fan always running

[Guest]

Hi,
I hope this is the good forum for my question. If not please point me to
a better one.

Whenever I start my Toshiba A30 notebook the fan starts running at an
annoying noise level. However, the HD remains at about 32 to 35° C ,
according to speedfan. In addition, from time to time, the fan
accelerates and then gets really noisy.

I also tried to control the CPU temperature because I thought this were
the reason of the continuously running fan but neither SpeedFan nor
BatteryStatus (which also provides CPU and HD temperature) can monitor
it. They only show the HD temperature and with 32°C this should be ok.

In addition, sometimes the notebook just shuts down, without any
warning. I now put the end of the notebook an a bar so that the air can
always pass under the pc, and I have the impression that this helps.

I would like to stop the always running fan and reduce its noise.

Can my RAM extension be the reason ?

To make the Toshiba A30 run better and be able to install WinXP SP3 I
upgraded it from 256 MB to 2,0 GB RAM which is the maximum RAM size
according to the manual. I used the Kingston website for selecting and
purchasing the CPU so I guess I bought the good extensions.

If the RAM extension were the reason of the fan always running this
would mean that if the A30 gets the full load of RAM it overheats. Right ?

Are there people here on the forum who had the same problem with a noisy
notebook after upgrading the RAM ?

TIA

- ft

 

[JS]

Well you can test your theory out buy removing the
ram you installed and revert back to the original 256MB.

If the fans slows down to the point of being quite again
the its the extra heat being created by the additional ram.
If the fan noise remains then it could be the fan is failing
and needs to be replaced.

The sudden shutdown could be an indication of CPU
overheating (causing higher fan speeds) or ram you
purchased is not fully compatible with your notebook.

Try:the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool
http://www.crucial.com/store/listmfgr.asp?cat=RAM

See if what Cruical recommends closely matches
the specifications of what you bought from Kingston.

 

[Gerry]

ft

I have never owneded a laptop but two thoughts spring to mind.

High dust levels can cause over heating, Check inside casing using an Air
Duster if problem apparent.

Air circulation is important but hard computer casing up against another
hard object does cause noise to resonate. I have noticed this with modems
etc residing on my desktop computer.

--


Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Peter Foldes]

Speedfan? Not very accurate and not even close to the actual temp. Just for fun
download Aida32 and check the tmp sensor there. You be amazed. You can also download
Everest and see the tmp there.

 

[Paul]

Hi,
I hope this is the good forum for my question. If not please point me to
a better one.

Whenever I start my Toshiba A30 notebook the fan starts running at an
annoying noise level. However, the HD remains at about 32 to 35° C ,
according to speedfan. In addition, from time to time, the fan
accelerates and then gets really noisy.

I also tried to control the CPU temperature because I thought this were
the reason of the continuously running fan but neither SpeedFan nor
BatteryStatus (which also provides CPU and HD temperature) can monitor
it. They only show the HD temperature and with 32°C this should be ok.

In addition, sometimes the notebook just shuts down, without any
warning. I now put the end of the notebook an a bar so that the air can
always pass under the pc, and I have the impression that this helps.

I would like to stop the always running fan and reduce its noise.

Can my RAM extension be the reason ?

To make the Toshiba A30 run better and be able to install WinXP SP3 I
upgraded it from 256 MB to 2,0 GB RAM which is the maximum RAM size
according to the manual. I used the Kingston website for selecting and
purchasing the CPU so I guess I bought the good extensions.

If the RAM extension were the reason of the fan always running this
would mean that if the A30 gets the full load of RAM it overheats. Right ?

Are there people here on the forum who had the same problem with a noisy
notebook after upgrading the RAM ?

TIA

- ft

On this web page, it shows how dust can clog the cooler on the CPU.
The procedure is not user friendly - if they made the two fans
a removable assembly, it might have been possible to get at
the dust collection point directly.

http://icrontic.com/articles/clean_laptop_heatsink

And yes, adding RAM can make the machine warmer. The technical
documents don't always list a value, but those modules might
be 5 watts apiece, based on some other modules. Cleaning your
cooler should help.

Paul

 

[Guest]

Speedfan? Not very accurate and not even close to the actual temp. Just
for fun download Aida32 and check the tmp sensor there. You be amazed.
You can also download Everest and see the tmp there.

So I installed Aida32. Thanks for the hint. CPUID says that a thermal
monitor is supported (but not thermal monitor 2) but where is it located
? I don't see any icon or text info - ?

 

[Guest]

On this web page, it shows how dust can clog the cooler on the CPU.
The procedure is not user friendly - if they made the two fans
a removable assembly, it might have been possible to get at
the dust collection point directly.

http://icrontic.com/articles/clean_laptop_heatsink

And yes, adding RAM can make the machine warmer. The technical
documents don't always list a value, but those modules might
be 5 watts apiece, based on some other modules. Cleaning your
cooler should help.

Paul

Impressive, thanks for that link. All the remarks here hint to the
clogging of the heat sink as a source of my always running fan.

 

[SC Tom]

So I installed Aida32. Thanks for the hint. CPUID says that a thermal
monitor is supported (but not thermal monitor 2) but where is it located ?
I don't see any icon or text info - ?

Download and run HWMonitor http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php
It works very well on my Asus board with no configuring or guessing. Nice
little standalone program.

SC Tom

 

[Guest]

Download and run HWMonitor http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php
It works very well on my Asus board with no configuring or guessing. Nice
little standalone program.

SC Tom

I immediately tried it, but the Toshiba only provides the CPU
temperature, not all of the data the the CPUID website shows.
http://www.cijoint.fr/cjlink.php?file=cj200903/cijRUMvtw1.bmp

So, the CPU now runs at about 35° C, just several minuts after a
shutdown operated by the notebook. SThis seems ok, I guess.

anyway, I shall have to open the heatsink, but I shall do this when my
other pc is again linked to the internet
thanks for the hint.

- ft

 

[Paul]

I immediately tried it, but the Toshiba only provides the CPU
temperature, not all of the data the the CPUID website shows.
http://www.cijoint.fr/cjlink.php?file=cj200903/cijRUMvtw1.bmp

So, the CPU now runs at about 35° C, just several minuts after a
shutdown operated by the notebook. SThis seems ok, I guess.

anyway, I shall have to open the heatsink, but I shall do this when my
other pc is again linked to the internet
thanks for the hint.

- ft

If you remember what the airflow was like when the laptop was
new, and compare it to how it feels now, that might give you
some idea whether it is plugged or not. Also, if you have
pets in the area you work, that would increase the odds that
the thing is plugged up.

35C is a pretty good temperature for a CPU, but you should be
testing the laptop under computing load. Only under load
will you know the true health of the cooling system. If you
don't know of a program to load down the CPU, you can use
Prime95 for that. A computer should be able to run at
full computing load, without overheating. If it overheats,
then it needs better cooling.

http://majorgeeks.com/Prime95_d4363.html

(Select "stop" and "exit" when finished with Prime95.)

Paul