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    M17x R4 Heat/Fan Issue?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by cskx2001, Feb 2, 2013.

  1. cskx2001

    cskx2001 Notebook Consultant

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    OK, so I decided to sell my m18x and get me a m17x instead, with some nice flashy stuff on it. One thing I notice is that the CPU Fan runs noticably lower than the GPU Fan. The noise and airflow on the CPU side are noticably lower than the GPU side, even with both components being stressed. CPU is 3740QM with +400mhz OC. GPU is GTX 680M with +135core/+400ram OC.

    I do not know how accurate HWinfo64 is when it comes to displaying fan speeds, but when I override the fans with the programs Fan Control, this is what I get:
    CPU Fan: 1,400 RPM (Set at 2,000)
    GPU Fan: 2,300 RPM (Set at 2,000)
    Why is there such a discrepancy? Also when I set it higher, this is what I get:
    CPU Fan: 3,500 RPM (Set at 4,000)
    GPU Fan: 4,700 RPM (Set at 4,000)
    And even when I set the RPM to 7,000, where the CPU Fan is pushed a bit higher, the CPU is reporting 4,500 and the GPU at 4,600.

    I am talking the GPU once it hits 150*F it kicks into high gear and maintains that temperature even under intense gaming. It will rise to maybe 165*F tops, but comes right back down.

    The CPU on the other hand, will get really hot (170*F+) before engaging the fan above idle speeds. And even then, once it hits 190*F, is when the fan for the CPU engages a tad higher. I will finish a gaming session in GuildWars2, where the temperatures have peaked at 199*F on each core.

    Is there anything wrong with the CPU Fan? It just seems to want to run very hot. It fluxuates between 118*F and jumped upto 135*F+ on idle. I think the heatsink is set on properly, because all 4 cores are reporting the same temperatures quite often. It is just that the CPU Fan is SO much slower to react to higher thresholds of heat before actually engaging worth anything.

    I just passed my return period for defects, and just purchased the game too, so... Curiosity has gotten the best of me. Any enlightenment please?