[How-to] Reduce operating temperature of an overheating Surface Go/Pro
Dec 4, 2024 - by Steven Cheung
We had an interesting chat coming in today, where the client's Surface Go tablets were reportedly "overheating" and "hot to the touch" when in use with our VESA enclosures. Given that VidaBox has already sold tens of thousands of these, this is certainly concerning.
So, how to fit this? Can additional ventilation be added in? Technically yes - but instead of using band-aids for the symptoms, the best thing to do is to address the root of the problem. Excessive heat is typically caused by an overactive CPU - we can EASILY and simply limit the max processing power to the CPU with these (9) easy steps that can be done in less than a few minutes!
So, how to fit this? Can additional ventilation be added in? Technically yes - but instead of using band-aids for the symptoms, the best thing to do is to address the root of the problem. Excessive heat is typically caused by an overactive CPU - we can EASILY and simply limit the max processing power to the CPU with these (9) easy steps that can be done in less than a few minutes!
[1] On your Windows device -> Click on START
[2] Type in POWER
[3] Look for & click on "POWER & SLEEP SETTINGS"
[4] (Depending on your Window size...) Look LEFT or scroll to the BOTTOM -> Find ADDITIONAL POWER SETTINGS
[5] You'll see the "old school" Power Options screen -> choose CHANGE PLAN SETTINGS
[6] Click on CHANGE ADVANCED POWER SETTINGS
[7] Scroll DOWN on this window, and expand out PROCESSOR POWER MANAGEMENT
[8] Ensure the following settings are applied:
System cooling policy:
-> On Battery: ACTIVE
-> Plugged in: ACTIVE
Maximum processor state
-> On Battery: 50%
-> Plugged in: 50%
[9] Click on APPLY - then OK - and we are all set!
Why CPUs overheat / Background:
Windows was originally a desktop based operating system. With the advent of mobile devices, Microsoft started the push to run Windows on mobile devices, starting with Windows CE. However, due to Windows being a high-power operating system - i.e. it was never designed from the ground up to conserve power, many mobile Windows devices have always been plagued by short battery life due to high power usage. In some cases - this has lead to mobile CPUs overheatingTo minimize these problems - starting from Windows 7, the O/S built in processor power management (as per above) to make "underclocking" like changes super simple.
By dropping the processor power delivered by 50% (or less), we can effectively drop heat significantly as the CPU performance would be capped, without significantly affecting performance in most cases. This is particularly useful when running legacy applications that were not coded optimially and persistently run at very high CPU usage, despite no perceivable improvements in performance. (This is VERY common in apps like game emulators / or simulators running old code libraries.)
