Solved Finding the right laptop

Hazel123 · Nov 6, 2021

So I’ve ordered a torx plus ip5 screwdriver for opening the case and unscrewing the ssd. Apparently it’s a five minute job (with the right screwdriver) - four screws under the feet, keyboard lifts out easily (held on with magnets and no glue). One screw for the ssd. Removing the ssd disconnects the battery.

Will decide when to upgrade the ssd when laptop arrives and checked out and depending on how much warranty is left on it.

Another £99 for a 1tb ssd.

Hazel123 · Nov 16, 2021

Very happy with the Surface Laptop 3. Great ergonomics, comfortable to use. Except for one thing. It is too hot to actually use on your lap! A bit of Googling tells me this is an issue with the Surface Laptop 3. It’s like a red hot radiator burning your legs.

TraderGary · Nov 16, 2021

In Amazon search on "laptop lap desk". I have one with beanbags for my legs and a solid desk material on top of it. It was maybe $20 US 10 years ago. Works quite nicely. Looking now there are dozens of different styles to choose from.

Hazel123 · Nov 17, 2021

Thanks yes I thought about that, but surely it shouldn’t be so hot?

TraderGary · Nov 17, 2021

How long have you had it? During first setup when doing initial updates it heats up.

barman58 · Nov 17, 2021

What type of Drive is it? if it's an NVMe M2 or even a SATA M2 and you have the room you may be able to add a flexible self adhesive Heatsink to control the heat produced ...

Example only ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-A-M2HS01-BK-M-2-SSD-Heatsink/dp/B077TR9LP7/ref=psdc_430499031_t4_B07QNRP9HK

Hazel123 · Nov 17, 2021

Yes it was doing the initial Windows updates. But even so it got incredibly hot and burned my leg! It's still sore. Temp was showing as 50 to 60 degrees when I installed a program to check that. Being flat metal it is literally a radiator!

Barman it's just the SSD they put in from new.

I will try it out again later. But Google says this is a very common problem with them (should have checked that out). And there shouldn't be a need to have to buy a laptop tray just to use a laptop.

Does anyone know if there's been a fix for this? New firmware or something?

So I'm back on the HP Spectre which doesn't get too hot and burn my legs (but does give me sore wrists)

barman58 · Nov 17, 2021

I think the issue is the technology itself, as the SSD has matured the storage capacities have increased, this has often meant the use of higher density memory chips which run hotter - I have a couple of 128 GB USB pen drives and one of 256GB

In use the 128 GB are quite a bit hotter than the run of the mill units of 32 or 64 GB and the 256GB often gets too hot to hold to remove from the computer and has to be left a while to cool

Hazel123 · Nov 17, 2021

I don’t know but I’m not happy. It can’t be good for a laptop to be that hot all the time. I’m going to try and return it to the seller. If that’s not possible I’ll have to try and claim under the guarantee.

To my mind it’s not fit for purpose. I have used many many laptops on my knee and never had an issue with something being this hot.

clam1952 · Nov 17, 2021

Question has been asked of Microsoft who unhelpfully suggested they should be used on a desk or firm surface.

Looking at images of the Surface 3 Laptop dismantled, it has a tiny fan and no way of fitting a heatsink to the m.2 SSD, half of the interior is taken up with the glued in place can't remove it battery, can't imagine that would like being heated up, if it's not the battery that's getting hot! The SSD is on near left hand side jut rearwards of centre, maybe worth checking if that's the hottest spot.

ThrashZone · Nov 17, 2021

Hi,
Indeed thermal defective devises are only helpful in the winter lol

These days devices are called tablets not laptops because they are too hot to be placed on your lap.

Hazel123 · Nov 17, 2021

The heat was primarily at the rear half. But seriously it has burned my leg! So do all thin laptops have heat issues then? I'm typing this now on the HP Spectre X360 and no heat issues at all (but it's horrible to type on). It's ridiculous having to buy something to sit it on and cool it. Anyway the seller won't take it back. The guarantee was transferred to me. So I guess I'll just have to ask the shop to take it back under guarantee. (So I still don't have a laptop!) But from what I've read they just replace it and you have the same issue.

ThrashZone · Nov 17, 2021

Hi,
Cooling intake is on the bottom so yeah if it's blocked heat will be worse.

clam1952 · Nov 17, 2021

The rear part is where the copper heat pipes are located or should that be heat strips, on top of them is a tinplate cover, looks like an attempted at screening for some reason, whatever it's probably conducting the heat from the copper to the plastic bottom of the case.
I've never used a laptop on my lap, but laptop coolers, you stick it on a desk and put the laptop on top, have been around for many years so heat is a common problem for at least some of them, none of the ones I've had got anything other than warm though, Dells and a Toshiba although they were built like tanks! Not something you'd want to carry around for long.

barman58 · Nov 17, 2021

If it helps I've just checked my SSDs in my Desktop ...

The NVMe 1TB system Drive is running at 63C [145 F], and my 500GB 2.5" SSD quick access drive is at 45C

As a comparison I have two 8TB spinners in the same case and these are running at 49C and 50C

Now this case in enclosed but has good forced ventilation so I would expect the temps for similar drives to be higher in a small laptop style case

ThrashZone · Nov 17, 2021

Hi,
m.2 heat is cost of artificial speed
Sata ssd you'd never notice any speed difference but space they take up is why they're popular plus cheaper to make.

barman58 · Nov 17, 2021

SSD is 2+ times the speed of a fast HDD so worth having for my purposes, I use it to store the databases for Lightroom and another dozen or so Pro Image processors

ThrashZone · Nov 17, 2021

Hi,
No question any type of ssd will kill an hdd lol

Darn thing does have laptop in it's name though.
Intakes are on each side and I guess exhaust is out the back

Hazel123 · Nov 17, 2021

It does indeed have "laptop" in its name! Surface Laptop 3. Very portable - use anywhere - especially on your knee. It's not a desktop. I think there's something wrong. Google tells me there are issues with this laptop of overheating, but not everyone has them and some people have had replacement laptops and no issues. As the seller won't take it back, that leaves me with contacting the shop under warranty, but I am not sure I will get much joy having only purchased it a week ago. They may say - well it must have been like that when you purchased it so the seller needs to sort it out with us under warranty. Then I'd be in the middle. Seller says as it's been "tampered with" (ie opened and turned on) they won't take it back.

It's probably useable with a laptop tray - which I am not keen on the idea of (not exactly portable then is it). But very very annoying. But aside from that I am sure that amount of heat will not do the innards any good in terms of longevity. Whatever is causing the heat, it is a metal casing, the metal casing gets so hot it's dangerous, and hot metal helps transfer more heat - if that makes sense.

ThrashZone · Nov 17, 2021

Hi,
Which region are you in ?
Where did you buy it, company name.

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