Asus Z70va VERY loud fan (not just complaining about nothing)

Hi - I hope I am posting the right forum. I have read some other fan related problems in here. Can I just say now that I know nothing about computers (something which become apparant as you read on)

I brought my Asus Z70va on recommendation from this forum in December. I really was so pleased with it until the last week or so when the fan has become VERY loud. Before I brought the machine I read a few people saying that the fan was loud but I never noticed a problem for the first few months.

Rather than the high air blowing noise (good description!), my fan (I think) has started to make a low almost buzzing sound on occasion. It would last for varying lengths of time (5 minutes to 30 minutes) and would sometimes stop if I turned my computer off and turned it back on again.

I thought I had figured out the problem as I have recently been using the Asus on a table cloth which I did not know had some layer of foam insulin underneath it. Therefore I did not realise that the table was not dispering the heat at all and it was like operating the laptop on a sofa. I am worried that I may have damaged my laptop fan as I have been keeping it plugged and on for very long periods of time on this surface.

Anyway, this all became apparant this morning when I downloaded Everest to check the heat of my laptop and was shocked to find that while it was on the table, the CPU was ranging between 90-96 degrees even when just surfying and typing with quite a few windows open!!! The motherboard was operating at around 75 degrees. I fear it has been like that consistently for the past three weeks!

Now it is plugged in on a wooden surface and I only have this explorer open and everest operating at super performance. The CPU is 78 degrees, motherboard 66 degrees, AUX 82 degrees and Harddrive 52 degree. Is this normal?

Regarding the fan I noticed that the low, load buzzing appeared to occur when the chassis cooling fan was operating between 0 to 2500 RPM. The sound was louder the lower the RPM. When I first started my laptop up the chassis fan seemed to get stuck at 1000 RMP and was VERY loud. The fan slowly increased in speed and the noise continued until the fan was above 2500 RPM. It is currently going at around 3400 RMP and there is no noise. The noise seems (although it hard to say) to be coming from the left hand side of the laptop (around the D button of the keyboard). Even my brother who knows nothing about the laptop's fan slightly tarnished reputation commented that my laptop was VERY noisy.

Generally I use my laptop as a desktop replacement. I keep it on for long periods and 99% of the time it is plugged in without the battery in. My room at University does seem to be VERY dusty and my dad has been blowing a lot of smoke around recently. As I am not technically minded I would not know where to start to clean the heatsink or the air vents and I would be worried of no only breaking the laptop but removing my warranty.

On a final note (I know this has been very long). I am in the UK so if needed how would I take advantage of Asus' two year manufacturers guarantee.

WELL DONE, if you've managed to get to the end of this essay and I would appreciate any help you give.

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

Quick fix might be to get a can of compressed air and blow into the vent... but that might just disperse the dust into the system and cause other problems without really gaining you much long-term. I know that works for me with my Dell; I have to do it on a regular basis cause the dust builds up in the heat sink quite badly, but I also have no warranty and usually open the thing right up so that I can blow outward rather than in.
You can also try to find software that controls the fan for you, and tell it to run on high a lot more often. This is also something I have to do with my Dell. It is not an optimal solution, however, because then you deal with fan noise.

It sounds from your description like your fan may be dying, or perhaps clogged with dust in the bearing. I would consider, if you can, sending it back for Asus/reseller to have a look at it and maybe change your fan. As to how to do that, you'll have to ask someone who's more familiar with Asus than I. Hopefully you already have by posting here.

Jay

 

Yeap, dust buildup may be a key reason why.

Also, make sure all your vents are not plugged with dust/etc.

A $5 bottle of canned air may be worth every penny

 

I have seen a hand full of times units come back with completely clocked vga and cpu heatsinks in particular the radiators. Some after a few months. Guys please keep in mind that if you run your lappy 24/7 it will not last a year. You will be lucky if it last half a year. You have to maintain the dust build up like said above. Unfortunately the vga heatsinks are not easy to get into so dealer service is inevitable

 

Thanks for all the replies.

I think you might be right about the dust as the room I use it in at Uni is VERY dusty (maybe I should clean more often!)

However, what is the best ways to "maintain the dust build". I know one guy recommended compressed air into the vents. Also were the temperatures I gave higher than is to be expected? Why does the fan only make the noise when it is reving up i.e once it gets about 2500 RMP is quietens down again.

Last but not least do you guys know anything about how the warranty works. One of the fringe benefits of the Asus was that it came with a 'two year' manufacturers warranty. How does this work, is dust build up in the fan covered?

