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    sound of W700 compared to W500 in mundane computing

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by antskip, May 28, 2009.

  1. antskip

    antskip Notebook Deity

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    Can anyone comment on how loud the fan on a W700 runs in mundane computing (w.g. web surfing, word processing) compared to a W500? I would be thinking of a W700 compared to a W500 with otherwise equal specs as possible (i.e.a mimimum-spec's W700 and W500): T9550 cpu, 250 HDD, 2MB ram; but a Nvidia 512MB FX1700 on the W700 compared to an ATI 512MB V5700 on the W500. I need to choose a great web and word-machine, and if portability was not important then maybe the W700 could be as quiet a work machine as the W500 (using its dedicated gpu, not the 4500HD)?
     
    antskip, May 28, 2009
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  2. MastahRiz

    MastahRiz Notebook Evangelist

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    The fan on the W500 is almost never audible. Only during intense GPU load will the fan ever go to the maximum setting allowed by the bios (about 3400 RPM) and even then it's still fairly quiet. You can always control the fan speed (and thereby the noise) just by using a small and very useful application called TPFan Control. I would imagine the W700 is pretty similar.
     
    MastahRiz, May 30, 2009
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  3. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    I would imagine the W500 to be quieter than the W700, mainly because it can use integrated graphics, which produce less heat, so the fan can stay running at the lowest and quietest speed. The W700 lacks switchable graphics, so its hot, powerful graphics cards will always be running.
     
    MidnightSun, May 30, 2009
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  4. MastahRiz

    MastahRiz Notebook Evangelist

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    The W500 fan even with the ATI card enabled still never reaches it's maximum speed until you hit a temperature of about 75C, which is usually only when you're really pushing the card. On the W700 I'm guessing that it's set up somewhat similar where the fan really only revs up once it's already pretty hot.

    The graphics cards are rated to be run at high temps so it doesn't surprise me that for the sake of letting the W series run quiet, Lenovo allows the cards to get up to those kinds of temps. I prefer to keep mine much cooler though.

    On switchable graphics, then yes you're absolutely right, it's significantly quieter and also cooler as compared to the W700. Anyway, my point is that for the purposes that the antskip mentioned, the fans would barely be audible on either.
     
    MastahRiz, May 31, 2009
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