I have an older DV7 laptop that freezes when it hits a specific temperature. When it freezes, its completely halted and nothing works. Only way to recover is to reboot the laptop.
I monitored the issue and able to replicate the problem. The freezing occurs when the processor is working under load and hits a temperature of 74 degrees Celcius. This the first generation i7 720QM quad core processor.
According to Intel, the processor's max temperature is 105 degrees Celcius. I've read numerous users running this processor in the 85 to 90 degree ranges with no problems. I have a similar i5 4200U processor that runs at 85 degrees Celcius with no issues.
So my question is - what is causing the system to freeze? I think its the BIOS and some threshold switch it has to programmatically stop the system when the temperature is reached. I dont think Windows 7 monitors this. Anyone know?
A follow on question is - is there a way I can increase this threshold? The system performs fine right before the freeze, there is no lag or noticeable decline in performance as the temperature increases. Based on other forums and my other system, the temperature seems to plateau at about 80 - 83 degrees Celcius. I'm wondering if there is a way I could adjust the system for this.