So just how dangerous are loud fans?

I got one of these: MSI 15.6" GE620DX-297NL - i5 2410M/4GB/500GB : GE620DX-297NL - Komplett

And I've never had a gaming laptop before. I know, it's not exactly a gaming laptop but I'm uisng it to play games like Just Cause 2 or the fallout games and I've noticed on "older" games like Fallout 3 or New Vegas, the fan isn't very loud.

But with Just Cause 2 with pretty much all low settings and the resolution at 1024 x 768 it's still really, really loud and the air being blown out is really hot. When I put my hand on the one vent... it's like I have it on a heater, I can leave it there for about 6 seconds but I have to take my hand off since it's too hot.

At the moment I have the laptop on a guide book, about an inch (2-3 cm) thick, the book is placed on my lap. The part with the fan is hanging off the book, so it's basically about an inch above my leg.

Is there way I can check if the fan is safe or if it's defective or what. The thing is, the moment I minimize the game, it stops spinning. The fan is probably as loud as a very weak hair dryer but it's really worrying me.

So, any advice at all?

 

You need to stop playing with it on your legs.

A Zalman NC2000 is also recommended (may not stop the fans when you're loading the system with JC2 - but it should significantly keep the notebook's core parts cooler - as long as you have it on a proper desk and not sitting on your lap/legs).

I am guessing that some of the vents when the notebook is sitting on the book are being blocked and that is why it is so hot - or, you may just have a system with a poorly designed cooling system.

The fan is not defective - it is working as it should - change how you interact with the system to keep it as cool as possible and the fan will spin to where it needs too.

 

Alright so you think getting this:
ZALMAN ZM-NC2000 - Notebook fan with 1 port USB : ZM-NC2000B - Komplett

will solve the problem for the most part.

The reason I got a laptop was so I could use it on my lap/legs... I mean I don't mind buying one of the laptop desk things but the idea of getting a laptop was that I could just use it while being on my bed instead of sitting at a table.

 

Wut??

The fan might be working perfectly, depends on what your temps are. Check your max temps while gaming with GPUz sensors.

It should work fine on a book on your legs, however if the corner with the fan is hanging off... think for a second about how it has 4 feet. It might end up balancing on only 2 and cutting off airflow to the rest of the case.

Anyway can you please take a GPU screenshot of the main GPUz data also?
And maybe take a picture of the bottom of the laptop... The cooler may not help at all depending on the design.

Maybe you should just investigate the bottom cover a little... It could be badly designed [not enough holes]. On many MSI laptops, there only 2 screws and the bottom cover will stay well secured without them. It may be best to simply remove it while gaming.

If you do take a picture of the insides too. It would be greatly appreciated. Some of us here at NBR have been wondering a lot about this laptop, there isn't much info on it.

 

When you say it's working perfectly, do fans in laptops actually make a lot of nose and still be "safe"? I haven't overclocked anything or even install any program that could overclock or change any settings like that. I don't mind the loudness or the hot air... I'm just worried if it's being pushed too hard and going to cause a shutdown or something

Oh no! I mean if the book is ten inches across and the laptop is 14 inches across (not actual measurements, just an example), I'll have the laptop balanced so the left side *where the fan is*, is not on the laptop and hanging a good 4 inches or so from my thigh to the bed, if that makes sense... In otherwords, the laptop is bigger than the book so the part with the fan is not on the book so it has more room to push the air out.
It is fairly balanced so it's okay for that, i think.

Is GPUz a program that I can use when in full screen? If not, would a screenshot of it while a game is in window mode just work as well?

I've never been the type to tinker with a laptop. But taking of the back "cover" (as in removing the screens and the casing) is fine, once I don't touch anything that has a warranty sticker? I know it's a hard question but the last thing I want to do is mess up the laptop and void it.

 

Well, first things first, the fan will spin at faster speeds depending on what the temperatures are inside the laptop so it is normal for it to get louder under load. Second thing, the heatsink will get dusty over time and you will need to clean it, blow it out with compressed air for example, once in a while. Lastly, you will definitely need to check your temps.

When you run GPU-Z, make sure the option to continue to refresh the sensor screen while GPU-Z is in the background is ticked. After that, you just have to display the max temp and take a SS. Like in the pic below. You could also tick log to file and you will have a .txt file containing a log of the reading for the time GPU-Z was active.