S5n dead pixel, fan noise and heat

My love affair with my S5n has unfortunately not lasted as long as I had hoped. I am still very happy with the computer, but I wanted to post this information for people who are considering purchasing the upcoming S5a. It may be completely irrelevant to others and specific to my own computer, but I still feel it's good to have a record of these things for others who are looking to buy.

I have noticed that when subjecting the computer to a bit more intensive use, the fan does come on and is not as quiet as I had originally believed. It does tend to have a sort of high-pitched whining, though I doubt it is anywhere near as bad as the M5's fan noise problem. But it changes pitch in a sort of rythmic up and down pattern that is fairly annoying. I think it would almost be better if it were just a constant hum, but the up and down pitch change is really irritating - it almost sounds as if the fan is off balance inside the casing.

The heat that builds up on the palm rest and base of the computer when subjecting it to fairly heavy use is also slightly distracting. I don't think it's as bad as I've heard described on other notebooks, but it is enough to make me worry at times. I will run some diagnostics and post actual temperatures the next time I subject it to heavy use.

I also have developed a dead pixel in the last couple days. I first noticed it last night when I was shutting my computer down. It's about a centimeter left of center and is noticeable on any color background. I still have not decided what to do about this. I'm quite upset about this as I'm sure you can imagine.

And ASUS, PLEASE can you put the left CTRL key where it belongs on future models? I know i'm not the only one who finds this frustrating. I've been using this computer exclusively for a couple weeks now and I still hit FN instead of CTRL at least half the time.

I also only just recently noticed that for some completely bizarre reason, I have two | keys. One beneath the backspace and the other on the bottom right beneath the shift key. WTF is up with that? [ !]

 

Have you tried "massaging" the dead pixel and bringing it back to life? I've heard that works...sometimes.
For your fan issue...try using Centrino Hardware Control or Speedfan ...maybe those can control the fan to make it behave the way you want it to.

Best of luck

ASUS M6800Ne, P-M 715 (Dothan 1.5), 512MB Ram, Toshiba Combo drive, Samsung Spinpoint M 40G HDD with 8M cache, Mobility Radeon 9700

 

I think the fan definitely only comes on when necessary, so I would be wary about turning it down. I will look into this option though, but I doubt it would change the strange pitch issues. When I'm surfing or even running Photoshop or something, the fan does not come on and the computer runs relatively cool. But as soon as I push the HDD, the heat increases considerably and the fan starts whining away. I wish I could describe the sound. It's extremely irritating.

I may just learn to live with the dead pixel. Parting with my computer for some extended period of time doesn't sound all that appealing. I'm just pissed off, naturally. [xx(]

 

Well, now instead of praying for no dead pixels, you need to pray for MORE dead pixels (to get you into warranty range!)

Good luck.

 

I am in away happy that your having problems, for a moment I thought the only asus notebook was the w3v.
This could sound really stupid, but I thought I had 3 dead pixels for the last 6 months, until my wife, of all people (she hates me being on the computer), said it was just a speck of dirt. To my surprise she was right. I had always cleaned my screen with a soft glass cloth, and those spec's were really stuck on and smooth, they really looked like dead pixels too, but a gentle finger nail scrub removed them and voila no dead pixels anymore... anyway it might be worth a try.
a


ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by BBQmyNUTZ

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Sencha

 

oh well it was worth a try....re speck of dirt.
anyway I hope it works out for you. I had lots of problems with my M6ne to start with but now it seems to be fine...touch wood.
a

ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Yeah, for a second I thought maybe I'd been sold some kind of strange "it fell off a truck" S5n (especially considering the battery that came with my wireless mouse was expired) but it actually appears that this stupid keyboard thing is standard. Check out Justin's keyboard comparison photos and you'll see what I am talking about:

http://www.proportable.com/images/keyboardcompare.jpg

I've been a good little ASUS owner and have not tampered with my computer's innards (except I may have let some guy put in a bit more RAM, but I have no recollection of this and cannot be held accountable if this did for some reason occur), but it appears that the HDD is below the right palm rest, however it is the left palm rest that gets the hottest and I have no idea what is beneath it. I need to search for an S5n upgrade manual to see if I can figure out what it is. I'm fairly certain its not the CPU. The whole underside gets very hot, which may be a good thing considering what you're experiencing.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Sencha

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Sencha

 

No, it is most definitely a dead pixel. I really wish it was merely a speck of dirt (I have mistaken one of those for a dead pixel before and applied the finger nail method and removed it) but it is definitely a dead pixel.

