ASUS UX32A Fan Goes On, Off, On, Off.

Hi everybody.

I have now read every single one of the 25 pages that this thread now consists of.
As you may gather from that, I also have the fan issue. I have a UX32VD with Windows 8 (64bit), i7 processor and Bios version 212. I bought my computer three weeks ago and the fan issues started immediately after I ran the standard pre-loaded Win8 install. When I first noticed the fan issues, the fan went on and off in intervalls of 20-30 seconds in full speed, then off, and repeat. Asus support told me to do a clean install and send it back if it didn't help. They had never heard of this problem, of course.

Needless to say, the clean install of Win8 did not help, however it altered the problem a bit. This time the fan was on all the time at a irritating high sound level. It was obvious that this could not be normal.

As many of you have mentioned, this notebook is otherwise beautiful, so I kinda want to hold on to it. I do have the possibility to send it back for a refund for yet some time, but I havent decided yet. It does however seem to be a major problem with the fan.

What I've learned so far from the thread is this:

- I've installed the NBFC with the proper config which did help in some way, but the notebook only got warmer in my lap, and eventually it reached the new threshold of 65 degrees and the fans go on. (I installed NBFC while on page 20 in this thread, and the fan has gone on and off 3 or 4 times before I arrived at page 25). So not much help there.
- Bios update. I already have version 212 as this notebook is only three weeks old. Not sure if there is a newer Version, but even if it is, it doesn't seem to have done the trick for any of you others?
- Uninstall the Asus smart gesture. Does this really help? I havent tried it yet, but from what I've read this is the app for the touchpad? Dont I need this? (I see that Elan(?) is an alternative, but is this good enough?)

Well, I've read all the tips that have been provided here, but it doesn't seem that anything really works? Which one of the above (or other) should I try?

And by the way, two weeks before I bought this notebook I had to send back the exact same notebook because of another error (DRIVER_POWER_FAILURE_STATUS). That is another story, don't get me started. So I am getting pretty sick of browsing the web for solutions to various issues regarding BRAND NEW NOTEBOOKS.

I'm seriously considering ordering a Lenovo Thinkpad or something instead, but it feels like dumping a hot, high-end girl to be with a ugly, boring, but less expensive girl instead.

Any news guys? Where is the petition?

 

Okay, so NBFC seems to be doing a decent job after all. Doesn't seem like it's very precise though, but it keeps my fan from going on all the time while only surfing the web etc.

I've never observed the temperature on my CPU before, so this is rather new to me. So just to be clear: It isn't the CPU temperature that is the problem with our notebooks is it? It's the fans that go on too soon? Because my CPU seems to stabilize at 55-60 C while I do light tasks on my notebook, and my fans dont go on before I go over 60 C (due to my settings in NBFC). Is that an okay setting, or will it damage my CPU eventually? And what are the normal temperatures for an averege CPU while doing different things? I havent done any demanding tasks on my notebook yet so I dont know what kind of temperatures I might expect to see on the NBFC.

Any comments are useful!

Edit: and one more thing: Do I have to run NBFC all the time now, or will the settings be stored in some way, so that I dont have to open NBFC every day..? I love it right now, but it might become a pain in the to run it all the time if Asus dont provide a fix anytime soon..

 

Hi Pauliesv

I wish I could help but the only decent solution I have is the NBFC.
Somewhere I read that you should the Asus Live Update Installer or something like that and the fan noises decreased a little, so maybe it's worth trying?

I'm sending emails to Asus Support and they said I had to downgrade my BIOS, F2 --> F9 YES --> F10 YES
But it didn't help ...

I'll keep you updated

Edit: I have to start up NBFC every time I start up my computer, so I don't know how I can solve that problem ...

Any pros???

 

Hey, to pauliesv:

Making the CPU go to 55-65c on light loads is perfectly safe. It can handle a lot more than that. The NBFC standard fan settings will keep your zenbook silent and safe. I have used it for half a year now, and it hasn't bugged once.

Just right-click on the NBFC task bar icon (the temperature) and select "Start with windows". Then you don't have to care about managing NBFC no more.

