Thinkpad Fan Noise Problem: Light at the End of the Tunnel

[user54]

any way to get this to work on an e520? no luck so far...

[troubadix]

everything 's quite different on E520...work in progress ...

[user54]

everything 's quite different on E520...work in progress ...

hi troubadix - thanks for your reply. good to hear there might be a fix. do you have a ballpark timescale for e520 compatibility?

[paulhutch]

Hi

Very unhappy the fan noise from my brand new Edge 320 Thinkpad - and unfortunately, TPFancontrol doesn't seem to work: sensor 10 (PCI) displayed as 123 degrees right from initial boot up, and doesn't change. I thought it was working at first, but the fan doesn't seem to run when required. I'm so grateful to the creator of this little piece of software (works a treat in my T41) - is a version for the E320 in the works? When might it be ready - the noise is really starting to get on my nerves...

Are there any interim solutions which I can use in the meantime?

Thanks
Paul

PS This problem has been around for years, since the IBM days. i wonder why Lenovo hasn't fixed it...?

[paulhutch]

PS Does anyone know what the difference is supposed to be between "Active" and "Passive" cooling in the Power Options section of COntrol panel?

I got a bit excited when i saw "Passive" cooling, but the fan still seems to run.. (This is without TPFancontrol installed).

Thanks

[paulhutch]

Update re Edge E320

I've installed the latest version of TP Fan Control on my E320. I had to go into the .ini fiel and tell it to ignore sensor 10 (PCI) as it was showing 123 degrees all the time, evne when cold.

The utility works now - sort of. The fan starts in the 60 - 65 degree range for the CPU - but there are a few problems:

i) While working the CPU just a little bit (watching steraming video), the fan cycles off and on every 30-60 seconds.

ii) When the fan starts, it spins up to a fast speed making a lot of noise and then slows down to around 828 RPM (Level 1)

iii) Even Level 1 is too noisy - a quite noticeable whining noise, which gets worse when I place any pressure on the wrist rest


I think the main issue here is that the Level 1 speed is too fast (and too noisy). If it would run at a slower speed, teh temp would stay lower, the noise would be less and there wouldn't be the on/off cycling (more hysteresis).

I'm also a bit surprised by teh Level indicated spped of aroun 828 rpm. Level 1 speed under TPFc on my t41 is shown as 2862 rpm, with mush less noise. But perhaps the differences is Level 1 speed and noise are beacuse of differneces in fan design.

Does anyone know if it is possible to set the Level 1 speed to a lower figure? I've looked in the .ini file and can't see a way to do it. Is it fixed by the BIOS / embedded controller?

Also: anyone knoe the difference between "active" and Passive" cooling in teh Power Controller? Doesn't seem to make any difference..

Thanks


PS As I write this, tehfan is doing its "spin up fast / settle / spin down" cycling routine - quite annoying, even more so than just running conitunously under the BIOS
(As I write this, the fan has just spun up to high speed, then down again - quite annoying, almost more irritating than the contnuous running which occurs under BIOS control.)

[troubadix]

do you have a ballpark timescale for e520 compatibility?

... this will be a Christmas present

[troubadix]

beta-version of Christmas present :

http://www.staff.uni-marburg.de/~schmit ... _setup.zip

remarks appreciated

[Matthew_Greening]

First of all, a big thank you to troubadix for all the work he puts into developing the TPFC. It is something that Lenovo should be doing themselves.

I was about the purchase the L520 due to its better 1600x900 display over the Asus P43E but it seems that Asus at least did their homework when it comes to programming the fan correctly.

Can you please give me an update on the fan noise problem for the L520? Some people suggest that it is solvable by using the TPFC but it seems that this is not entirely true. I am left a bit confused.

Did anyone get an official response from Lenovo and why was the fan noise problem not mentioned in the NotebookCHECK review of the L520?

Does this mean that simply uninstalling Lenovo powermanager and hotkeymanager will make TPFanControl work without the system randomly entering sleep mode?

Or are other Lenovo programs accessing the controller in an uncoordinated manner as well?

At this point I would gladly give up some Lenovo functionality for a quiet machine.

Bardamu, do you have any luck with your L520 fan issue?

Are there any downsides to uninstalling the Lenovo powermanager and hotkeymanager?

Edit:

It seems that the issue has been addressed for the W520 series. See:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/keithcombs/a ... field.aspx

[popcod]

Just downloaded tpfc.62 to prevent my t420 from running at 2000rpm at idle - this after using a previous version to extend the life of a dying fan for *years* on my T60p. Thanks troubadix!

