Dell Precision M6500 workstation overheating and running slow.

This is a sea kayaking blog but blog authors and visitors need to use some sort of  computer to access the Internet.  Please excuse a technology post!

For the last 38 months I have been using a Dell Precision M6500 workstation notebook. It works like greased lightening when editing and previewing large RAW files from my Canon 5D mk3 camera in Adobe Lightroom 5. I bought it because of great experience of three  Dell Precision M6400 computers I used at work, The M6500 was three years old in November 2013 and I wondered about extending its warranty. A quote from Dell offered 3 year on site pro support for £311. I thought about it too long and by the time I had made my mind up it was too late, as the offer period expired when the computer passed 3 years old. The reason I had not made my mind up is that in general  I do not buy extended warranties but this one did seem quite reasonable. Anyway, the computer had been trouble free for three years so...I suppose I thought I didn't need the warranty.

Exactly one week after the original 3 year warranty expired, the computer began to develop increasing problems, which rapidly worsened until it was almost unusable five weeks later. It began to slow down to a crawl, especially trying to do anything with big RAW files in Lightroom. The Windows experience Aero graphics score fell from 6.8 when the computer was new down to 2.8. The video drivers on the Dell site for the NVIDEA Quadro FX 2800M graphics card were rather old so I downloaded the latest (Nov 2013) drivers off the NVIDEA site.  I also updated to the latest Dell bios. Neither made any difference. The fans began to run all the time. The computer frequently and spontaneously rebooted. It suffered several blue screen of death episodes. On other occasions the screen would freeze and the mouse pointer locked up. I thought I might have a virus (as the symptoms seemed to have developed quite quickly). Scans with Sophos and Malware bytes revealed nothing and the problem persisted  even when the computer disconnected from the Internet. Suspecting overheating I installed ThrottleStop found the CPU and GPU were running at 95C. I decided to explore the computer's cooling system and used the online Dell service manual and dismantled the computer, which took about half a day.

This was how I found the CPU heatsink. The fine copper grille was completely blocked with dust. I suspect it built up slowly over the three years but as it built up, it gathered more dust increasingly quickly, which explained the relatively rapid and recent onset of symptoms.

This is how it should look. 

The CPU heat sink and grill fits in behind two other heatsinks and grilles which cool the graphics card and share the left hand fan. The graphics card also has another built in heatsink and fan on the right side. Its grille was similarly blocked but was even more difficult to get at and clean than the CPU heatsink and grille.

Once back together, the computer is running cool again at 50 to 55C, with hardly any noise from the fans. It is also working like greased lightning and the graphics score is back to 6.8.

It is a real pity that the whole computer (literally right down to the motherboard) needs to be dismantled to get at these heat sinks. It is not a great design. It is almost inevitable that other Precision M6500s will become affected. It took me about 7 hours plus a trip to Maplin for some Antec Formula 7 heat sink thermal compound paste to get it running again. It is not what I expected from a top end laptop. Perhaps they are built with a three year life expectancy for business but I am a private buyer and expected it to last longer.

Still I have avoided buying an expensive replacement so now I can afford to buy something else!

Sea kayaking desktop wallpaper calendar 2014.

I wish a very Happy New Year and a great 2014 paddling season to all visitors to seakayakphoto.com. As way of a celebration of the last year and in anticipation of sea kayaking adventures yet to come, here is the 10th annual sea kayaking desktop wallpaper calendar from seakayakphoto.com. I apologise for its late arrival. Neither my computer nor myself have been in the best of health.

As in past calendars, all the photos were taken during the previous year (2013). Unfortunately I have not been paddling over the last 6 months so the choice of photos has been more limited than previous years. Nevertheless I have been able to choose photos from north and south of Ardnamurchan Point, the Inner Hebrides, the North Channel, the Firth of Clyde and the Solway Firth.

January.

The Little Cumbrae lighthouse in the Firth of Clyde proved surprisingly popular despite being in the depths of winter. We met friends from the Drumchapel and Clydebank Kayak Club there.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.
Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

February.

Rubha Carrach is on the exposed northern coast of Ardnamurchan. This coast is not paddled as often as it should be. Most circumnavigators of the British mainland cross to Eigg or Rubh' Arisaig on their headlong dash north. Paddlers staying in the area are faced with a circumnavigation of the whole Ardnamurchan peninsula if they only have one car, or a very long shuttle (over very slow single track) if they have two cars.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.
Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

March.