 

SO i have this laptop, the version with 2 ssd and 4gb ram ok... I get 70C temps with only 4 tabs and no other apps open besides the fan controller app!!??!? WHAT THE F DID I JUST BUY A OVEN? I can't believe how much I paid for this piece of crapware

Now on a serious note, I want to create a power management profile but everytime i shutdown the PC it gets reset to default...why is that??? I tried to create a powerplan with a different account too, i deleted power4gear and the dynamic framework still nothing solves the fact that the power plans get all effed up...

 

Aaaaaand it's back

Seriously, after using my UX32VD for almost half a year without any issues I started to think that I've managed to get rid of the noisy fan horror.
Now I'm experiencing the problem with fans (more like one of them, the right one, but I might be wrong) revving up to 100% speed after waking up from sleep.

What I know:
Between the time I was absolutely sure it was working ok and now I carried it around a bit, allowed some windows updates to install and reinstalled Java runtime, one or two JRE apps, installed Flex and AIR SDKs and FlashDevelop IDE. So it may be anything from hardware issue to driver/update problem or software conflict. I'm going to do some experiments, maybe I'll be able to track down the cause.

Now I can definitely confirm what has been writen in this topic before (see page 22) - that there are two related issues with cooling for Zenbooks:

1) Default lower trip points are set really low, somewhere around 47degC, which means that your fan will be running almost constantly with RPM increasing with temperature - not really an issue as you can easily override ASUS' lame cooling scheme with NoteBookFanControl

2) Firmware/system loses ability to gradually control fans' RPM so any attempt at turning them on will cause the fans to run at 100% speed - combined with 1) it gives the famous "on, off" effect in its full glory.

The only way I can deal with 2) is to cold boot the system (<s>I think a reboot did the trick too</s> edit: no it didn't, while putting it to sleep and waking up again didn't seem to stop the fan noise). Hopefully, this could suggest it's a software issue.

 

Hi everyone. I do apologise for engaging in thread resurrection, but there seems to be no end to this discussion, and there's no clear resolution!

Is this issue one that needs to be RMA'd back to Asus, can it be fixed through some software tweaking (BIOS, drivers etc) or is it something that needs to be forced into submission by a fan control application?

What is the warranty status of the UX32a? I have it a few months now. Otherwise a great little laptop, and it's only just recently started doing this, which is strange. Beforehand, it was as quiet as a mouse!

EDIT: I should say that I'm running BIOS 212 for the UX32A. No fan control applications in use. Everything stock. 47deg C seems to be the magic number that causes the noisy chaos.

EDIT 2: I just updated to 214 and the problem seems to have gone away. (Would just crank it up on boot straight away, obviously with all the loading occuring. Now it's quiet as a mouse, even in high performance mode at 2.4 GHz). Do not understand this at all!

EDIT 3: The problem seems to only surface when on battery power. It is less prominent on AC power. This is strange, as the processor is locked to 800MHz on battery, surely it wouldn't get as hot?

 

+1
After BIOS update (2013->2014) the problem seemingly went away.
Could it be that ASUS finally took care of the problem?

 

Please see my third edit. It came back, but only seems to come back on battery power for some reason.

Though today, I woke it from sleep onto battery power, and it didn't seem too bad for noise. There must be some software bug doing this.

 

To much relief it appears I have finally found a solution to our problem. It appears this issue is caused by two problems:
1. The default asus fan thresholds are too low.
2. The asus smart gesture application is forcing the power profiles to change. Example: Minimum processor state jumping to 100% in all profiles.

To fix the problem do the following:
1. Install the latest BIOS 214 (UX32VD). ASUS - ASUS ZENBOOK UX32VD
2. Reboot Computer
3. Install latest version of NoteBookFanControl-0.14.4.60.beta. https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=6c34bd33ac55ce36&id=6C34BD33AC55CE36!390&authkey=!APNc-4e4i7-KxOw
4. Reboot Computer
5. Uninstall Asus Smart Gesture
6. Reboot Computer
7. Intall latest version of ELAN Trackpad driver (Version 11.14.1.3) in lieu of Asus Smart Gesture. ELANTECH Drivers
8. Reboot.
9. Uninstall Asus Power Gear 4 Hybrid
10. Reboot
11. Reinstall Asus Power Gear 4 Hybrid Version V2.0.4 . ASUS - ASUS ZENBOOK UX32VD
12. Go into your other power profiles that are not the ones labeled "Power4Gear" and reset them to their default settings.
13. Select the profile of your choice (power4gear battery saving is nice) or create the profile of your choice. I encourage users to try a profile with the minimum processor state set at 5% or 0% and maximum processor state at nothing over 80%
13. Finished

After following the above steps your computer should now be quiet. No more over heating forcing the fan on constantly when just browsing the web!