Just one question: Does anyone have any advice for custom smart-settings on a t420 i5 with discrete graphics (or any t420 for that matter)? Mine idles around 45C-50C with my typical usage and BIOS settings enabled, significantly lower than my T60. For this reason, I've oped for the following settings (default only slightly modified):

Level=50 0
Level=55 1
Level=65 3
Level=70 5
Level=75 7
Level=80 128

Does that seem sensible? Should I even bother with that state-5 setting? And are there any mechanical disadvantages to using the full range of settings (0-7) in 5 degree intervals? I'm not really concerned about noise, but would really like to ensure that I get the longest life out of my components (fan included!).

[Johan]

This post only to make "fan-noise readers" aware of the thread New methods to reduce the fan noise in a T60 or in a T60p which may be interesting to some readers here.

I'm not quite sure which ThinkPad models the Worlds first intelligent aftermarket ThinkPad Fan Controller chip (board) mentioned in that thread actually support; inquire directly with the developer, and share any information here.

Johan

[fzelle]

@troubadix:
my new TP X121e I3 2367 is running well with tpfancontrol but there is something odd.
That pci and xc3 sometimes pop up with 123° is easy to handle by setting them to ignore,
but the gpu seems to have an offset of -60 and shows a 1 probably at 61°.
if i put the offset into the ini, the gpu always has at least 60° which means the fan will stay on the 60° level.

It would be better to only use the offet if the value is more then 0.
now i have to ignore gpu which is not really good.

[len]

beta-version of Christmas present :

http://www.staff.uni-marburg.de/~schmit ... _setup.zip

remarks appreciated

Hi troubadix,

Thank you for your great effort. I have got a E520 with Core i5 2430M just about a month and really annoyed with the pulsing fan noise. This is what I have noticed:
1. BIOS setup mode - the fan constantly runs at high speed (if restarted a running machine and constantly runs at low speed if just started the cold machine)

2. Windows 7 with battery and full brightness - the fan revs up occassionally which seems more usual.

3. Windows 7 with AC - Fan revs up in almost every minute or two and runs for few seconds.

4. Ubuntu from USB stick - Fan runs at constant low speed for most of the time, occassionally revs up

All of the above are for daily use of web surfing, music and vdo use.

I have tried the Tpfancontrol for this machine developed by yourself. With this tool the machine works better during normal use. The temp of cpu is around 50-53' c goes up to 60'c when watching online tv and fan kicks in for a min or two then off again for 2/3 min till it reaches 60'c again.

I have contacted the lenovo support and they are saying the following:
"our depot engineers will investigate the issue and replace all the parts that they find to be faulty. I also have to advise you that the issue you are experiencing might not be a fault after all and it might just the way that the machine is designed to run.

My strong advice is to have the machine investigated in our Repair Centre, as per warranty terms and condition, as identify the problem."

My question is:
1. is it normal to behave like this?
2. is it a hardware problem?

Apology for the long email. It will be very much appreciated if you could response.

Rgards,
Len

[troubadix]

Hi Len,

I developed this special versin of TPFC from distance without having an E520 at my finger tips and only by email connecton to an collaborating owner of an E520. Keep this in mind when I anwers to your questions:

1. sounds like normal behaviour
2. I guess not, but after a while of operation the fan can get clogged

My proposals: running videos change to "Smart Mode Hot" by system tray icon menue or edit the degree values in TPFancontrol.ini for your needs. First number behind equal sign in each line, second number controls fanspeed (where 255 means 0 rpm, 0 means max. rpm), default:

Level=50 255
Level=60 196
Level=70 169
Level=80 140
Level=85 126
Level=90 0

after editing .ini stop TPFC an have it restarted.

Best regards, troubadix

[kstuart]

Hi,

I am using TP Fan Control v 62 on a T43 running WinXP.

When I sleep the T43, and bring it out of sleep, TP Fan Control starts acting strangely - it will stop responding to input and it will bring the fan speed up in really short bursts (sort of like revving a car engine).

That only ends if I kill the process, at which point, the fan goes up in speed for awhile.

At that point, a reboot will solve the problem.

Unfortunately, this Forum does not have a "search this thread" facility, so I cannot tell if this problem has previously been reported.

[Insomniac1971]

Hello to all:) Is there any chance one of you have a solution like TPFC, for Lenovo 3000 V100?

I'm running TPFC on my T61, and that is actually what keeps it alive from the infamous nVidia probleme, and I would really like to have TPFC for my gf's Lenovo 3000 V100 but it seems thats not available.

