DV4000 Fan Noise

Hi,

I purchased a DV4030 and was wondering if the following was normal. I was under the impression from a review I read that the fan on this machine rarely comes on.

When I first boot the machine the fan kicks in at a high rpm but then spins down to a very low level that is basically inaudible. After about 10 minutes of light use (web browsing/email) the fan ramps up to what I'll call a medium level. It's quieter than my desktop which has 120mm fans but is not quieter than my mac mini or IBM T40. The fan never goes back off even if I leave the machine idle. I've checked to see if any tasks were consuming CPU and found nothing out of the ordinary 4-7%. I'm using the DV4030 without the battery so it's probably running at it's full performance level.

Does this sound normal? Does anyone elses fan stay on at all times while NOT using the battery? Is there any way to have the CPU ramp down, when not in use, like it would with the battery installed?

Thanks,

Paul

 

I just downloaded mobmeter and It's telling me I've got a CPU temp of between 50 - 53c at idle. Since I just recently powered the machine back up the fans are on low. I'm waiting to see what temp pushes it over the edge. Just booted Photoshop Elements and the temp jumped up to 61c. Fan came on and within a few seconds it dropped to 47c. The fan is still on 5 minutes later even though the temp is still under 50c. I'm guessing once it's tripped it doesn't go back off.

Paul

 

After a few days of use I've found that once the fan turns on it never cycles back off. While it's a bit annoying there is a positive outcome to report. The keyboard and palm rest area do not get nearly as hot as other laptops I've used including a 14 inch Apple iBook and an IBM T42. Those get so miserably hot that I find I've got to use an external keyboard in order to enjoy using them.

Paul

 

Hey Paul,

I received your email, so I figured I'd just respond here. I haven't noticed this happening on my DV4040. I'll check tonight and if my fan will cycle off after it cools or not and post back here. One thing to check (no offense intended)....are you sure it's not a CD/DVD in the disc drive spinning? Is air blowing out of the vents, even after it cools down? I'm sure you're savvy enough to tell the difference, but just checking.

_____________________________
Ryan
HP dv4040:
* 1.73 Ghz Pentium M * 1.0 GB DDR SDRAM * 100 GB 4200 RPM HD * 15.4" WXGA BrightView WideScreen * Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 * 8x CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) * Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 (128 shared) * Win XP Pro SP2 *

 

Ryan,

No offense taken. I've dealt with enough relatives to know that you can never take anything for granted.

It's not a cd or dvd in the drive. It's the fan. The exhaust area is wide open, there are no obstructions. One of the steps that HP had me do was to reflash the bios. I thought it was a silly idea considering the bios I was at f07 was the same as the one they wanted me to flash to. After flashing the fan comes on immediately at startup. You know how when you start the computer the fan goes to it's highest rpm and then drastically reduces it's speed? Well mine used to go down to a nice level and then after about 10 mins or so go back up to a medium type setting. Well now after the flashed bios it immediately goes to this medium setting and never changes. I've got the laptop set to portable/laptop in power settings. I can see the cpu is running at 800mhz most of the time and only ocassionaly goes to 1.6. HP says the machine is defective and to send it back. I'm going back to Circuit City to exhange it. I'm hoping the screen on the new one is as nice as this one....

Thanks for your help.

Paul

 

Good news.

HP told me that the second fan should not be running while the computer is at 44c at 800mhz. They asked me to send it back to them. Rather than do that I brought the laptop back to Circuit City (who, by the way, are enforcing a 15% restocking fee on laptops)and exchanged it for the same model. Initial startup was nice and quiet but about 5 minutes into the install the fans started up again. I expected this however since the installation can be intensive. So I let the computer sit at idle for awhile. Thankfully the second fan turned off, something the other computer never did.

Paul