My Dell Inspiron 700m Notebook Computer Burns my Left Hand and Makes My Fingertips Ache

March 20, 2006

On October 17, 2004 I bought a new Dell Inspiron 700m notebook computer. After using the computer for 15 minutes or longer, the skin on the palm side of the leftmost part of my left hand's palm (which rests on the computer during typing) gets burned by the hot metallic surface of the computer. This is the first computer I've ever used that causes me repeated physical harm from ordinary use.

Mostly a Great Notebook Computer

By most standards, my Dell Inspiron 700m is a fine notebook computer. Compact and lightweight, I take it everywhere I go without a second thought about it being too heavy or large to bring with me.

My copy of Dell's Packing Slip shows the computer's configuration and order information. Certain personal details were erased from the scan of the packing slip.

There is a problem with the Inspiron 700m's screen flickering occassionally, which is an annoyance I can live with. Another reviewer has written that the compact keyboard has the keys spaced too closely together for comfortable typing for large-handed typists, an observation this large-handed typist confirms.

Keyboard Keys Stop Hard at Bottom of Travel

To that remark I will add that the keyboard's keys have minimal "cushion" when they are fully depressed; the effect of typing for some time on the Inspiron 700m's keyboard is similar to repeatedly tapping my fingertips on a hard table surface. Most other keyboards do a good job of damping the key motion as the key is depressed towards its maximum depth, eliminating the tapping sensation on my fingertips. Apple's notebook computer keyboards are especially comfortable in this regard.

The DVD/CD-RW Combo drive was replaced under warranty for making excessive noise and not always playing DVDs smoothly.

But My Left Palm Just Gets Too Hot

The problem which really irritates me is that the my Dell Inspiron 700m notebook computer burns my left hand after about 15 minutes of active use.

The region of my left hand which is burned by the excess heat from my Dell Inspiron 700m is the skin on the palm side of the leftmost part of my left hand's palm (which rests on the computer during typing) medically known as the muscles of hypothenar eminence.

I took a series of temperature measurements to see just how hot the area where my left palm rests actually is. I used a digital thermometer with a remote sensor whose accuracy I confirmed against a second digital thermometer made by Oregon Scientific. The ambient room temperature was 72°F. To increase the thermal conductivity from the computer to the temperature sensor, I did two separate tests:

1. I placed a heavy object on top of the temperature sensor to improve the heat transfer. This simulates the increased pressure of my hand's weight on my palm, forcing a tighter thermal connection to the computer's hot surface.
   
2. I applied Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound between the temperature sensor and the laptop palm rest.
   
   

The following table shows the temperature measurements:

The Setup to Measure Temperatures

Dell Inspiron 700m with Verizon Wireless PC Card Installed, Temperature Probe Attached,
and Thermal Conducting Compound Applied

Conclusions

The Verizon Wireless PC Card does raise the temperature but only nominally. Still, it doesn't seem unreasonable to be able to expect to use this device in this computer.

I was surprised that the temperature never exceeded 99.1 °F / 37.3 °C because you would not think that is an uncomfortable temperature. However, I can assure readers that my left palm sometimes becomes so uncomfortable after extended use that I have to stop using the computer. Perhaps the hand is far more sensitive to higher temperatures than other parts of our body.

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