I tried Speedfan but it is not good enough and when playing games the core 2 duo heats up to 75-80 degrees celsius.

Hope for a solution and thanx in advance:)

JBJ

[BenC]

@troubadix

Hi:

I am really not that great with computers, but I can't stand the noise from the fan. I called LeNovo and they were no help at all. Thank God for your program.

Here is my situation:

I bought a T420 as follows:

Processor :Intel Core i7-2640M Processor (2.80GHz, 4MB L3, 1333MHz with Intel HD Graphics 3000)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
System graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
Total memory: 8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Hard drive: 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Can you please tell me what mode I should have TPFC.62 in?
BIOS Mode?
Smart Mode?
Manual Mode?

Also, what number (0-7) should I put in the bottom?

Thanks,
Ben.

[Stansfield]

Hi guys,

I've installed TPFanControl 0.62 on my X61 Tablet (C2D 1.6) a few days ago, and it's great (thank you Shimodax and Troubadix for that!), apart from one major problem.. Every now and then my system suddenly just crashes (and not with a Win shut down or a BSOD, the computer just dies). Of course, first thing I did is I've uninstalled TP Power Manager and the Power Manager driver, but it didn't help. I've also checked if it only happens during Smart mode, and no, in BIOS mode (or Manual) it happens just the same. In random moments, once every hour or so, and independently of the temperature or fan speed.

I'd appreciate any help (perhaps I should configure it somehow for the X61?), cause the only thing I can do now is uninstall it, and I'd hate to do that..

Thanks, cheers
Stan

[Stansfield]

Can you please tell me what mode I should have TPFC.62 in?
BIOS Mode?
Smart Mode?
Manual Mode?

Also, what number (0-7) should I put in the bottom?

Thanks,
Ben.

Hi Ben,

in BIOS Mode the fan just works like if there was no TPFC
in Smart Mode TPFC smartly sets the fan speed depending on the CPU temperature, generally lower than BIOS does to make it quieter
in Manual Mode you can set the speed manually, and that's what the number is for (0= fan off, 7= fan at maximum). This setting doesn't change anything unless you're in Manual mode.

Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Stan

[BenC]

[/quote]

Hi Ben,

in BIOS Mode the fan just works like if there was no TPFC
in Smart Mode TPFC smartly sets the fan speed depending on the CPU temperature, generally lower than BIOS does to make it quieter
in Manual Mode you can set the speed manually, and that's what the number is for (0= fan off, 7= fan at maximum). This setting doesn't change anything unless you're in Manual mode.

Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Stan[/quote]

Hi Stan:

That does help a lot, but I am still unsure if it is safe for me to use tpfc.62.

I have left it in smart mode for the last few days and I have noticed that the fan seems to stay off until the cpu temp hits about 63 degrees celcius. For example, my cpu temp is now 69 degrees celcius and the fan is on at 1963 rpm. (the temp dropped to 63 degrees as I finished this message and the fan has stopped.)

Does this seem safe for the cpu?

Is 63 degrees too hot to wait for the fan to come on?

Ben.

[kstuart]

You change the threshold temperatures in the .ini file, they probably need to be different for each model. The included ini file is only for one particular model, and even that is only one person's opinion of it.

If you need more info on that, there should be some in this thread, scan through until you find it.

[BenC]

You change the threshold temperatures in the .ini file, they probably need to be different for each model. The included ini file is only for one particular model, and even that is only one person's opinion of it.

If you need more info on that, there should be some in this thread, scan through until you find it.

This is very interesting. So if the BIOS turns on the fan at 44 degrees celcius rather than 60 degrees celcius, this means that the makers of the T420 (who made the BIOS) think that this is what the T420 needs and, if I change this setting using TPFC, then how could I or anyone else know better than the makers of the T420 what is needed for the T420?

Would the makers of the T420 have any motive to make the fan come on any earlier than is necessary?

[Stansfield]

Would the makers of the T420 have any motive to make the fan come on any earlier than is necessary?

Well yeah, they prefer to be safe than sorry.. default thresholds are always a lot 'on the safe side', same thing as with overclocking a CPU or even chiptuning a car for that matter. There's always some 'safety margin', and by default it's a big one.

By comparison I can tell how it looks on my X61t with Core2Duo 1.6: my CPUs average temp is 68-70C now (largely due to my fan which is probably near the end if its life judging by the sounds it's making, and it's the second one already), and it's been like that for several months now, with no apparent damage to the CPU. When my first fan started failing I had exactly the same situation, used the system with constant >70C temperatures (sometimes up to 85C even) for a few months until the fan died completely, and evth is still fine (I've been using it for 4 years now, the first fan died like 2 years ago).

