4
I have a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pi 2530 and the fan is driving me crazy. It spins up and down all the time. Even a short CPU spike makes it spin up.
Is there a program or a BIOS setting to change the temperature levels at which the fan spins up to various speeds (I think there are four distinct speeds) or make it spin at higher speed all the time so the speed changes don't break my attention?
Tomas Andrle
Posted 2009-07-26T00:24:07.283
Reputation: 2 892
3
Check that you have the latest BIOS for the laptop, this is an area where manufacturers make improvements over time as there is more user experience with the machine. Worth checking anyway for any other improvements that you might benefit from.
Doesn't this machine have a 'whisper mode' when the fan switches to a low speed and the processor runs slower to reduce heat build up? If this profile suits the laptop and your requirements it may provide some mitigation if the problem is just that the replacement fan is a bit noisier than the original (fans the same size can have quite different performance characteristics in throughput, noise and speed as well as different construction and bearings so a like-for-like replacement is quite difficult, leaving aside that even two fans of the same model from the same maker may not behave in just the same way).
mas
Posted 2009-07-26T00:24:07.283
Reputation: 2 431
4
I would suggest getting a can of pressurized air to blow out any dust on the cooling mechanism inside the laptop. I find that electrostatic charges on the heat sink will draw in dust over time and reduce the cooling capacity just the same way a clogged radiator in a car causes it to overheat. Blasting the fins out with a good shot of air usually solves this problem.
This will likely increase the cooling efficiency and reduce the annoying fan whir.
Axxmasterr
Posted 2009-07-26T00:24:07.283
Reputation: 7 584
The fan is actually brand new, it has been replaced. At one point it did get stuck because of dust, I took it to have it repaired immediately. The tech guys said I didn't really need to be worried because the machine would withstand the heat even without the fan altogether. Kind of makes me wonder why they put it in in the first place... – Tomas Andrle – 2009-07-26T09:05:14.957
Some CPUs have adequate heat dissipating assemblies attached to them. In many cases this can keep the CPU cool as long as you are not doing something too crazy. I remember when CPUs did not need cooling fans. Now something to be said about the cooling fins is the fan will help eliminate hot spots which could prevent a burnout.
I built a system a few years back which had a CPU fan that had three settings. One was automatic speed control (Which it sounds like you have) and the other two settings were high and low. The low setting was always adequate and did not make too much noise. – Axxmasterr – 2009-07-26T13:14:18.607
Continued from above. If you run out of other options, you can always replace the fan like I did and go back to enjoying the peace and quiet on the low setting. – Axxmasterr – 2009-07-26T13:16:45.703
2
Try one of these applications, if you use windows
MicTech
Posted 2009-07-26T00:24:07.283
Reputation: 9 888
Unfortunately neither of those detected the fan. They do report temperatures and HDD parameters and such, but not the fans in this machine. – Tomas Andrle – 2009-07-26T09:12:17.313
1
I wouldn't use a 3rd party tool to mess with the fans. They're adjusting based on temperature and Fujitsu should know what their parts are spec'd at. You need to just manage the heat.
Instead check for a power management setting where you can set the CPU speed to a lower speed, or use rmclock to throttle it down. If it's the hard drive causing heat, I dunno, SSD maybe?
Or find another way to remove the heat, like prop the back up for airflow. I don't know of any active laptop coolers that I'd call quiet, but there is a passive cooler by Nexus.
hyperslug
Posted 2009-07-26T00:24:07.283
Reputation: 12 882
Indeed it does have the whisper mode button. And while it's not the solution I was looking for (and I did know about the button when posting the question), it seems it's the only reliable way to cut down the noise a little bit.
The fan still spins up when CPU usage is high but the noise levels are generally lower in this mode. Performance, of course, is also lower. – Tomas Andrle – 2009-07-27T21:59:50.183