Loud T420 Fan?

I just got my T420 and the fan is so loud.

I'm having it side-by-side with my T61 and it's so much louder. Is this Normal? It sounds broken...

Edit: It definitely sounds broken because even when I set my T61 to full power, it sounds smooth.

Is there anything I can do about this? I had the unfortunate fate where I had to send my T61 to repair because of loud fan but now it's t420 again...


Edit:
For comparison I've recorded the fan noise of T420 vs T61.

T420 - I started at Level 3 in TPFancontrol, move it down to 1, and then up to 7 again.
http://www.focaladvertising.com/thinkpad/t420Noise.wma

T61 - Started from 0 then all the way up to 7
http://www.focaladvertising.com/thinkpad/t61.wma

Both are recorded using a Sampson Consender microphone 1 inche away from the exhaust.

 

It doesn't sound normal, my T420 runs much quieter than my T61 by some margin. If you're confident enough you can try cleaning and reseating the fan to see if it makes a difference. Otherwise I would call Lenovo for a replacement fan if possible.

 

Thanks. I played around with TPfancontrol and it sounds like something got stuck or the fan is not running smoothly.

As for fixing it myself... I finally resurrected my T61 due to power socket failure. I literally had to take apart the entire laptop so I won't have to patience to do it on a brand new one.

Can this be a ground to get a new replacement? It's unacceptable to get a broken laptop and have it fixed even it's new.

 

Since it's still in warranty I would call support to see what their stance is, though most likely they would ask for the unit to be sent back so they can replace the fan on the system (unless you purchased onsite warranty).

However it wouldn't hurt to try and get a complete replacement unit especially if you had it less than the cooling off period (~14 days) for example.

 

Thanks Heast. I just got my laptop today. For comparison I've recorded the fan noise of T420 vs T61.

T420 - I started at Level 3 in TPFancontrol, move it down to 1, and then up to 7 again.
http://www.focaladvertising.com/thinkpad/t420Noise.wma


T61 - Started from 0 then all the way up to 7
http://www.focaladvertising.com/thinkpad/t61.wma


Both are recorded using a Sampson Consender microphone 1 inche away from the exhaust.
As you can tell, it's not the fan noise I'm complaining. The noise I'm having trouble with is the abnormal clicking sound of the fan.
I'm very disappointed because I've been defending Thinkpad and Lenovo about its quality. When I told my Dad I got another Lenovo, he said " Are you serious? Watch out about its quality...".

 

Sounds sorta like the noise my dad's T60 used to make after a few years of service. Might want to take the keyboard off to see if it spins freely. Otherwise, ask for a new heatsink/fan.

 

Now I'm stuck with expensive accessories I bought for this machine (rams, docking stations, etc) and will be forced to keep the same model.

 

i tried running my t420 once at full processing power and the fan sound like a jet engine.. but once i tune it down the processor power load it's bascially silence...

 

Listen to my uploaded sound. I'm fine when the fan is running like max. What Im having problem with is the clicking sound...

 

Wow, its really quiet except for that sound like theres something stuck in fan, definitely return it if you can or call service to get it serviced.
Lenovo does not replace laptops just like that, so if you can arrange return without restocking fee then do so.

 

No reason to replace the whole thing. it's just the fan.

you can hear clearly something is stuck in it, or it's off balance.

 

My T420's fan is much quieter than any of the T60s, T61s, or T400s that I've owned. It's about on par with my T410 in terms of peak volume, but tends to run at lower speeds during normal operation.

 

Thanks. Do you guys know what department I should be calling? Warranty or sales?

 

If you want to just get the fan changed then you need to talk to a technical person. If you want to return the whole computer then call sales.

John