Fan Whine

[vinceg84]

I just received my T60 15" Flexview today and am very impressed with it except for this whine that the fan makes whenever it is on. The fan itself is quiet, but this high-pitch whining noise is really annoying. TP Fan Control doesn't help because the fan is already running quiet. Does anyone know what causes the whine or know any type of fix for this? Would installing a new/different fan help? I don't want to have to sell this otherwise great system because of this, but it is really annoying the hell out of me.

[vinceg84]

bump (is this something that all T60s do or should I look into getting a replacement fan?)

[turnerpr]

I also just received my T60 with flexview. The fan is on all the time when the adapter is plugged in (at low speed), but there is no whine. It is in fact very quiet.

[vinceg84]

This is strange because I've heard others that say they have the same problem as me. Could it be a different model fan or could it be that some fans are installed improperly? How hard is it to replace a fan?

[00aas]

I too have this problem- it's a T60p 15" Flexview, but the whine isn't nevessarily associated with the fan I don't think. It's high pitched, is usually on, but either drops volume or turns off for a few milliseconds every few seconds. I called IBM, and may actually send the computer back for repair because it's so annoying. The sound is more pronounced (or easier to hear) on hard surfaces. When I use my laptop while lying in bed, I can't hear it at all. If anyone has any solutions to this, do let me know.
-A

[vinceg84]

I too have this problem- it's a T60p 15" Flexview, but the whine isn't nevessarily associated with the fan I don't think. It's high pitched, is usually on, but either drops volume or turns off for a few milliseconds every few seconds. I called IBM, and may actually send the computer back for repair because it's so annoying. The sound is more pronounced (or easier to hear) on hard surfaces. When I use my laptop while lying in bed, I can't hear it at all. If anyone has any solutions to this, do let me know.
-A

This sounds very similar to what I am experiencing. However, I think it is the fan because the noise is never there when the fan is off, only when it is on. Do you think it would be possible for Lenovo to send me a new fan? How hard is is to install?

[Shade]

I have the same problem and it is really starting to annoy me.
What should I do?
just send it back to lenovo or..?

[Brad]

My T60p is quiet. I am very suprised because my T43p is very noisy. It is a good suprise.

If the noise is too much for you I suggest calling for service.

Brad

[Shade]

I just tested it. My fan is only making the whine noise when its running on battery. If I have the adapter plugged in it dosen't make any noise at all. Very quiet fan in the T60.

No mather what power setting I have on it just makes the whine noise when on battery. And the rpm is the same as when the adapter is on. kinda weird..

[Brad]

I would bring this complaint to Lenovo's attention.

This does not seem normal to me.

Brad

[Johan]

I just tested it. My fan is only making the whine noise when its running on battery. If I have the adapter plugged in it doesn't make any noise at all. Very quiet fan in the T60.

The high-pitched noise on e.g. T60's (if/when operated on battery) unfortunately is a fairly commonly known problem. Try use the (very useful!) "Search"-function in this forum, and search for "fan whine" and/or "high pitched" (check "Search for all terms", and search in the T6x-forum) - many threads on this issue will come up. Some explanation of the (potential) root cause is given in the ThinkWiki: Problem with high pitch noises. Also, several threads at forum.notebookreview.com is discussing this issue, e.g. CPU noise when running on battery. If you search for "high pitched" + T60 using Google, many hits will also show up. I recall having seen user reports discussing how this problem can be cured (maybe this: I *think* I got rid of the CPU noise for good, on Core Duo. will work for you?), so don't give up hope! Search, investigate, and remember to report results here!

Best regards,

Johan

[Shade]

Solution on T60 FUG-2007

Download RMClock and set the settings as told by Yubastard (aka god) in this guide:

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=3516

RMclock is a little nice program that gives quite alot information about your CPU. Alot more than the thinvantage software.
he also sais that you don't HAVE to check the "startup with windows" because it seems to work without running the program again.
Though it didn't work for me I just have the program running when I use my computer, it dosen't use alot CPU and mem.

