GS60-2QE CPU Fan Speed

Hello,

I know this topic has been discussed before, but most of the information I found is related to older models of the GS60.

I have a GS60-2QE 4k, which has the GTX 970M. The CPU fan never stops spinning even when the CPU is at idle. Right now, the CPU temp is at about 38ºC and the FAN is sitting at 2900rpm. I've seen that owners of previous models of the GS60 have managed to tweak the profile, so that the CPU FAN stops completely when the temperature is low enough. I have also read that MSI locked the newer GS60-2QE, making it impossible override the minimum fan speed using the same method that worked with older models.

Has anyone come up with a solution? Has MSI said anything about this or about plans to correct this in future firmware updates?

I know this is a gaming laptop, but when it's not being used for gaming, wouldn't it be perfect if it made use of haswell's ability to run cool and silent when not being pushed? I'm surprised not more people are talking about this.

Thanks!

 

Just want to make sure, were you referring to the right fan, or left fan?

 

I'm referring to the RIGHT fan. The left fan comes on when the GPU is being used, and I'm ok with that since that'd mean I'm gaming and wearing headphones.

 

When the CPU fan spins, do you know the temperature level?
Use XTU or monitoring software to verify.
What's your current BIOS and EC version? You can find out this info in the BIOS by pressing DEL key at boot.
From time to time, MSI releases revised BIOS and EC to enhance user experience, including fan table.

 

It came with the latest BIOS and Firmware. We're all on the one and only firmware they've released for the 2QE. I regularly check support with hopes there's an update that fixes this behavior.

Referring to when the CPU fan spins, I want to remind that the right fan is never not spinning. I'm sure I could draw a graph with CPU temp against Fan Speed, but during normal use, no matter how cold the CPU is, the fan wont go below 2800 rpm. The coldest I've seen it is about 30ºC, which is just a little over room temperature. Applying some non GPU optimized filters in photoshop gets it to about 45ºC and the fan speed goes to 3200rpm. When gaming on the iGPU, the CPU reaches about 70ºC and the fan can reach close to 5000rpm (small fans reach these speeds).

These are some random readings I took right now:
30ºC... 2800rpm
40ºC...2800rpm
55ªC...3300rpm
70ºC...4000rpm

For some reason the readings and fan sound make me believe that the fan speed isn't only a function of the cpu temperature, but the activity too. There are some random quick bursts as well as some high fan speed persistance for some seconds after heavy cpu activity while the CPU is already cooled.

 

Just curious, what program are you using to monitor your fan speed?

 

I'm just monitoring with MSI's Dragon Gaming Center.

Might not be the most accurate for temperatures, but the fan speed reading clearly reflects the noise coming out of the right fan. I'm 100% sure the fan is spinning and that when idle, it reaches a minimum speed that is very annoying in a silent room... you know when you turn off a loud computer and your realize how noisy it was all the time like "Finally some peace!" I thought that was a thing of the past...

 

Yeah my GS60 is fairly loud too on idle but still quieter than my GT60 lol.

 

The CPU is constantly in use so it's going to generate heat constantly, thus the fan needs to spin all the time to keep the heat in check.
Looking at the table confirms that the fan is working fine as it's supposed to.
30ºC... 2800rpm
40ºC...2800rpm
55ªC...3300rpm
70ºC...4000rpm

 

Exactly, that's not the point of this thread. The point is finding out why is it that a fan is supposed to spin at 2800rpm just to prevent a CPU from frying even when the computer is not doing any complex activity. More so, why are other models in the similar price range capable of being 100% silent under the same circumstances. Why can't the fan stop or spin very slowly when all I'm doing is writing an email. The previous GS60 (which only difference is the GPU) allows the fan to stop, and I haven't read anything about their CPUs reaching dangerous temps.

Previously, a user was able to stop the fan at certain temperatures by flashing a modiffied table, which is what other GS60 models owners did, but that doesn't work with the 2QE as the minimum fan speed is locked.

 

It's complicated.
The design of fan speed has to factor in the temp in various of scenario, and it's not the best design for some.
But it's not a dead end, does your system have the latest EC firmware? What version is it?
You can also modify the fan table to your liking by asking Svet for assistance.