It seems every ASUS model does have its quirks. Obviously a dead pixel isn't just a quirk but the absolutely ridiculous inclusion of two | keys appears to be a quirk on the S5n. Unfortunately, these sorts of quirks cause one to suspect careless design. Makes me wonder what other surprises I'm in for. I'm planning to reformat anyway when I get back to Canada because I find the two partitions it came with vastly annoying.

(Not feeling the ASUS love right now obviously)

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Sencha

 

Kai,

It actually gets much hotter when plugged in. I hadn't really thought about it until now and probably just assumed something about having power flowing into it made it hotter. When I have it running off the battery, I generally step it down to high power savings (that's an awkward thing to say) which I suspect causes it to run cooler. When I close the lid and leave it on but running plugged in, it seems to stay very warm. In fact I just picked it up now after letting it sit that way for some time and the fan was going and it was quite warm. That's with the display off and no programs really running and nothing obstructing the vents, etc. I have MobileMeter running but it's not showing anything too strange I don't think (51-53 degrees just surfing and messaging) and the fan is currently off, though it kicks on for a minute here and there. Nothing too strange. The heat is definitely distracting, but probably standard, but it's the fan that is driving me crazy.

What is really stupid about the keyboard is that they could have maybe increased the size of the spacebar instead of adding an extra key just to fill up space. Call me crazy...

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Sencha

 

Yeah, I noticed that about the double keys a LONG, LONG time ago...I thought It was some kinda Asian model necessity and haven't thought about it since.

It really sucks you have all these negative things to report back about the S5n a few months in. The fan issue really worries me because that's something that seems to be consistent with a bunch of Asus models and would drive me crazy too. It prevented me from buying the M5n way back when...and has been something I've been watching out for on the W3V and soon to be S5a. Having a dead pixel just sprout up after all this time is also kinda worrying If you ask me...what would happen if one+ sprouted up on a model with the Zero Dead Pixel policy after the timeframe allotted expired?...I always figured if you didn't have any when you received a system, you were home free,(unless you abused it somehow) but now who knows when or how many could pop up...can anyone comment on the frequency at which this seems to happen? Is it rare or common?

Well I can't wait to see all the models in person and question the Asus rep about a few things at the local showcase on the 27th/28th. I'm basically sold on the W3V at this point. Thanks for sharing your updated experience/opinions with us Sencha, they're most appreciated [8D]

 

I would've thought by now you're used to the FN key being on the left? I've actually come to like it better this way (probably because of habit), and now when i use another laptop with the ctrl key on the left i end up cursing it and wishing it was back on the right side!

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by manlyputter

 

No I've found the FN / CTRL key thing very frustrating. I use Photoshop very frequently and generally use shortcuts and I still have not become used to the position of the CTRL key. It drives me NUTZ.

Kai, I will try that and report back. The computer has been sitting for about 6 hours plugged in with lid closed and no programs running and when I just picked it up and opened the LCD, it was at 53 degrees. Grrr. But I'll test it with power savings running on AC and let you know. EDIT: Just tried to step power savings up to Max Savings with it plugged in and it won't let me do it. Checked the manual and it seems I can only use Max Power Savings when it is running on battery power, which is REALLY stupid. Anyone know a way around this?

Cal, I still love my S5n and don't know if I'd buy another ultraportable from any other company. I saw a few today in my wanderings and none of them are as slick and sweet as my S5. I'm just annoyed with a few things and could easily say to add my name to the list of ASUS owners who are not exactly pleased with the heat/fan noise issues that appear to be pretty common to the brand. ASUS notebooks still kick the snot out of 95% of the competition overall though, so don't take my gripes TOO seriously. As for the dead pixel, I have no explanation for that. I have certainly never treated my notebook badly so there is no reason for it to have appeared as a result of carelessness. I have bad luck with dead pixels, so I'm not exactly surprised. It just sucks.

 

Sencha

Welcome to the Overheated Nuts Club [ ]

 

You'll have to come up with a separate chapter especially for females. I'm not sure what to call it but I'm sure you guys can come up with something. I have faith in your creative skills.

 

Sencha,

I have something very creative in my mind,but the french underpants will ban me from NR. [ ]

 

Too bad BBQ left. I'm sure he would have had a really creative name for the female division of the toasted nuts club.

Let's hope he comes back.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Sencha

 

Sencha,

I have been on the verge of pulling the trigger for the s5n for the past few weeks (still planning on doing it in time to get the extra year's warranty), and your glowing review certainly improved its standing in my book.

I know you said you're still pretty happy with it, but just to be sure: you're not having second thoughs, right?

 

Sencha,

How long do your love-affairs(with lappies) last,on an average ?

How many lappies have you run through [ ]