The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Just got my laptop, but I have a fan question.

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by Mudig, Apr 30, 2011.

  1. Mudig

    Mudig Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    212
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I notice on the bottom, where the fan is...there is no led light on. I also can't even tell if the fan is spinning or not. Does it only spin when it gets too hot?
     
    Mudig, Apr 30, 2011
    #1
  2. Killer Juice

    Killer Juice Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    56
    Messages:
    198
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Well, it should be spinning at a low speed all the time. And actually, others have been complaining about how loud the fan is.

    Try running a game or a youtube video in HD to see if the fan starts up then. If it doesn't, then you may have a problem.
     
    Killer Juice, Apr 30, 2011
    #2
  3. Mudig

    Mudig Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    212
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Yeah it does actually start up when I run a video.
     
    Mudig, Apr 30, 2011
    #3
  4. Spartan0610

    Spartan0610 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    70
    Messages:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    That's the same case as mine, it's silent when idle and just web browsing.
     
    Spartan0610, Apr 30, 2011
    #4
  5. Killer Juice

    Killer Juice Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    56
    Messages:
    198
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30


    Well, thats's a good thing, right?

    If you're still concerned about a non-working fan, get a program like HW Monitor and check the temps of your internals to make sure they are at safe levels.
     
    Killer Juice, Apr 30, 2011
    #5
  6. on3eighteen

    on3eighteen Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    49
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    When you play a video, like YouTube, how loud is the fan? I would hope it's barely audilble.
     
    on3eighteen, Apr 30, 2011
    #6
  7. Mudig

    Mudig Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    212
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    It's not loud at all. I don't even notice it while I'm watching the video.
     
    Mudig, Apr 30, 2011
    #7
  8. Beej1986

    Beej1986 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    43
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    mine is pretty quiet, but when i play a game, it sometimes sounds like a hair dryer lol.
     
    Beej1986, Apr 30, 2011
    #8
  9. on3eighteen

    on3eighteen Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    49
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Does anyone know if Alienware is aware of the fan issue?
     
    on3eighteen, May 1, 2011
    #9
  10. txpro

    txpro Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    60
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    the cpu gets really hot (close to 90c with max fan speed) while playing games. I would think lowering the rpm would be a bad thing.
     
    txpro, May 1, 2011
    #10
  11. BatBoy

    BatBoy Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    7,395
    Messages:
    7,964
    Likes Received:
    25
    Trophy Points:
    206
    BatBoy, May 1, 2011
    #11