 

Hello Kevin. So far there's only one EC Firmware version for the GS60-2QE model.
In the previous GS60 model (870m), you could flash a modified EC for the fans to stop at low cpu temperature. Unfortunately that method doesn't work with 970M models since apparently MSI removed that possibility. They've "hard coded" a minimum speed of about 2800 rpm even at the lowest CPU temps.

 

Well, that's what I had read, so I was partly wrong. Turns out you can turn the FAN off. I just got Svet's EC Tuner and got the fan to stop. The only thing I'm encountering is that there are no intermediate fan speed values available between 0% and 47% even if you set intermediate values in the EC table. So the best I could do is increase the temp value at which it starts to spin to 47% (2800 rpm). I wish I could set it to 15% or something like that at some inbetween temp. I've set it to start spinning at 50ºC. If the CPU reaches that temp, the fan goes from 0rpm to 2800rpm instantly... and that's good enough for me.

Thanks for mentioning SVET.

 

Can you provide the version # of BIOS & EC from the BIOS screen under System Information?
It will be helpful to troubleshoot for you if you can provide more details.

 

BIOS Version E16H5IMS.106
EC Version 16H5EMS1 Ver5.04

Just to explain the current behavior after modifying the table with Svet's EC-FW Tuner. Apart from 0 rpm, the lowest speed that the CPU fan can spin at is 47% (2800rpm). Between 47% and 100% rpm there are some intermediate speed values available, but there are no intermediate speed values between 0% and 47% rpm. It's as if the lowest voltage the fan controller can do is not low enough for positive speeds lower than 2800rpm. That means that even If I set a speed of 10% in the table, the fan will spin at 47%.

This makes it impossible to keep the CPU colder than the temp at which the fan will spin at 47% (In my modification, 50ºC).

 

BIOS 106 -> 10C, download
EC 1504 -> Up-to-date.

So if the lowest speed is 2800rpm then it's the limitation with the fan, as you said.
Ideally, if the fan spin at around 1500rpm then it would be much quieter.
Do you have part number on the fan?

Another idea here is to extend the 0rpm range further to higher level of temp until it's hot enough then spin the fan.
This way it's going to give you the quietness for an extended period of time.
And to play with Temp Threshold Hysteresis, play more on the tweaks then you will be able to get better results than stock settings.
If you need more assistance then pm Svet directly.

 

Thanks. Yes, that's what I did. My current table is:

0ºC -> 0rpm
60ºC -> 44% rpm
the rest is almost as default. I also increased hysteresis to 5ºC.

With this table, the computer is completly silent. The only thing that makes noise is the spinning HDD, which I'll be replacing with an SSD as soon as loose the "new computer" feeling and dare to break the warranty seal.

If this turns out to be a fan limitation I'll look into getting an aftermarket fan the future, if there is such a thing. 1500rpm would be great. I'm sure in the long run, it'd be better to keep it cooler than 50ºC.

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

Perfect, you've done an excellent job mostly on your own!! :thumbsup:

 

Hello Palonazo, would you mind sharing your modded EC firmware? I'd like to try how it works but I cannot get the Svet's tool because its only sold by paypal.

 

That wouldn't be ethical I guess... what stops you from getting Svet's tool yourself? I think a silent GS60 is worth an extra 15 bucks.

 

If you are interested in getting his tool, here it is.
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=148273.0

 

....irrelevant....

 

Hey there palonazo, I just got the Vbios tuner program from Svet. I also want to lower the fan speed because is is really bugging me out.. only i have no idea on how to use it, let alone use it safely so my system doesnt crash. Could you give me a reply or PM on how to do this step by step? Thanks in advance.

 

Hello GloveCompartment, I would do that if I remembered how I did it myself, but I don't. All I remember is that when I bought Svet's tool, it came with instructions that helped me enough to get it done in no more than 30 minutes.

 

You can always consult with Svet as he would be willing to assist/support you.

 

Did you have some success?

 

There is a new EC firmware posted that mentions GPU fan speed in the changelog... Anyone know how it differs from the original schedule?