Fan noise normal?

My P151 keeps turning its fans on then turns off every 5-10 seconds. Is that normal?

CPU temp is about 46c and GPU is 39c while playing spadster and surfing the web.

 

Hi, I originally planned to make a separate thread about this, but whatever...here we go.

I bought my P150HM couple weeks ago and I had the same problem with my machine. BIOS updates helped a little bit, but didn't really solve the issue. The problems are the GPU fans. My GTX 580M always idles around 38-39 degrees while surfing + working with Microsoft Word + other light work. The threshold for the GPU fans to activate is 40 degrees. Sometimes the GPU goes above the 40 degrees threshold and the GPU fan starts doing it's thing for a couple seconds, before going quiet again. This is the reason why the fans are turning on and off every couple seconds. As weird as it sounds, the P150HM is running too cool. But since it's winter in most regions, expect the fans to work more consistent once the ambient temperature rises.

Now, there are several approaches to the fan problem. First you should know that the notebook is designed to work this way and apparently a lot of people are not bothered by it. But essentially there are 2 simple ways to reduce the irregular fan acitivities: Raising the GPU constantly over 40 degrees or constantly reducing the GPU under 40 degrees. Obviously I went for the latter. There are 3 simple ways:

1. Update your Bios. First step you should do before moving on to the next steps. A Bios update didn't help much in my case, but maybe you'll have more luck.

2. Check what thermal paste you have. Ask your reseller. If you only have stock paste, applying a high quality paste can make a difference of 5-8 degrees. Most people here are using the IC Diamond 7. In my case, I chose not to change the thermal paste since I would have lost my warranty (and because my reseller told me they were using some paste from Arctic).

3. Get a good notebook cooler. This is what I did and it has almost completely solved the fan problem. I got the Cooler Master Notepal U3 yesterday and it keeps the GPU temp at 37-38 degrees at almost all times. It hasn't completely solved the problem though, but the frequency of the fans turning on and off has been reduced to maybe once or twice every 4-6 minutes. But the real kicker is what the Notepal U3 did to my CPU temp. I used to have 45-55 degrees while surfing + working with Microsoft Word + other light work. But now I get 35-38 degrees!!! What the ...

Well anyways, hope you'll get it fixed. I know how super annoying the fans can be...

 

Are they turning off completely, or is it more of a pulsing? The pulsing (where you hear the fans momentarily slow down) is normal. If they're completely shutting down for a few seconds- that's not. Make sure you have the newest Bios (contact your reseller for Sager branded or use the thread below for Clevo):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/416916-clevo-bios-thread.html

The pulsing is due to the way the EC (embedded controller) regulates fan speed. It's more noticeable at idle because the machine is not producing that much heat.

 

I believe it's pulsing because I can put the hand on the back to block a vent and hear the noise when blocking air passing through.