Issue: M11X fan does not turn off on IGP

I decided to keep the thread separate from fan noise thread, since this is a different issue.

Issue: Fan will not turn off after the CPU is cooled down and will continue running. This is happening in IGP mode. My CPU temperatures will be showing 30 with the fan being constantly on.

Result: Constant Fan noise, battery life is reduced

Workaround: Either reboot it or put in standby mode and bring it back on

I will be posting a video of this behavior later on.

How many m11x users noticed this?

EDIT: Recent findings:

Real world scenario #1: I am watching youtube video with laptop sitting on my lap. It's running on integrated graphics card. Powered by battery only. The intake airflow is blocked by my leg. During video watching fan kicks in (CPU reaches 41 degrees) I stop watching youtube video and start basic browsing or just let it idle. CPU load is at minimum. I browse/idle for another 30 mins with the fan still going. Temperature reaches below 36 degrees with fan never stopping and will go as low as 28 degrees as seen on the picture below. Fan keeps going and going...

How to avoid this?

Real world scenario #2: I am watching youtube video with laptop sitting on my lap. It's running on integrated graphics card. Powered by battery only. The intake airflow is blocked by my leg. During video watching fan kicks in (CPU reaches 41 degrees) I stop watching youtube video lift up the laptop and let the fan cool CPU to 36 degrees, that's when the fan stops.

So, is this a bug? I would say yes, because fan should not get stuck in running mode. To avoid this we can try not blocking the airflow or let the temperatures go below 36 with fan running. Since this is a portable laptop, it's meant to be used on a lap for basic browsing.

 

Mine is the same.

 

Do you guys happen to know the GPU temperature?

 

GPU temperature is not shown when running on IGP, my CPU temperatures hover around 30 during idle with the fan constantly on and when it's working properly it would idle with no fan at 38.

This is an inconsistent issue. I have not found away to reproduce it every time, but it does happen once in a while if the laptop is stressed for extended periods of time.

 

I know peoples m11x's were doing this going intg to discrete back to intg. I think like you said before the only workaround so far is to reboot the pc

 

I think everybody with m11x has this issue, just going to have to wait for a bios update im sure

Im just hoping that a bios update will allow me to switch between integrated graphics and nvidia graphics as much as I want without a reboot and have the fan also act appropriately

 

well, if everyone has this issue, I don't see many people reporting it. Only a handful. I hope it needs just a bios update.

Btw, I noticed it right away because I am using it 80% for basic browsing and only occasional gaming.

 

You would think that, but I think most people just don't pay attention to things like that

It would make no sense for some to work and some not to work properly unless there was a thermal issue which I'm pretty sure there isn't.

 

I don't have this issue. After switching to IGP my fan stays on till about 35C and then turns off. The laptop then cools over the next 30min to about 26C while I surf the web and the fan won't turn on unless I run an intensive program.

 

I wouldn't pay attention if it wasn't too noisy, but it is quite a noisy fan, so when you have it running constantly it gets really annoying. Try sitting in library with the m11x constantly on.

Even my aging 5 year old Toshiba M400 tablet has a fan that's constantly running which is by todays standards would be considered too noisy and yet it's not as bad as on m11x.

I am still waiting for my replacement, so I hope that it will not be an issue in the new one.

 

"I don't have this issue. After switching to IGP my fan stays on till about 35C and then turns off. The laptop then cools over the next 30min to about 26C while I surf the web and the fan won't turn on unless I run an intensive program."

Your fan turns off at 35C and with the fan off it goes down to 26C??? Something seems wrong there. I think the m11x idles at 39C without any fans running

When i switch to IGP the fan never turns off but when it gets to its slowest point I can barley even hear it, thats why I think people don't know about it because if its as silent as mine you got to put your ear right up to it to hear it.. So my battery life shows as 5:30 or so with 90% battery life, when I reboot and make sure the fan is off, battery life shoots to 9 hours and 50 minutes at 90% battery with second lowest backlight setting....

