Overheating PRO 3 : how many PRO 3 to exchange ?

[cmac]

No problem with some "light" app, like Word or Outlook.
But when I go through pictures processing, my Pro 3 gets very hot, process is drasticly slowed down, and finally shuts down.
I called Microsoft.
They sent me at once a new PRO 3. And I sent it back since I had the same heat problem.
Now, they are sending me a third Pro 3, which I guess will overheat.
How many Pro 3 will I have to test before getting a right one ?????
Technical and commercial services are very polite, but helpless so far.
What is your experience ? Your advice ?

 

[bluegrass]

Document, document, document. What app causes over heating. Try going to a store, Microsoft or Best Buy Preferably Microsoft and run the app on a couple of their Surfaces and see what happens. Also take your Surface to the store with you and demonstrate it to a tech. Hopefully you will get a knowledgeable tech that can diagnose the problem. Since it has happened to more than one brand new Surface, it may be the app that is the culprit. We all run apps that occasionally makes the computer feel hot to the touch in the back upper right side where the CPU chip is probably located but in you case you say it get's so hot that it gives you the overheat message and shuts down. That definitely shouldn't happen just from running one app. Good luck.

 

[Plantje]

I'm on my third Surface 3 soon. I'll keep sending them back if something is wrong. Not the same issue, just stating you're not the only one

 

[cmac]

I could guess I'm not the only one ...
When I bought my Surface, I did not see any recommandation concerning which app to run and which app not to run.
Should I had red such recommandation, I would not have bought a Surface. And I must say I had never any problem running my apps on my Toshiba laptop (now, I do not have it any more).
If n° 3 PRO 3 is still overheating, I think I'll try to get my money back rather than a n° 4.

 

[Plantje]

I don't think there is any recommendation to not run specific apps on a Surface Pro 3. Perhaps the better approach would be to investigate the issue rather than exchanging the device.

 

[cmac]

You are right Plantje, but so far I could not get any other answer : "we change your device PRO 3 for a new PRO 3".
I had also some kind of suggestion to run different apps, which I wont do (I had not the least problem running my apps on the Toshiba).
I try to have some suggestion on this forum.
The Microsoft man at the store almost loughed at me :"we know the problem" he said, and he left me with the phone number I already knew, where, when you have just said you have a PRO 3, they dont let you say more, and say "ok, ok, we send you a new one ..."

 

[Plantje]

In that case I can only agree with bluegrass and ask to try to pinpoint the app that is causing the overheating. Perhaps one of us can try to reproduce it.

 

[cmac]

DxO Optics is an app causing problems. A simple conversion of a raw file into a jpg file may be problematic.
I mean that if you do it just once, everything is ok. But if you treat a few files in a row, you start having troubles.
As an example, the exactly same process which needs 18 seconds when the Surface is cold may take as long as 90 seconds after processing a few pictures. I stopped the test before shut down.

It seems that also such a simple viewer as Fastone (using it just as a viewer) could cause some problems ans delayed process.

I insist, I have not changed anything in the way I run my computer when I moved from the Toshiba laptop to the Surface.

I have discovered the problem quite by chance. Then I got suspicious when I found Microsoft so eager to change my PRO 3, and later I discovered that it was a known problem.

 

[bluegrass]

Your really comparing apples with tomatoes when you say the Toshiba didn't have a problem with the app. The Toshiba's guts are a lot more open then the tiny space that all the components are packaged in in the Surface. To me, coming from almost 50 years in computer maintenance, I think it's a miracle that their even is a product like the Surface. You also have to compare disk drives, memory and cooling capacity between them. I would venture to say that unless a cooling component like a fan went out on a laptop that a laptop would never suffer from heat even with an app that challenged the CPU and other components. If the inability to run this DxO Optics app in the way you want to run it overrides the advantages the Surface has over the Toshiba, than move on. Sell your Surface and get something else.

 

[hughlle]

Your really comparing apples with tomatoes when you say the Toshiba didn't have a problem with the app. The Toshiba's guts are a lot more open then the tiny space that all the components are packaged in in the Surface. To me, coming from almost 50 years in computer maintenance, I think it's a miracle that their even is a product like the Surface. You also have to compare disk drives, memory and cooling capacity between them. I would venture to say that unless a cooling component like a fan went out on a laptop that a laptop would never suffer from heat even with an app that challenged the CPU and other components. If the inability to run this DxO Optics app in the way you want to run it overrides the advantages the Surface has over the Toshiba, than move on. Sell your Surface and get something else.

Guess it depends where you live i.e the ambient temperature, but isn't the whole point of throttling to stop it shutting itself down. I'll occasionally run software which maxes out the cpu and gpu, and run it for 4-5 hours at a time, never experienced a temperature related shutdown though. I know that the surface can and does do this, but if every replacement is doing the same then I'd think that the problem does not lie with the surface, but something else, e.g ambient temperature. That or incredibly bad luck!

 

[cmac]

Your really comparing apples with tomatoes when you say the Toshiba didn't have a problem with the app. The Toshiba's guts are a lot more open then the tiny space that all the components are packaged in in the Surface. To me, coming from almost 50 years in computer maintenance, I think it's a miracle that their even is a product like the Surface. You also have to compare disk drives, memory and cooling capacity between them. I would venture to say that unless a cooling component like a fan went out on a laptop that a laptop would never suffer from heat even with an app that challenged the CPU and other components. If the inability to run this DxO Optics app in the way you want to run it overrides the advantages the Surface has over the Toshiba, than move on. Sell your Surface and get something else.

Shall I read Apple or apples ?
Anyway ... there is something new I have first to cope with : I have to fix my Office before September 26, and since I am going to travel for a week from tomorrow on ...
Office was installed on my PRO 3 #1, then on #2 which I sent back. I did not pay attention that I had so used my 2 installation rights. Yesterday (th 21st), I had a very long Windows update (over 20 minutes) and after this update, Office was corrupted (bravo Micosoft !). Repairing resulted in a new installation, which is too much (that makes 3) !! A trouble does not come alone.
Sorry guys ... I will come back later on my overheating problem. Thank you very much, anyway.

 

[dicks]

My issue was solved on my system by updating the WIFI/BT/Realtek HD audio drivers from the Surface 4 PRO. After that I had no more CPU issues. My post on how that is done can be found on the Windows Central forum under Surface 3 PRO.