X230 vs Vaio S13 fan noise

I just recently bought myself a 2012 Vaio S 13. I love almost everything about it. It's fast, sexy and light. However, I cannot get used to the constant fan noise this little mashine generates, even though it is the Intel HD graphics that are being used and the CPU is cut down to half.
When I bought this mashine a week ago, I was torn between this and the Lenovo X230 (i5 + IPS). The reviews I have read on the x230 says it is almost silent. But when I read the reviews on the S13, they said that the fan was almost inaudible - which it is certainly not, when in a quiet space!

I have almost decided to return my S13, so my question for you guys is this: How is your experience with the noise from you X230 in totally quiet areas? Is anyone able to compare to the 2012 S13?

Thanks in advance!

 

I really wanted the S13 but my budget wouldn't allow it. The fan on my x230 is silent under light load as Lenovo doesn't turn the fan on until 50C. Even on the lowest setting, you cannot hear the fan unless you pick the laptop up and hold it to your ear. I have the fan manually set to level 1 (inaudible) and my temperatures range from 37-50C depending on what I'm doing. It does get loud when you play games or really push the CPU.

 

I have a S13 right now and would agree the fan can be audible at times. I found switching it to stamina mode helped some, but is no cure. My X220i and the X230 I had earlier this year are fairly quiet under light load.

 

I had a Sandybridge i5-2410m Vaio SA so I don't know if it is the same as S13, but the fan was scary loud on full load, and loud on mild use too. I remember SA has a very bad vent design, where if you open the lid it blocks the air vent. Compared to SA, the X220/X230 is much much quieter, and dead silent on idle.

 

I've used TPFanControl on my x230 (i5-3230M), it displays temperatures of 52-55C with "Maximum Battery Life" settings (CPU performance 1-5% through Win7 Power Control options, passive cooling) when just just browsing internet/idle.

I was wondering how come yours stays at 50C or lower, and which program do you actually use to set the fan manually to 1 ?

 

My X220 was reasonably quiet, but my X230 is inaudible under almost all conditions--occasionally under full load it's audible but very low in volume and frequency. I have no comparison to the S13, but it's incredibly quiet--the most quiet laptop I've ever used. I'm pretty sensitive to noise, and it's one of the things that pushed me away from the MBA (along with the heat).