Please "rep me" and post your success using the above guide!

 

Well, after 6 months or so of smooth sailing, I got hit with the fan on/off issue after resuming from sleep today.

I am running the 214 bios from march. I did not have the intel thermal framework, or the power4 gear software installed.

I was able to fix it, but I have no idea what I did:

1) Tried cold booting, restarting, resuming from sleep multiple times. No go.
2) Tried uninstalling the smart gesture driver. No go.
3) Installed the intel thermal framework. No go.
4) Installed the power 4 gear utility. No go.
5) Got frustrated, popped the back open, and blew out the two fans (with the machine still on). I noticed that there was a little accumulation of dust on each fan. The fans were not caked in dust, but there was enough to require a bit of cleaning.

The fan issue persisted. I cold booted in another attempt and...

That fixed it...

???

 

Fan problem came back after 6+ months of quiet. Installed notebook fan control and it worked! Bless that guy who made that program...

 

Hi there.
I have the Asus UX32A zenbook with an i3-processor, and I have a problem with my fan as well;
It slowly revs up as I start my computer, usually kicks to 100 % after opening google chrome, Facebook and then it continues until I either turn it off entirely or put it to sleep, only rarely does it shut off, if I'm on the front screen with no particular programs running.

I tried installing NBFC, but I'm not that technically experienced enough to figure out how to make my own config, so i was wondering if anyone with the same PC as me could share their config with me? I read the manual and it said that I could probably use a config for another Asus PC or so, but I don't want to risk ultimately burning off my computer. Any tips or help?

I have the latest BIOS btw.

 

I'm going to tell you guys what I did. Maybe it can help someone out. I was also getting the fans spinning loud then soft, then all over again. First let me explain my situation....

I bought my Zenbook (UX32A) used from ebay. In the description the seller said how he removed the thermal paste and applied Arctic Silver 5 to the CPU. Also the keys on one side of the keyboard are higher than the other. So I took off the back cover to see if I could address the keyboard issue (9mm Hard drive... instead of 7mm). Anyway, I looked at the heatsink for the CPU and this is what i saw:



If you don't know what you're looking at, there is so much thermal paste under the CPU heatsink that its seeping out from under it. Too much thermal paste is can be just as bad as having too little. You just want a thin coat over the dye of the CPU. I did that and put the heatsink back on. I'm sure many of you aren't tech-savy but if you go this route you have to remove the heatsink and in order to do that you have to go through the warranty sticker as seen in the pic above. So if you're covered under warranty you'll be voiding it. I've read that the sticker is comes off pretty easy and is just a normal sticker though

That alone right there fixed my issue. Since I did that I haven't heard the fans spin at full speed and the temps of my cores are good!
The second thing I noticed when I was taking apart my Asus G75. There was something that was covering the gap between the fan and the heatsink. When I looked at the Zenbook there was none. So I took some foil tape and placed it over the gap, you can see from the pics below. I haven't seen a big temp difference between when I had the foil tape and when I didn't. But I feel like it allows for better heat flow. Thats what I did, and maybe it can help someone out.

 

Has anyone experienced this issue after a fresh install of Windows? I currently have Windows 8 and while my previous post in this thread generally keeps the computer between 58C and 60C, I find these temperatures too high for normal use. Normal using being a browser opened and surfing the internet. Personally I am considering doing a fresh install / downgrade to Windows 7.

1. How many users have had their fan/heat issues resolved with a clean install?
2. What version of Windows did you clean install 7 or 8?
3. What was the original OS version you had with problem?

 

I did a fresh windows 7 install on mine and before I fixed my problem the fans would still spin fast.

 

Hey there. I did a fresh install of Windows 8 on mine. It fixed it... kinda. It intermittently happens from time to time. Other times it finds a nice mid-point and stays there.

I honestly can't pin down what's up with it.

Love the laptop, though. Installed a SSD in there, and it flies.