 

My fan kicks in at approx 38C and stops when I reach low to mid 30s. The laptop cooler does the rest. Here's a picture of my current temperature reading. My temps are verified through OCCT's sensors as well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/SSPuffer/TempReading.jpg

 

the issue isn't with temp really, because my temps are just like everyone else's, the issue that I am having is the fan getting "stuck" in on mode regardless of temperatures or idle status which affects battery life. I haven't had a chance to use my laptop yesterday, so I didn't record it, but as soon as I can I will post a youtube vid.

 

I figured it out how to reproduce this. stay tuned for info

 

just close the the lid and open it back up after switching to integrated.
problem= solved

 

yes, that's the workaround that I mentioned earlier was to put it on standby mode. In any case, this issue is a combination of temperatures threshold and airflow. I figured it out how to reproduce this every time. Look at the CPU temp below this is the system idling and fan is being constantly on. Ignore GPU temp, it's just shows last value before I switched it to integrated.

 

Real world scenario #1: I am watching youtube video with laptop sitting on my lap. It's running on integrated graphics card. Powered by battery only. The intake airflow is blocked by my leg. During video watching fan kicks in (CPU reaches 41 degrees) I stop watching youtube video and start basic browsing or just let it idle. CPU load is at minimum. I browse/idle for another 30 mins with the fan still going. Temperature reaches below 36 degrees with fan never stopping and will go as low as 28 degrees as seen on the picture below. Fan keeps going and going...

How to avoid this?

Real world scenario #2: I am watching youtube video with laptop sitting on my lap. It's running on integrated graphics card. Powered by battery only. The intake airflow is blocked by my leg. During video watching fan kicks in (CPU reaches 41 degrees) I stop watching youtube video lift up the laptop and let the fan cool CPU to 36 degrees, that's when the fan stops.

So, is this a bug? I would say yes, because fan should not get stuck in running mode. To avoid this we can try not blocking the airflow or let the temperatures go below 36 with fan running. Since this is a portable laptop, it's meant to be used on a lap for basic browsing.

 

@klas = I pointed this out a few weeks ago in regards to blocked air flow. The design of the M11x does not allow adequate heat dissipation on a flat surface, yet alone a lap blocking the bottom that draws cool air in.

My guess is some people having severe fan issues are not using the device on a smooth flat surface to get bare minimum air flow. There is only 1/6 of an inch clearance even with a flat surface. I keep a lappy tray in my lappy case, since it provides a smooth surface while in bed or on my lap. Not to mention additional protection in the bag/case.

Still, the heat solution on the M11x is oddly positioned.

 

Looks like it has to be perfect surface (desk) or some kind of cooling pad. I get this issue with either on the lap or even on a leather couch.

 

Received my new unit. Noticeable improvement is reduced whine noise from the fan, but the initial problem still exist. What's even more annoying is that I am on a perfectly flat surface, kitchen table. It's blowing barely warm air and would not shut off. It's driving me nuts!

 

Here is a video of the issue I've been describing. Considering I got 2nd unit I think I am inclined to believe everyone has this issue, but not everyone bothered.

Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mUtDCt1Pn8&

 

why is your CPU constantly running at 30% or higher?

 

Updated with low cpu usage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSugbzi6xaM

 

It could be that not enough people 'care' about this issue, with most people being 'gamers', used to noisy machines? But I can say that if this fan behavior would happen on my m11x, I would also go nuts.

The MacBook I have has an excellent fan behavior. If the cpu load goes up, the fans slowly ramp up as well. And if the cpu load goes down, so does the fan. It is a very smooth transition, and a perfect example on how a fan should work on a laptop. Bear in mind that the MacBook does not seem to have any air intake at all, due to Apple's design. CPU is idling around 50C, which is fine for me.

To me it seems Alienware should have a look at this behavior, and improve it if possible in a coming bios update.

 

For me the problem is my fan goes from being off straight to a speed which is quite loud. If they would ramp the fan up slower I don't think there would be a problem. If I can't run a youtube video on IGP without the fan blasting then I don't think I'm going to be happy with the M11X.

