Thinkpads Forum

I've received my T400 last week (Centrino 2 P8400, 250GB SATA) and installed Ubuntu 8.10 as operating system. I'm running Ubuntu with the integrated graphics.

Unfortunately the fan is running permanently with a hearable noise. It's not really load but hearable even from several meters distance.

I used an HP nx7000 before and most of the time the fan was completely shut down. It only started when there was a high CPU load for some time. When I check the CPU load of my T400 with the system monitor I see that the CPU load is most of the time very low (between 10-20%) and it never gets above 50%. Why is the fan running permanently with such a low CPU load?

Is your fan running permanently as well?

Update: It seems that it isn't the CPU fan which is that loud in my T400 - it is the harddrive.

I located the noise somewhere over the Thinkpad logo. I don't know if it is a hard drive fan (does something like this exists?) or just the regular hard drive working noise... but it sounds like a fan which is permanently running.

My T400 has a 5400 U/min; 250 GB harddrive SATA with Active Protection System (http://www.uni-notebooks.de/Single-Ansi ... duct]=3521).

Does anyone facing the same problems?
Is the anything I can do to stop this noise?

altes-kind wrote:I've received my T400 last week (Centrino 2 P8400, 250GB SATA) and installed Ubuntu 8.10 as operating system. I'm running Ubuntu with the integrated graphics.

Unfortunately the fan is running permanently with a hearable noise. It's not really load but hearable even from several meters distance.

I used an HP nx7000 before and most of the time the fan was completely shut down. It only started when there was a high CPU load for some time. When I check the CPU load of my T400 with the system monitor I see that the CPU load is most of the time very low (between 10-20%) and it never gets above 50%. Why is the fan running permanently with such a low CPU load?

Is your fan running permanently as well?

You are joking right? Does my T400 really have a fan? It is as quite as the moment after Clint Eastwood told the San Francisco crook... go ahead punk... make my day!

Glad to know there actually IS a fan. In case it ever gets hot.

rdharper wrote:You are joking right? Does my T400 really have a fan? It is as quite as the moment after Clint Eastwood told the San Francisco crook... go ahead punk... make my day!

Glad to know there actually IS a fan. In case it ever gets hot.

As I mentioned in my second post it seems that it isn't the CPU fan which is that loud in my T400 - it is the hard drive. And it's really quite disturbing... I can even hear it when listening to music.

It think I have to change my hard drive manually... so does anyone know a list of _completely_ silent hard drives which are compatible with a Thinkpad T400?

Thanks,
altes-kind

altes-kind wrote: It think I have to change my hard drive manually... so does anyone know a list of _completely_ silent hard drives which are compatible with a Thinkpad T400?

Thanks,
altes-kind

servus, you might wanna get a SSD (Solid State Disk)... no moving parts, quick access. etc. But expensive. Lenovo uses them in some of the X-Models.

You're right... SSDs are completly silent but ways to expensive nowadays. Anyway... do you have some links to compatible SSDs?

And do you know some silent "regualar" harddrives?

altes-kind wrote:

rdharper wrote:Note from Admin: Deleted excessive, nested quotes.

Hard drive making noise? You've got to be kidding. What have you done to a perfectly good system?

No sound from my 250GB 5400 rpm HD. Nor when I add a second one in the ultrabay to image the drive. No sound, zip, nadda, zero. Nobody makes a better HD than IBM/Hitachi. Or is it Hitachi/IBM now. Same difference. Quiet as all hell.

Ok harper, neither of your comments did much good....grats on a quiet T400. -_-


To the OP, have you tried contacting Lenovo on the issue? Just replace the harddrive. I don't think that continuous level of noise is normal.

Ok - good to know that my 250GB 5400 rpm HD shouldn't be that load. I think I will contact Lenovo... thanks!