 

+1. I fixed the problem with notebook fan control. Download this software and open "configs" folder. You have just to replace each UX31A to UX32A in this file: Asus Zenbook UX31A (open with notepad). Save and run "notebook fan control".
example of config in the midle of the page: Asus Zenbook UX32VD - Update: 26/05/13 [Topic Unique] - Ultraportable - Ordinateurs portables - FORUM HardWare.fr

Have fun

 

Hi there, does someone already have exerience with the new bios version 214? How does it affect the cooling system? Does it solve the fan problem, so that notebook fan control is not needed any more? Does there show up some other new issues after the update?

 

I have the issue that the fan goes on full speed efter turning the computer on. I updated the bios to 214 but that didnt help at all.

I installed the NBFC and that killed the fans but the way i see it is that as soon as the cpu reaches 65c the fans will go on full blast again.

I really hope that Asus could fix this already. I have a UX32A btw..

 

New owner of a UX32A DB51 and experiencing the same fan problem as everyone else (on, off, on, off). Is there still no fix for this? Do you think its worth it to exchange for a new one?

 

Hello,
You can fix that problem by managing the fan speed :



That's what i do for my desktop ( CPU and GPU ), you can find more information in this topic and here.

Otherwise i found a bios update for UX31A :

BIOS 219
Update thermal policy

Maybe Asus found a solution for this problem.

Regards.

 

Thanks for the headsup on the new BIOS.

I flashed it and so far so good.

I also have Notebook Fan Control installed but I turned it off to see what would happen without it running. Right now it is reporting 59/60 as the temp and the fan has not kicked on.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they have improved the fan controls.

 

Good news, let's hope that Asus release the same bios for the UX32A.

 

Another poor UX32A in this household with this problem. The problem came suddenly after about a year without problems. Sudden maximum RPM on the fan, and then silence for a few minutes. Then full speed again. Using the Notebook Fancontrol (NBFC), any value above 0% will result in maximum RPM on the fan. I tried updating the BIOS to 214, but no luck there.

I've heard a lot of praise for NBFC here, and it does help increase the threshold before the fan kicks in, but unfortunately it's still complete silence or full blast. I've tried setting the Maximum speed field, but I can't hear any difference - still incredible noisy when it turns on. Do you have any suggestions for how to set up the NBFC correctly? The program only has config files for UX31A and UX32VD - do I have to make any changes in registers?

(edit: Oh, and sorry about bringing this thread back - but it's the -#1 source of information on this problem on the internet)

 

Hello,

I was using NoteBook FanControl without any problem until today. I have been to the library with my laptop, and when i came back home, i charged the battery and it seems that my computer fan cant run at a lower speed than 100%. Even if i force it at 12.5% it will run at 100%.

Anybody knows how to fix my problem ?
Thanks in advance.

 

I just figured out how to solve one of the causes of this problem permanently.

Currently, the Smart Gesture application sets the minimum CPU throttle to 100% whenever you zoom or rotate, and changes the fan scheme to Active (activate fans before slowing CPU).

I created a scheduled task that
1) Reduces the CPU minimum throttle to 0% (on battery) and 5% (on AC), and also sets the fan behavior to passive only on battery.
2) Runs whenever the system detects the Asus Smart Gesture changing the plan settings, based on Windows system logs. You have to look for UserModePowerService events.

It works great! If anyone wants a tutorial let me know and maybe I'll create a separate thread. I have the task exported but it might require slight tweaking for anyone else to use.

 

I want a tutorial! I have the UX31E but I have the same problem...

 

Really great and useful post!

I would love a tutorial of this!

 

A new bios is available for the XD32A :

BIOS 215
Update EC FW

https://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_ZENBOOK_UX32A/#support

Anyone has tried it? Does it solve anything?
Thanks.

 

I'm going to buy a new ux32a without use.

Should I update the BIOS or it's better to don't touch anything if I have no problem with the fan?

 

Hello everyone, I recently bought a UX31A and it also has the fan problem where it would turn on if the temperature of the CPU's go over 47 degrees. I installed the Notebook Fan Controller program and it works great. It turns on the fan once the CPU's reach 65 degrees. I was wondering if this is an okay and safe temperature for the CPU's to hit 65 degrees?