome Total War etc. and I wonder why....is it all those shipping calculations or the endless sea.......

[timmy41]

laptops have very little space for ventilation and are thus much louder due to the high rpms the fans have to do to keep it cool. i play on an old laptop andit gets hot but does just fine.
keep it on a flat surface so air can get in underneath and youll be fine.

[PappyCain]

I would be very careful as heat can destroy your computer. Most gaming computers have 600-1000 watt power supplies, 4-6 fans to help dissipate the heat from the MOBO and video card. I run the graphics at max settings just fine with GWX. FPS is fine under all conditions. Install a heat monitoring utility that will measure all components under load and compare against the specs.

[nemchenk]

The short answer is that either the CPU or GPU on your laptop is having to work hard, which is causing it to heat up.

The reason could be the waves in SHIII -- the other games you mentioned have a relatively static "background", while SHIII has waves everywhere, and also has to at least try and render below the waterline!

[maillemaker]

I have seen base stations that you can set your notebook computer on that have fans built into them to add additional cooling.

Steve

[nemchenk]

Well, for that matter, a giant "heatsink" like a desk, where a lot of realtively heat-conductive material is in contact with the bottom of the laptop, is better than a lap! :) Your desk will get warm, but that just means it is conducting the heat away from the CPU or GPU

(In fact, from a medical point of view it is not advisable to have a hot laptop in your lap for very long, especially if you are a man :o )

[Jimbuna]

I've always thought it best to play games on a system (preferably a desk top) with plenty of ventilation.

[PappyCain]

Download 'SpeedFan' and start monitoring your system, and check your spec'd limits (temp) on your GPU, CPU, MOBO etc. - you do not want to cook the system over any sim for any reason.

[pickinthebanjo]

I have seen base stations that you can set your notebook computer on that have fans built into them to add additional cooling.

Steve

I've been thinking of buying one of those, but personaly my laptop is old and needs to be replaced (still runs SH3 great) so I've decided to just let it cook :haha:
it pretty well only has SH3 installed now, and I even backed that up so I'll let you guys know if it melts and how long it takes (HP 2008 laptop AMD Sempron 4GB RAM and I don't even know what kind of Graphics card it has)

I've been using it for about 6 months with SH3 and It runs HOT every time

[Elektranaut]

I definitely do not want an incinerated laptop which is why I confine myself to playing SH on my PC which has about 36 fans secreted in every nook and cranny and can turn my study into a wind tunnel when it awakens.(yet more immersion...).My laptop gives me fire/smoke,my PC gives me gale force winds,now where can I get lashing rain from.....?

[TabbyHunter]

Sit out side on a stormy day?

[Patkins1983]

If its a decent wind and plenty of rain that you want, I would think the Red Rose county is the place to be. :DL