Laptop fan goes up, then down, then up, then down . . .

betelgeuse4721 · 14 Oct 2011

Hey all,

I have a 3 month old Sager NP8130:
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz
8gb RAM
500gb 7200rpm,
nVidia GeForce GTX 560M 1,536MB
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU

BUT, about a week ago, I noticed that the cooling fan kicks in for a good 10 seconds, then relaxes for about 5 seconds, then back up, then back down - a constant cyclic process.

Any ideas? I've tried the basic troubleshooting of running system scans, restarting, powering off, etc.

Thanks,
Brady

manu44 · 14 Oct 2011

Hi,

I would recommend you to update the BIOS first of all.

essenbe · 14 Oct 2011

You may want to download Coretemp64 or realtemp to keep an eye on the CPU temps. see if you can determine at what temp the fan starts and the temp it cuts off. It may give you an idea whether the fan is doing what it is designed to do or whether it is malfunctioning. It can also give you needed info if you call the manufacturer.

TVeblen · 14 Oct 2011

When is the last time you blew the dust out of that thing?

mjf · 14 Oct 2011

You say it's only 3 months old (& probably still in warranty?) so if it was me I wouldn't be flashing a BIOS for this stage. Also, I wouldn't expect dirt and dust to accumulate badly in 3 months...but who knows.

I'd have a look in the BIOS or any fan control program that came with the PC. My ASUS motherboard has a brickwall fan control option called "Stable" which cycles the CPU fan from 50% to 100% at a specific temperature. I can't say I'd ever use it but sounds similar to what you are hearing.

betelgeuse4721 · 15 Oct 2011

Hey guys, thanks for the responses. I'll try the ideas you all had and post back. Thanks!!

betelgeuse4721 · 25 Oct 2011

****UPDATE GENTLEMEN - I did everything you guys suggested but still no luck.

However, when she is running on battery alone, there is NO fluctuation in the fan.

When she is plugged in, she goes UP and DOWN like it's her business.

Any ideas now?

Thanks,
Brady

TVeblen · 26 Oct 2011

One thing that comes to mind:

On laptops with dedicated graphics and an Intel i-series mobile processor there is "switchable graphics" capability. When on battery power the system will switch automatically to the low power Intel graphic engine contained on the i7 Sandy Bridge chip. When plugged in the system will switch to the dedicated nVidia graphics chip (if you are doing something that requires more processing power).

So my guess is that the issue has something to do with your graphics system.
The first question is "are you doing anything notable that results in this behavior (like playing a video game), or does it occur immediately and constantly? You are looking for clues.

If constant it brings to mind issues people have with certain graphics drivers that have caused these kinds of overheating/fan issues. Updating or rolling back the driver was shown to correct the problem. Something you might consider.

A word of caution: These switchable graphics systems often use a "tandem" driver package available only on the laptop manufacturer's website. These contain both the Intel and nVidia drivers together. People have screwed their systems up when trying to install a stand alone driver from nVidia alone. So check and be sure of what you can and can't do. And most certainly create a System Restore Point before attempting any changes.

You could also play with your W7 power settings. Go to Control Panel > Power Options and in the left column choose " Create a Power Plan". Then use the new plan to change settings to see if they have any effect.

Hope that helps.