Glenuig Bay opens into the Sound of Arisaig and views extend along the Ardnamurchan peninsula and to Muck and the other Small Isles. One of the great joys of winter paddling is returning in the dark!

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

April.

The north coast of Rum in the Sea of the Hebrides is a wild place. This is the sad wreck of the Jack Abry II, a French trawler that ran on to the rocks here just before midnight on the 31st January 2011. Fortunately, despite a gale and the surrounding cliffs and mountains, all 14 men on board were airlifted to safety by the Stornoway coastguard helicopter.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

May.

The Mull of Kintyre is a rather committing paddle. The tide was moving at  6 knots and even in benign conditions there was no landing for 25km. It sticks out into the North Channel which separates Scotland from Ireland. On this misty day there was no sign of Ireland and we felt like we were paddling round the edge of the World.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

June.

Kylie the dolphin can often be found near Ardlamont buoy at the

mouth of the the Kyles of Bute.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

July.

Murray's Isles lie in the mouth of Fleet Bay on the Solway Firth. In early summer they host noisy colonies of cormorants and gulls. The cormorants need to keep a watchful eye on their eggs and chicks as the gulls swoop down on any unguarded nest. It is a wonderful experience to drift in the tide past the colonies in kakak and watch, hear and smell the constant activity.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

August.

Nothing can be finer than paddling across the mouth of Loch Fyne on a summer evening.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

September.

The surf beach at Machrihanish is exposed to the North Atlantic swell and extends for over 6 kilometers. It is probably wise not to surf a fully laden sea kayak in amongst the surfers. The dune system behind the beach is one of the largest in Scotland.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

October.

Shoe Bay is easily missed as it is hidden in the skerries at the mouth of Loch Moidart. The name comes from the very soft sand which swallows footwear!

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

November.

The dramatic outline of An Sgurr is the highest point of Eigg in the Sea of the Hebrides.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

December.

This is the view to the Small Isles from the silver sands of Morar Bay.  The bay is shallow and tidal and in a westerly wind, steep breaking waves build up as the ebb tide rushes over sandbars. On this trip the wind was from the east and all was calm.

Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

Beady eyes and incontinent cormorants on the Murray's Isles.

 I was bound for the Murray's Isles which house a cormorant colony on their rocky crest.

From their lofty perch the cormorants can watch for...

...passing shoals of fish.

 Then a leisurely flap of ...

 ..their wings and they are off on a fishing trip...

 ...to feed their hungry chicks.  However, one adult always remains at the nest to protect the chicks as hungry herring gulls also nest in close proximity to the cormorants and are quick to swoop down on an undefended egg or chick. The cormorants' prime nest sites sit atop rocky pillars and by late summer...

 ...the rocks are caked in their white guano. Photographs can neither capture the sounds or the smell of a sea bird colony. The cormorants are bigger than the...

 ...the gulls but the gulls are patient, waiting for any opportunity to raid...

...a cormorant's nest.

 The gulls are also breeding  and...

 ...their chicks hop about the rocks in large groups before...

 ...they are fledged and take their...

 ...first flight down to the sea where they bob about in perfect camouflage.

This adult was keeping her beady eye on her chick and saw me off the premises.

A Midsummer dawn on the Solway.

We have just passed the shortest day but my thoughts have recently gone back half of a year to when I was last on the water. It was a short but wonderful trip on the Solway in south west Scotland in the glorious summer of 2013. I arrived on the beach just as the sun was rising, it was shortly after 5am.

I soon had the boat at the water's edge and although there was not a breath of wind, I rigged the sail as a breeze was forecast to pick up as the day progressed.

The water temperature was 18C so the sea felt like warm tea on my bare feet compared with the chill of the dawn air. Where was I off to that required such an early start...?

Selkirk Arms Hotel, Kirkcudbright.

From the landing place at Kirkcudbright harbour it...

 ...is a short 400m walk (even for a hungry and thirsty kayaker)...

...through the town's quiet historic streets to...

 ...the Selkirk Arms Hotel. The hotel has a long history and Robert Burns wrote the "Selkirk Grace" here in 1794.
“Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat, and we can eat, And sae the Lord be thankit”

The current owners have taken full advantage of the proximity of the Kirkcudbright fishing fleet and serve a variety of seafood dishes in the hotel's restaurant, bistro and bar.

