T42 in Tropics

[ranjit]

Hi All,

I live in the tropics where the average day temperature is 33 degrees C (~95 degrees F)! I have a T42 (2373-NUA) which is running fine except the constant running of the fan, both when connected to AC and on battery. I have the latest BIOS (v3.14) and ECP (V3.04).

What I am noticing is when I am in a non-airconditioned room, the fan runs at blazing speed and I can hear the noise loud and clear. When I am in an airconditioned room, the fan runs at a much lower speed, and the noise is vastly reduced.

Is this fan behavior normal? does it have anything to do with the problems associated with the latest BIOS? Will I notce any difference if I flash the BIO to the earlier version (V3.13)?

Cheers and best regards,
Ranjit

[Leon]

you don't WANT a differnt behavior... when the temp is 33 degrees C you WANT the fan to blaze.....

[rhema83]

I second that. The fan is running to cool your system, so it's working and working well! Don't try to stop it unless you want a meltdown. Of course, working in an air-conditioned room will be optimal (for both the computer and you).

Where I'm studying now, the indoor temperature is about 20C and the fan rarely runs. But when I travelled to the tropics during summer, the indoor temperature was about 29C and the fan was spinning up way more frequently especially when I played games.

[Tan Mann]

I second that. The fan is running to cool your system, so it's working and working well! Don't try to stop it unless you want a meltdown. Of course, working in an air-conditioned room will be optimal (for both the computer and you).

I third that!
Ranjit, you might very well be able to reduce the noise level by doing the folllowing;

- From the Battery maximizer Wizard,
Set your CPU to Adaptive
Set your hard disk to turn OFF after 10 minutes

Make these setting the same on BOTH the AC and the Battery settings.

This should reduce the fan speed and hence reduce the noise level...

FWIW.

[esquire]

I was in Nigeria last year and am now in Kenya with my T42. It does get hot, my advice, be careful what surface you use when working on your laptop. ie. if you use it while in bed on top of your covers it willl get really hot!
... perhaps in the same line of logic, don't use it on your bare legs!

What I do is get a thick coffeetable size book and put that underneith, or use just use it on a plain flat surface.

All things considered though, the new centrino chips are MUCH cooler than the older one's thinkpads used to use. I dare say they would survive temperatures short of melting.

You didn't say where you are, but if the power fluctuates, make sure you sue a surge protector, nothing worse than a melted power supply! (happened to me!)

[ranjit]

Hi esquire,

I think you are absolutely right about placing the laptop on a solid surface. I notice that the feet of the T42 (and all the newer ones, I guess) is not as flat as the earlier laptops to create some room underneath the laptop presumably for the air flow and for better cooling of the CPU.

By placing the laptop on top of the sheets blocks this space completely thereby increasing the temperature. I have done this myself a couple of times without realizing what I was doing. Lesson learned! Thanks for the input.

Cheers and best regards,
Ranjit

[ranjit]

Hi esquire,

Btw, I am in Malaysia.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[slasko]

A notebook cooler might help reduce the temperatues, but then you got the noise from the cooler instead

http://www.hardwarecooling.com/default.php/cPath/33

[ehd]

i used my t21 in singapore for a year.. and i was surprised to have my very first bluescreen there.. i think it was a combination of not turning off my laptop, humidity, and heat. yea those tropical climates really arent that good for computing in general it seems =( oh and i remembered getting shocked a lot too while typing =/

[Leon]

a lesser laptop would have died.......

[anthean]

I wasn't aware of notebook coolers until just now. (Duh . . . )

So, I have a bizarre thought--do any companies make combined docking stations/notebook coolers ?

[Leon]

not that I ever heard of....