One strange thing is I have noticed at times the fan running a very low speed, but most of the time it just goes from off to blast off. When it was on the very low speed it kind of made a low pulsating puffing sound - it did about 1 puff per second. It was spinning the whole time but it was like the power to the fan was being pulsed to keep it "just" spinning. Anyone else notice this?

 

Thanks for the videos - very well done. I'll get these to our engineering team.

 

Reposting this in my thread in hopes that we'll be able to nail down the issue that I reported initially, but here is a consistently reproducible test in my current 2 m11x. Can someone please try this:

1. Make sure laptop already been used for while and warmed up and set it on a flat surface (I was also running in on battery and set to balanced mode)
2. Set to Integrated Graphics
3. Reboot machine
4. Let it idle for 15 or so mins (make sure your CPU usage is at minimum)

Result: Fan will not turn on at all!

5. Switch to Nvidia Graphics mode
6. Wait until fan kicks in
7. Switch it back to Integrated
8. Let it idle and wait until fan turns off

Result: Fan behavior changed. It will now turn on ever 1-2 minutes and will be trying to cool down the system for 3-5 mins. It looks like as if fan control is still running in Nvidia graphics mode.

 

This happened to me this evening. It's a minor nuisence at most, as my fans are honestly very quiet on both systems even after several hours of L4D2 on a flat surface.

The fans wont turn off, but they don't even come close to bugging me either.

Would be nice to have the issue corrected though, and also would be very nice not to have them come on so early (mine jump on between 35-40c which is just silly... shouldn't need the fan to go above low until 50c at the earliest.)

 

In this review they say the fan reached 'disturbingly loud', @ 45 dB. My guess is that it is relative what is considered quiet.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Alienware-M11x-Subnotebook.26453.0.html

 

I can also confirm this issue. Fan gets stuck on in IGP mode, fixed by switching back to nvidia.

The fan noise has never bothered me, i find it very quiet.

 

Thank you for updates. Fan noise isnt an issue, battery life drop when the fan gets stuck is.

 

Why do we need two threads for this topic? Here is another one with several (partial) solutions ... we will have to wait for a firmware update ...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=462447

Greets,
Sascha

 

This is a separate issue with a fan getting "stuck" in running mode. There are no exact steps to reproduce this, it just randomly happens and Alienware technicians can't repro it either. I am still looking for solution.

 

Yeah when the fan goes on highspeed and stays there, a quick flip to 335 and back will reset it, however, I find that the battery life estimate drops from 6 hours down to 3-4 hours even after going back to the intel GPU...

Not sure the thing is actually turning off.

 

As I initially reported I was getting this random "stuck" fan issue but I did not have exact steps to reproduce it, but I do now. While it's unconventional way, it will however help to troubleshoot the problem. I will upload video shortly, but can you guys please try these steps below:

1. Set to Integrated graphics
2. Reboot it (just so we can start fresh)
3. Once booted, switch to Nvidia graphics
4. Stress the system or wait until fan kick in
5. Switch back to Integrated graphics
6. Run Prime95 to stress the system for a minute or so to make sure the fan is spinning
7. Press & HOLD Power button until your pc completely shuts off
8. Press Power button right away to boot your PC back

Note: During reboot the fan will kick in on high, then it will shortly pause and kick in again. Before Windows starts loading it will turn off again for a few seconds and then turn back on and will not shut off. If for any reason it booted to windows and fan didn't turn on within a minute then the test is failed. Please try again. Otherwise if it does turn on it will not shut off unless you put computer to sleep, reboot or switch to Nvidia profile

 

My fan has turned on twice in the 4 days I've had it and it was only for ten seconds. God I love SSDs.

 

Ok, here are the video repro steps on both systems. Considering I have 2 computers, leads me to believe that all are like that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taTCcOfaOQ

 

As the first thread is now centered on this issue there is no reason for two threads. It complicates matters for our resident Alien Investigators by having to bounce between the two. As some have been cross posting (posting the same message in both threads), I am closing this one.

Continue the fan always on/stuck discussion in the original thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=462447

Any questions on this, PM me.

Thanks.