So no, you shouldn't be worried about the temperatures. In Smart mode my fan was kicking in also at over 60C (around 65C even) and evth was fine. I suggest you just experiment with the thresholds until you find the right balance between temperature and noise for your system..

Cheers,
Stan

[erikgoranzon]

Does anyone know how to change the ini file so that the fan only runs on 1000-1500rpm all the time or maybe change the critical temperatur to a lower temp and the good temp to a little higher?
Thanks

[Davs]

Hi!
I've tryed your e520 edition on my e420, it works ok. My porblem is, that i have switchable graphics (hd3000+amd hd6630M) and the fan control works ONLY if im on the AMD card..while on it, the fan speed is automatic, based on the temps, but when i switch back to IGP (intel), i simply cannot modify the fan speed, and it does not regulate itself, it stays the same...so if i switch back to IGP from the AMD card, while the fan is not spinning, it wont spin on IGP (until i switch back to AMD), no matter the temps..basically i cannot do much things on the IGP, because my fan won't spin, which will cause overheat..any ideas?

[templink]

I just installed TPFC.62 on my new T420s because I was irritated with fan noise while computer was at idle. After installing TPFC using default installation (no settings changed), I've been using the laptop now in lovely silence - fan is OFF (hooray!). TPFC says my CPU is at 46 to 48C and Fan 0.

I'm not concerned about overheating - all I do is use the laptop for typing in Word and web surfing. No number crunching or video watching. I'm assuming the fan will come on if the CPU heats up. Anyway, my initial experience with TPFC after one hour of use is that this is a great utility. I'm happy with it as it appears to be working.

Thank you for a great program!

If anyone with a T420s cares to share non-default settings that are more appropriate to this model, please do!

[djunkmayl]

Hi there.

I have an edge e420s (onboard graphics), bios v1.36. When it kicks in, the fan runs for an unnecessarily long time, so I'd like to raise the "switch off" temperature for the fan.

In tpfancontrol (both the standard and the e520 versions), the fan doesn't seem to be detected: they both report 0 RPM, regardless of the fan state. Manually setting the fan state has no effect.

I've also tried controlling the fan in Linux, but have the same problem: eg $ sensors reports the presence of the fan, but always gives the speed as 0 RPM.

Has anybody else experienced something similar, either on this model or another? Any suggestions on how to see (and hopefully change) the fan speed?

Thanks

[fmvk]

Hello guys!

Did anyone tried to get TPFanControl sensor values for developing a Rainmeter plugin? I am using a T60p, and I have started building a plugin for Rainmeter, but after a while, I didnt get any values from TPFC.

Troubadix, if you are reading this, can you elaborate does the TPFC have a WMI interface? Or some other kind of API?

It would be great to access its data, and display it in a Rainmeter, because CoreTemp can only access ACPI temperatures. There is nothing besides TPFC that can access Embedded Controller, and get CPU, GPU, Fan speed etc.


Best regards! Hope from hearing soon!

[pustekuchencak3]

Lenovo has again problems concerning the fan. This time it's the Edge E430 and E530 : the fan is pulsing all the time (2-3 seconds frequency!!) after it has started blowing a bit stronger and then calms down. Here are two links (English & German Lenovo Community):

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-Ed ... d-p/797577
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Edge-Serie- ... d-p/831745

...and Lenovo doesn't want to/can't help. It's such a shame

[Andre12390]

I have a Thinkpad Edge E320 with the following specs:
Processor: Intel Core i5 2450m 2.5Ghz - 3.1Ghz
Memory: RAM 8GB DDR3 1333Mhz
Graphics: Intel HD 3000 Series
ATI/AMD Radeon HD 6630m
(Switchable graphics)
Hard Drive: 320GB Seagate, 7200rpm

My laptop does sometimes makes loud fan noises, but only when im playing a game on steam like mw2 or mw3. It runs medium sound when watching hd videos in 1080p or if I have alot of programs open. It runs quiet almost always on intel graphics, when on AMD it runs medium-quiet when just browsing the internet.

That aside, my real question was: Can my laptop use up to 16GB of ram (More than 12GB but up to 16GB)? Because on the Lenovo Solution Centre it says it can and on 2 websites that sell RAM it says the same thing however on Crucial it says I can support a maximum of 8GB. :s