Moving HDD because of Temps in Lenovo Y580

DaNiC

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Hello everyone,

I recently got myself a Lenovo Y580, a really fine laptop, I enjoy using it very much, it boots up fast it and it fulfills basically everything I'd want from a laptop, from programming to gaming.

But... it runs sooooo hot!
Usually on idle (with power saving config) it'll run at 37-40C for CPU which is ok, 34-37C for GPU which is also ok and the big problem: the HDD (which is apparently sandwiched between the CPU and GPU) usually idles at around 37-40C which isn't great.

And what's worse is under load the when CPU/GPU get up to around 70C which is again reasonable, the HDD reaches around the 48C area.. and this is after I bought a cooling pad!
Before that the CPU/GPU would be at around 75-80C and the HDD would reach up to 55C, definitely temps which are far from reasonable for any HDD.

Which brings me to my point: I'm interested in moving my HDD to where the optical drive is sitting and to ditch the optical drive so I can get lower overall temps for the HDD (hopefully).

I was wondering if anyone here has any knowledge on how to do something like this? What do I need to get? Might the HDD possibly run at a lower transfer rate? Would it be noticeable if so? And most importantly if it will yield any results on the temperature side of things.

Thanks to everyone who read this and decided to chip in!

 

olin9

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If the Y580 has a ultra bay like the y500. just buy the cooling unit for the ultra bay. switch the DVD for the cooling unit.
 

DaNiC

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The Y500 and Y580 look exactly the same to me as far as i know and i'd be willing to bet the Y580 also has an ultra bay.
But what does this cooling unit do? Is it like an internal fan?

The HDD would still be sandwiched next to the CPU/GPU.. would this cooling unit really be able to lower it's temperatures?
 

whyso

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No the y580 does not have an ultrabay.

It really shouldn't be a problem (I believe that many mobile drives are certified for having an operating temperature between 0 and 60 degrees Celsius). For example http://www.wdc.com/global/products/specs/?driveID=815&language=1.

However, if you really are concerned just swap the hdd out for an ssd. They can withstand higher temperatures more easily and it will significantly speed up your computer.
 

DaNiC

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If the Y580 doesn't have an ultrabay does this mean I also cant move the HDD to the optical drive bay?

And as for operating temperatures i'm sure the HDD (Seagate) which is equipped with the Y580 can operate at those temperatures but the question is for how long.. I value my data greatly and if for some reason because of temperature issues it should get ruined it'd be a great shame.

If SSD's are much more resistant to heat then I may consider upgrading to one in the future.
It's a hassle to move everything to an SSD and not to mention that the HDD has 1TB capacity.
 

whyso

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I'm pretty sure that if the manufacturer specifies that the drive's operating temperature is 0 to 60 then the drive will have no problem operating at 55 degrees (generally they tend to be rather conservative). If you value your data greatly then you will have multiple backups and losing the drive is more an annoyance of having to replace it and install windows/drivers/programs again.

Yes you can move the HDD to the optical drive bay. However, it will be as for any other laptop (not the y500 in which moving the drive is extremely easy). You will probably need to buy an optical drive/HDD caddy. (There are many tutorials on the internet).
 

DaNiC

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I see.. thanks for your advice whyso, maybe I'll be less paranoid in the future with the HDD temps.

I just have one last question, would you think that by moving the HDD to the optical drive bay I'd see a definite drop in temperatures?
And would the lower transfer rate be noticeable?
 

whyso

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There should be no difference in transfer rate (a mechanical HDD cannot in any way be limited by even a sata 2 interface). yes you will probably notice lower temperatures (I'm not completely sure about this though as the optical drive probably does not have much cooling routed to it, then again a hdd uses little power and the heat thats causing the wramer temperatures is caused by the cpu and gpu).

It might also be a good idea to buy a small msata drive (90-120 GB) for programs and the OS and put it in the msata slot. This will make your computer markedly snappier.
 

DaNiC

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By msata drive you mean an ssd?
I'm not sure im familiar with what an msata drive is.. :-S
I was thinking of getting an ssd to put where the hdd was after I've moved it to the optical drive bay but to be honest, even though I know that ssd's deal better with heat i'm kind of convinced that the specific area where the HDD is, is like a death zone.

Would an SSD/msata drive be able to tolerate that?
And thanks for bearing with me.:)
 

whyso

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Yep, Generally SSD's can tolerate higher temperatures for longer amounts of time than HDDs (they have no moving parts).

You should not have any problem with putting a ssd there unless the temperature regularily goes over 60 degrees.

I do recommend putting a ssd in, it will vastly speed up your computer.

btw I have the y580 too and am planning on putting a ssd in as soon as the prices drop a little more
My hdd hasn't gone over 53.
 

DaNiC

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Thanks for the heads up brett i'll keep in mind not to do that in the future.

And whyso, as far as I know there isn't a way to monitor SSD temps but seeing as how it doesnt generate heat then i wouldnt reckon that it'd get to dangerously high temperatures..

The Y580 really is a great laptop but it's a shame that i can't bare myself to use it without a cooling pad even not for gaming..
 

whyso

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I think you are being just a little cautious. I bought a y580 because my previous laptop (1.5 year old dell xps 15 lx502) was overheating like crazy among other things. Idle temps of 55 degrees, when gaming it went over 95 (with gw2 it ran 98-100 degrees) on the cpu and (85 on the gpu). Still the thing is still working despite tolerating hundreds of hours at those temperatures. (the poor thermals were not the main reason why I changed it, mainly the battery crapped out to 50% capacity after a year which frankly was not enough, there was a problem with the RAM--not enough and tended to screw up the computer randomly, the power cord frayed and I had to use lots and lots of duct tape, the screen was crap, It was really loud, etc)

I do think that SSD's have a temperature sensor though I could be wrong.