How often should a laptops cooling fan kick on?

Tim87

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My laptops cooling fan has kicked on once since I've had it and that was a little bit after turning it on for the first time. How often should a laptops cooling fan kick on?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 with Bing 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP 15-f010wm TouchSmart notebook
    CPU
    Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N2830 @ 2.16GHz
    Motherboard
    Hewlett-Packard 233F
    Memory
    4.00gb DDR3 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel HD graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio, intel display audio
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768 x 59 Hz
    Browser
    Firefox 34.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast free & Malwarebytes anti malware (premium)
It depends how hot it is running, not the most insightful comment I know, but there is a sensor on the motherboard that monitors various temperatures of components, (mainly the processor & graphics chip), and turns on the fan, (and controls the speed), when required.

If you are concerned about this you can check the output of these sensors yourself - I use priform's Free Speccy (Speccy - System Information - Free Download) but others are available :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64 x2 Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Real World Computing
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 8 Core @4GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L-M USB3
    Memory
    32GB [4x8GB] DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus nVidia GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (2GB DDR5)
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xoner DG + SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer G276HL 27", (DVi) + Samsung 39" HDTV (HDMI)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz + 1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Internal
    Crucial 256GB SSD,
    WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 3TB,
    Toshiba HDWD130 3TB
    Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH1 2TB,

    External (USB3)
    Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk 8TB
    2.5/3.5 Hot Swap Cradle, USB3 + eSata (client HDDs)

    NAS
    Seagate ST4000DM000
    PSU
    Aerocool Templarius Imperator 750W 80+ Silver
    Case
    AeroCool X-Warrior Devil Red Tower
    Cooling
    Stock CPU, Rear 120mm, Front 2x120mm, Side 2x120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K710 & K270
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless M710 M185 & M570 Trackball
    Internet Speed
    37Mb/s Down - 9.5Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security 2017
    Other Info
    Also run...

    Desktop - 6Core 8GB - Windows 10 Enterprise x64,
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Netbook - Ubuntu
    2 x Nexus 7 Android tablets
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    HTC One Android Smartphone
It depends how hot it is running, not the most insightful comment I know, but there is a sensor on the motherboard that monitors various temperatures of components, (mainly the processor & graphics chip), and turns on the fan, (and controls the speed), when required.

If you are concerned about this you can check the output of these sensors yourself - I use priform's Free Speccy (Speccy - System Information - Free Download) but others are available :)

Thanks for the info.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 with Bing 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP 15-f010wm TouchSmart notebook
    CPU
    Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N2830 @ 2.16GHz
    Motherboard
    Hewlett-Packard 233F
    Memory
    4.00gb DDR3 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel HD graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio, intel display audio
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768 x 59 Hz
    Browser
    Firefox 34.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast free & Malwarebytes anti malware (premium)
Under ideal conditions, the fan should never turn on. In reality, it will turn on as needed. It only becomes a problem if it runs almost continuously.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
Under ideal conditions, the fan should never turn on.
I agree, but this is a notebook so right off the bat the conditions are far from ideal.

It is the computer case that is responsible for providing adequate cooling. Considering tower PC cases, with support for multiple large fans and lots of vents to create a nice "flow" of cool air channeling through the case, are still challenged to keep the components inside cool, it is no wonder a notebook case starts out inadequate.

Notebook makers can pack PC performance into a notebook case, but they cannot pack in the cooling - not while meeting the demands of road warriors (the primary notebook consumer) who insist on light weight and super thin notebooks.

Also, PC cases allow for easy access so users can thoroughly clean the interiors of heat trapping dust. Notebooks, with their proprietary designs, do not! :mad: At least not for the "normal" user.

For these reasons, IMO, there is no such thing as a good "gaming notebook" or "desktop replacement" - but that's for a different discussion.

For sure, if your fan is running more often and louder/faster than normal, you need to look at cleaning. Remove all the access panels, covers, battery, slide-in cards and drives to expose as much of the interior as possible then blast out the dust with compressed air, or a can of compressed dusting gas. Just be sure to hold the fans stationary while blasting (I use a wooden Popsicle/glue stick) so you don't over-spin and damage the bearings. And if using canned dusting gas, be sure to hold the can level to avoid spewing frozen liquid gas.

If using an air compressor (the only way to go, IMO) just be sure the compressor is fitted with a suitable in-line moisture and particulate filter and set the PSI to 80psi or less.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I've got the same questions before though my fan speeds always maintain a steady speed when in mid 50 degrees C

I also noticed that fans rev like crazy after playing a relatively heavy game.

so I guess the fans just maintain a safe temp while under load then cool the hardware down after, for power saving purposes
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
so I guess the fans just maintain a safe temp while under load then cool the hardware down after, for power saving purposes
Not sure what you mean by "cool the hardware down after".

It works pretty much like the thermostat for your whole house, or even window air conditioner.

When the temperature reaches some pre-determined "high" point, the thermostat signals the air conditioner to come on. When the room cools down to some pre-determined "low" point, the thermostat signals the air conditioner to turn off.

The main difference here is the fan is a variable speed fan. So when the CPU is just a little on the warm side, the fan spins slowly. When demand pushes the temp a little warmer, the fan speeds up. When the temp gets hot, the fan runs a full speed.

Same thing as it gradually cools off, the fan speed slows down. In most cases, the fan never stops completely because the heatsink relies on some air movement to carry the heat away.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Not sure what you mean by "cool the hardware down after".

Apologies, I may have used the wrong description for it.

what I meant was, as to my observations on my notebook, the fans only go all out after exiting a game or some heavy work load.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
In my experience, the reason fans go all out when exiting a game is due to the cores already hot, then all of the sudden CPU usage goes to 100% on all cores while the game is exiting (use task manager running on background to monitor this) and as such fans go to max while temps reach their highest recorded temp.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 with Media Center
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    Core i5 4300U @ 1.9 GHz
    Motherboard
    Surface Pro 3
    Memory
    8092 MB DDR3-L 1.35 V SDRAM @ 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 @ 200 MHz
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built-in 3:2 display
    Screen Resolution
    2160 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    256 GB SSD + 128 GB micro SD
    PSU
    36 Watt power brick
    Cooling
    Active
    Keyboard
    On Screen Keyboard
    Mouse
    Surface pen
    Internet Speed
    300 / 20 TWC
    Browser
    IE 11 Metro, IE 11 Desktop
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
A lot happens when you exit a program. Current status is often saved, and many opened files are closed and saved to disk. This all increases demand on RAM and the CPU for a few seconds - creating a heavy workload. Remember, the 100s of millions of CPU transistor gates are flip-flopping - changing "state" from high (1) to low (0) - several billion times a second (3 billion @ 3GHz). So a CPU can go from cold to overheated and back again almost instantly so the fans need to react almost instantly too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
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