hi all , i have a new laptop which is not very high spec but i have rendered some pics with poser just to test it out. the spec is 6gb ram , intel core i3 proccesser, intel hd graphics. Problem i have noticed is my cpu is hitting 100 % usage everytime i render....would i be better not to do any rendering?

use whatever you have to.  ive rendered with my laptop while traveling.

if its a laptop the most important thing is to make sure the cooling vents arent obscured - ie: not sitting on your lap or on a blanket and partially blocked.

you can tune your render settings to render quicker, but AFAIK unless you are using a CPU throttling app your CPU usage is going to hit 100% regardless.

Quote - use whatever you have to.  ive rendered with my laptop while traveling.

if its a laptop the most important thing is to make sure the cooling vents arent obscured - ie: not sitting on your lap or on a blanket and partially blocked.

you can tune your render settings to render quicker, but AFAIK unless you are using a CPU throttling app your CPU usage is going to hit 100% regardless.

 so if i keep the vents clear  - do you think its safe to keep rendering without screwing up my laptop? i would be gutted if i couldnt render....

I only have Poser on my laptop, and it's specs aren't as powerful as yours. I have been at it for almost 2 years without any problems.

Quote - so if i keep the vents clear  - do you think its safe to keep rendering without screwing up my laptop? i would be gutted if i couldnt render....

sure. you can download a program like SpeedFan to monitor your CPU core temp (as well as other stats like HDD SMART status). blow out the vents with compressed air now and then, and render with the laptop on a desk instead of a comforter, and you should be fine.

if you DO run into overheating issues you can throttle your processor, at the cost of rendering speed.

I have used my laptop also for rendering, no issues.  What OS are you using? What Poser are you using?

Quote - I have used my laptop also for rendering, no issues.  What OS are you using? What Poser are you using?

im using windows 7 with poser pro 2010.

My laptop is a dual core Toshiba which I use for rendering. I have never had a problem with it but I do use it on a desk.

The laptop has power settings and mine is set for 'power saving' for battery life, which says it limits the processor speed. 

I'd use whatever I had. My towers are nowhere near as powerful as modern laptops, anyhow. The advice on keeping the vents clear is spot on; I've managed to fry a couple of boards in my towers, due to them getting clogged with dust and cat hair. Not smoking around your computers helps, too. The sticky tar residue gets into the box and gives dust an extra something to cling to. Does the computer a world of good, that does. You could also train a desk fan onto the laptop. It certainly won't hurt and it's a very simple solution.

Check out Ebay or Amazon for Laptop Coolers if you want to ease your mind a little. Available from no-name, through Belkin to Microsoft brands. Not used one so I can't vouch for their efficiency.

As Sam says, a clean environment is best. Fluff from carpets and bedding soon reduce the heatsinks efficiency. If your laptop is under warranty I would advise caution about removing panels for cleaning.

A good free monitor app is HWMonitor from www.cpuid.com - a pro version is also available if you want to be really nosey.

Poser rendering is pure math.
And Poser will use all available CPU power, so it will allways go to 100% CPU during rendering.

Good cooling, and open vents, and there should be no problem.
A well cooled CPU can hold that load for days.

Having worked for a major hardware manufacturer I can attest to the fact that most laptops are not engineered to have all cores running at 100% for hours on end.  If you do render on a laptop, keep the render settings low to minimize the amount of time spent in a state of "meltdown".

  I have used this model of fan for a while now and it works great to keep my lappy cooled.  -  Belkin F5L001 Laptop Cooling Pad

Its a good point Andrew_DEC makes I nearly killed my Acer 5735 Dual core even on low settings , laptops are not really designed for the pressure that poser demands. PersonallyI think that SM should start and look at GPU supported rendering in poser as it would take a huge amount of pressure off the CPU and speed rendering up aswell since a GPU is dedicated to Graphics rendering.

Studio I hate to say it is ahead of Poser in this sense because its already working on GPU assisted rendering.

Primary machine is a 'desktop replacement'.  Never had any issues running Poser on my portable computer.

Best Wishes,
Rªnce