The local speciality is king scallops. These were succulent and perfectly cooked. They were served with a green pea puree and crispy slivers of pork belly.

 Needless to say the Guinness was perfect and the lobster.... This delicately cooked lobster had been delivered to the hotel kitchen just a couple of hours before our arrival. It was beautifully shelled and presented and was served with a little garlic butter and parsley sauce. Stunning.

 The monkfish had been landed that morning and the tails in crispy batter were served with a contrasting sweet salad and local chutney.

Not everyone likes fish and the roast pheasant was a tantalising on the tongue alternative. The thinly sliced breast meat was tender and moist and was served on a potted bed of diced leg meat and black pudding. The thick, tasty sauce from the juices had clearly been reduced for hours.

Those with simpler tastes were also well catered for. The Selkirk Burger was home made using local Galloway steak and served with crispy local dry cured bacon, lettuce and tomato. The chutney was locally made from red onions.

The service was the perfect blend of efficient and attentive without being over fussy. (Not once did I hear that dreaded command "ENJOY".)

This was a stunning table of food and I highly recommend that sea kayakers in the area make a visit for a drink and or a meal. Those from further afield could also stay in the hotel's rooms.

So how does the Selkirk Arms rate as a sea kayaking pub? Well I have had to take a mark off because it is not visible from the water and another mark off because it is a 400m walk from the slipway. So adding it all up the Selkirk Arms Hotel scores 11/10 and so rates as one of the finest sea kayaking pubs in Scotland. One of the owners, Chris, is also a sea kayaker and you may even bump into him on the water!

Coming and going and leaving a wake at Kirkcudbright.

Behind us, the wind was funneling through The Sound between Little Ross and the mainland and it was with...

 ...great anticipation that we launched the sails. We were soon averaging 9km/hr and hitting 19km/hr when planing on a wave. This return trip was going to be a much quicker than the outward trip, when both wind and tide were against us and we had averaged just 5km/hr.

We were making such speedy progress that we were leaving a definite wake behind us. It soon became apparent that Tony's Alaw Bach was planing for much shorter bursts than the Aries. We had noticed this previously in Fleet Bay and now Tony, Mike and myself have all replaced our Alaw Bachs with Aries kayaks. The Alaw Bach is a superb sea kayak but for some reason it is not so suited to paddle sailing as the Aries.

 As it was just coming up for high water we did not need to keep to the narrow buoyed channel which...

 ...was just as well as the scallop dredgers from Kirkcudbright were making their way out to sea, Proud as we were of our wakes we couldn't quite match the wakes of these stout vessels.

Approaching Kirkcudbright* harbour, we kept out of the fishing boats' way by keeping inside the end of the marina pontoon.

 Once past the marina we made a quick sprint for the slipway before the remaining fishing fleet departed.

We arrived exactly at high water and so the top of the harbour slipway was dry and not too slippy. If you use this slipway in the wet be careful as it is both steep and slippery. Just a few weeks later than our trip a man slipped and suffered a nasty head injury.

Tony's wife kindly brought the car round and we only had a few feet from water to car roof rack!

Although we had not been able to paddle round the coast past Abbey Head (due to the live firing at Kirkcudbright Range) we had a most enjoyable paddle of 18.4km in Kirkcudbright Bay and Little Ross was well worth a visit. The contrast between the enclosed tidal River Dee at Kirkcudbright and the lively conditions in Little Ross Sound at the mouth of the bay could hardly be greater. If you just wanted some park and play in the Little Ross Sound tide race choose a spring tide (HW will be about 1300 in summer) on the ebb against a S-SW wind. The nearest launch place to park easily is Brighouse Bay. It is an 8km round trip to the Sound and back. Take a folding trolley as the tide goes out in Brighouse Bay for 600m. Remember that this fun little race will carry you out into the main south west going Solway ebb which runs at 4 knots springs. This will take you to a fun filled rocky landfall at the Burrow Head tiderace, some 21km away across the mouth of Wigtown Bay.

* A phonetic note for non Gallovidians, Kirkcudbright is pronounced Kir-coo-bri. It means the church of St Cuthbert.