 

Its not a manufacturer warranty its a dealer warranty in the states. Depends on the vendor. Who was your vendor

 

I purchased from a small vendor in the UK ( http://www.laptopman.co.uk/) - probably not the smartest move but it saved $100.

Any views on how to maintain the dust build up for another time and what are your views on my current temperatures?

 

can you see dust build up? I dont mean dusty radiator. I mean these things can be completely clogged to the point where no exaust comes out. Can you feel any exaust on the center and left exausts? If you can feel air moving on both then you are fine. Its easy to clean the cpu radiator but very hard to do the vga radiator. You can try blowing compressed air into the vga radiator. You can also use a house hold compressor and hose to blo9w it out but watch for water condensation with both. In any case after blowing it out with compressed air allow it to dry for a few hours before turning it on.

 

I can feel air coming out of the vent on the right hand side but there is hardly anything coming out of the back (it doesnt look that dusty though). Is the back vent related to the vga or cpu radiator or am just talking rubbish?

Regarding compressed air, Im not sure if its a UK thing but I've havent seen it around - its certainly not a common item to have in a shop or lying around the house. Anyway I assume it just comes in a somekind of cannister which you put next to the air vent and push - surely this pushes the dust into not out of the computer. Anyway is this the sort of thing I should buy ( http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Compressed-Air-Cleaner_W0QQitemZ8787334782QQcategoryZ162QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) GO EBAY!

 

Well, in my experience a large part of the dust is blown out the air intake, but some will be pushed into the system. You should be able to pick up a can of air (aerosol-like can) at a computer shop or an electronics joint.

 

The vent towards the middle is the vga exaust. The one towards the corener is the cpu. In low rpm's you really will not feel either. You need to run some type of benchmark like hot cpu or 3dmark to feel either. I would just like to add 1 thing. Initially i did not read your whole essay. If your laptop is not crashing or turning off you should not be here. If your laptop is working as it should you should not be monitoring the temps. Its good to check for dust build up every so often. I would estimate after 3600 hours of continuous opperation your fans will be very to somewhat clogged depending oin your environment. A good way to tell is to check your cpu fan if it is not clogged you should end this topic on a happy note. End of story.

 

Sorry if I've annoyed but one last question which is the main reason I came. While my laptop is working as it should be the fan is still very loud when operating at RPM's of 0 to 2500. Does this mean my fan is about to die.

Thanks again for all the info you've given me

 

I couldn't be sure cause I haven't heard the noise it makes, but it is a possibility that this is the case. Fans don't usually make much of any noise at low rpms. It is possible that the fan has become unbalanced in some way (possibly from dust buildup directly on the fan blades) or the bearing is starting to fail (again possible, since you say it has been in a dusty environment). I would at least take it to a shop and get a tech's (free) opinion if you're not comfortable sending it straight to the vendor and/or Asus (I really don't know how Asus' warranty works).

Jay

 

It's the GPU fan that is loud and of a lower tone than the CPU fan. The CPU fan has a pretty annoying tone to it when it's running fast, but that rarely happens unless I'm playing a game or something like that.

The GPU fan freakin' goes NUTS when I play a game because the GPU tends to get very hot. This is normal though on our Z70Va's. Don't compare the speed of the fans to any desktop fans, because these are tiny fans.

If your GPU fan is sounding like it's grinding something or has an interrupted whirring sound and not just straight whirring, then something is in there.

People, be cautious of where you plop down your notebooks. I don't mean wipe down a table or bench surface everytime you put your notebook down, just take a quick look and see if there are crumbs, or a whole lot of dust where you're going to be using your notebook.

The sound you are describing does sound like something is in there.

As for the noise of your GPU fan, that's normal, as are your temperatures. If you're playing games for long periods of time I would suggest placing your notebook on something other than a wood surface that likes to retain heat.

Your baby is fine, just needs some cleaning, I believe.

Cheers,
Mike

 

Funny thing, I think a laptop should be able to last at least two years running */* (i.e., however long one wants it to run). At least that's what the Asus warranty says.

I plan on using mine 14/24, 7/7 for as long as it lasts (it's not a Z70Va).

 

Thanks guys - I just spoke to Asus and the operator listened to the sound and agreed that it was probably something stuck in the fan.

Anyway, Asus are going to take my baby in for a nice spring clean. Now Im so pleased that I went with Asus as they were so cool on the phone and they will repair it quickly. I just hope they dont go bust while they have my laptop as happened with Tiny (who then refused to return it without me paying postage!).

Thanks for all the advice

 

No problemo. Before you send it in take pictures of your baby. Accidents do occur. My baby was scratched up when it was in Asus' hands, so it can happen.

They offer spring cleaning for free? Hrmm.