For me it COMPLETELY removed the Pitch/hum.

[Zender]

I'm experiencing the same problem as vinceg84 is. When the fan is running at low speed, it makes high-pitched sound, which I'm not yet sure I can withstand in the long run.

It _is_ an issue of the _fan itself_ - it happens on battery, on AC, docked - all cases. When I force the fan off (tpfancontrol) and spin down the harddrive, I can actually hear the processor/chipset high-pitched noise the previous post should solve, but that's not a problem for me - when the hard drive is spinning (and I'm not sure it ever stops by itself), it can't be heard. I also can confirm the AC/DC adapter makes some high-pitched noise, but I hid it behind the desk and can't hear it anymore. So the only thing left is low RPM CPU fan.

I can hear the high-pitched sound 4-5m away from the computer (and I have a desktop computer next to the ThinkPad with three more fans). It's not consistent, it sometimes disappears for a few seconds, then comes back - I'd say the process of "changing volume" is slow, not instant. That's actually what made me think the fan is touching something, very slightly. Which stops occuring at higher speed with better stability.

For now I have configured tpfancontrol to alternate between fan off and level 4, which is much more audible than lower levels, but does not produce the high-pitched noise.

[jeffsiler]

To get rid of the CPU whine just disable CPU Power Management in the bios.

Jeff

[gs274]

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ordered 11/8 shipped 11/20 arrived 11/23...whines so bad you can hear it over the mini fridge a couple feet away. Lenovo accepted the return as mfg. defective after I tried all of the fixes listed across several forums. This was my 6th or 7th t series...I for one am not buying another laptop until this c2d issue is fixed. For that kind of money a thin/light(ish) notebook should not be noisier than a refridgerator on battery.

[sugo]

Um ... you can just disable entering C4 power state in Thinkpad Power Manager in Windows. I disable C4 for AC power but enable it for battery power.

[gs274]

Did that...made it quieter but still there.

[BuzzBuzzard]

I have a theory about the source of what is being described as a fan noise, however I do not believe that the source is the fan at all. Processor cores run on a very low voltage at a relatively high current - a voltage MUCH lower than the battery voltage and a current MUCH higher than the current supplied by the battery. To supply this low voltage and high current, which needs to be highly regulated, a switching power inverter is likely being used. This converts the battery's (or AC Power Supply's) higher voltage and lower current to what the processor cores need. Such an inverter is used in every desktop computer for precisely the same purpose. The AC power for a desktop computer is first converted from 120 Volts AC to roughly 160 Volts DC, which is the input source to the inverters for all the voltages on the motherboard. Inverters like these use very small transformers in circuits running at very high frequencies and as tiny as they are, they can still produce a mechanical vibration due to the magnetic flux involved in their metalic cores. While the frequencies they operate are typically way above human hearing, there may be a reason why an audible noise is produced. When the input voltage to the inverter is low (on battery), it uses more current to supply its output and conversely, a much lower current when the input voltage is higher (as in running on the AC Power Supply). While the input voltage is lower, the higher current needed by the inverter's transformer causes a stronger vibration in the transformer core, thus a louder sound. This may explain why the noise may or may not be heard, depending upon whether the laptop is running on battery or AC Power. The AC Power Supply output voltage is roughly twice the battery voltage. It may likewise explain why it would be effected by power saving features of the laptop. If you operate a processor at a significantly lower speed to conserve power, you are drawing less current from the inverter. It is my belief that the sound heard and described as "fan noise" is from an inverter and it is heard at the warm air output of the fan simply because it is the escape path for that sound. If my presumption turns out to be true, this has far reaching implications. It would take a production change to eliminate the issue because an inverter would have to be redesigned and incorporated in new products.

[Johan]

@ BuzzBuzzard:

Have a look in the thread My 7th thinkpad and... NOISE! and especially see the very detailed, professional explanation by jimmy274 for the likely cause of this noise in this post.

Johan