Sager 8760 fan noise

Getting ready to add a new laptop to my home network. I'm very interested in the Asus G73 and the Sager 8760.

But one thing that kept me from buying an 8690 in the past, wound up buying a Velocity Micro Z30 instead, was the loud fan noise. During normal usage, surfing and watching video on you tube only not gaming, is the 8760 as loud as the 8690. I read a review on this site that has me a little worry and the issues with the G73 also have me worry.

Thanks.

 

I have the 8760. It's LOUD.

 

God I hate reading your answer, LOL.

 

I have the 8760, purchased in March, 2010. It is virtually silent, even under heavy loads. Clevo may have replaced the fans recently. Owners of older models sometimes complain about fan noise, more recent owners report how quiet it is. The 8760 is a great laptop.

 

Well that good to know because the review I read was from 09.

 

What about the 8690? Is it also silenter now or does it still sound like a jet taking off?

 

I thing most people who complained about the noise still had that CPU fan sticker on. With the sticker the noise is crazy as the CPU fan struggles to suck in fresh air, I was annoyed at the noise level when I got the W860CU. But without it the sticker, although you can hear the fans even on idle, they are not annoying (slow and deep fan sound). If you run games it gets naturally louder, but then again the game has soundeffects and stuff which will be overshadow the fans. So no problem, as long as you remove that sticker.

I dunno how the MR HD 5870 will change the picture, but it should basically be the same as long as you underclock it on idle. And once again sheer loudness alone does not indicate anything. The W860CU has big fans, so the sound they produce will always be less annoying than the sound of smaller fans that have to run at higher RPM to produce same cooling which may have the same or even less db but will sound much more annoying to the human ear. Sadly it's hard to pre-hear a laptop, so to find out if the fan noise really bothers you.

Would be nice if revierws could indicate the loudness of laptops in sone as well. That would make comparing much more easy.

 

have you cleaned the fans out at all?

 

Thanks for the input, yes i wish i could go try out the laptop to at least listen to it in idle and load before i decide to take it..

 

Notebookcheck.com does put the the actual # for the system noise in their reviews. Here's are 2 reviews of the 860.
Notebookcheck: Review Deviltech Devil 9700 DTX (ATI HD 5870) Notebook
Notebookcheck: Review Deviltech Devil 9700 DTX (W860CU) Notebook

And here's the 8760 from 09 so hopefully they addressed the fa noise in the newer models.
Notebookcheck: Review mySN XMG7.c Notebook

 

This is very bad news.. im very sensitive to noise.. my d900f is supposedly producing 31 db in idle and 38 at full load.. and those two are actually going all the way up to 48 db..
And i want a quieter notebook.. isnt there one with good performance, such as these two, but quieter as the d900f, and also ligher and capable of sitting on my lap..

 

If you are looking for top performance you are going to have more noise. Faster CPU and GPU use need more cooling. A Honda Accord is much quieter than a Ferrari but not as fast.

I believe the over-all noise level will varied with the configuration. For example an 8760 or an 8690 with an i5 has to be quieter than one with an i7. At least I hope since an i5 will be sufficient for my needs.

 

I can only speak for the mobility 5870 version. i7 and i5 won't have any difference in noise levels during idle since 95% of the noise is coming from the GPU. CPU fan kicks in occasionally when the temperatures reach around 50C. Fan noise is definitely noticeable, but personally I don't really mind. I sleep with it almost everyday. Under load, it's just going to be loud... not much anyone can do there.

 

So the only option is the g73jh and HOPE i dont get a defective one..
IF thats really as quiet as they say.. any1 got info on that?

 

Yes but the mentioned under load. So I would hope when you are not gaming it should not be too loud.

I don't mind noise when gaming or under load, but for surfing that would drive me nuts. But good to know the CPU will not make a difference in noise.

 

You should check with Quadzilla, a frequent poster, who has owned both the 8760 and the Asus G73jh and liked them both. He too is noise sensitive and can provide you with an informed comparison. The Asus offers a lot of bang for the buck, but quality issues and warranty troubles have driven many away. And I will repeat -- my 8760 is very quiet, and I'm running a 920XM and the 5870, both famous for heat.

Check with Othonda as well. He has, or has had, both.

 

I would love to be able to verify your info that the fans were updated earlier this year because the review from here and Notebookcheck mentions the loud fans. But these reviews were done in 09.

 

It's a deep fan sound not an annoying sound IMO. I had both the G73 and W870CU. G73 was quieter but at times would be loud enough to hear about 10 feet away in a perfectly silent room. People are commenting that with the bios update on the G73, the fans are a little louder now too, but the temps are better. So, I don't know, it's a toss up really. At least the 8760 gives you easier access to the gpu and cpu.

 

Thanks for the info, ill send em a pm and hope they respond soon... Mandrake also had one didnt he?

Yes i like the clevos especially for the ease of access to the components.. i regularly clean all the fans and heatsinks and i just dont see myself ever opening up a laptop like a g73jh again.. its just too much work (did it with compaq 6720s and it WASNT fun)...

Please also comment on the issues, if anyone remembers any more and the solution for them please post, since i dont want to be surprised if i decide to go with it.

Ive found this on xoticpc forums (by CryosNX):

G73 Issues Update
These are the issues I've encountered just yesterday (After 18 days of using G73). It seems that you'll only encounter these issues on special cases.

I. Creative Issue
Problem: G73 locks up on the following situations:
a. Accessing Control Panel -> Ease of Use Access
b. Steam-related applications such as Left 4 Dead 2 (after the 2nd logo) and Dragon Age Launcher (pressing any button from it)
Solution(s):
a. Uninstall all Creative drivers and apps (cons: you'll not be able to use Creative features anymore)
b. OR... Just enable CMSS-3D from Creative Volume Panel. (<- I highly recommend this if you still want to use all Creative features such as Bass, etc...) (This is the solution that I've performed.)
Source: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus...ng-thread.html

II. GSOD
Problem: Right after I encountered the problems with Creative, I immediately researched on how to recreate the GSOD scenario. It turns out that I have the GSOD issue, and it will happen after playing Dragon Age (steam edition) using ATI 10.5 Catalyst Mobility Driver at most 2 mins. I have other games such as Blur, Split Second: Velocity, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, Street Fighter IV, and GTA IV: Lost Episodes from Liberty City but these games doesn't GSOD on me no matter how long I play.
Solution(s):
There are three different ways to solve this and each has their own risk (except the first solution).
a. Don't use reference ATI drivers. Stick to ASUS-provided 9.12 ATI Driver. (cons: you'll miss out the latest ATI driver changes/enhancements)
b. OR... By underclocking/overclocking your G73. (e.g., overclocking from 700/1000 to 705/1100)
c. OR... Updating your ATI vBIOS using a modified ASUS vBIOS (by Xeven). You will still retain all features (except VGA CRT Out, as I heard) but also it will unlock ATI Overdrive for you to underclock/overclock your 5870 without using AMD GPU Tool.(This is the solution that I've performed.)
Since both have their own risk and you still want to perform either one of them, I would recommend you to read the whole thread rather than explaining a summary here.
Source(s):
Guide: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus...ate-guide.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus...ug-thread.html
Modified ASUS vBIOS File (by Xeven): http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus...ml#post6321889

Now to the FAQ
Question #1: Do I need this?
Answer: If you didn't encounter any of this problems then you won't need it. But if you do, ask yourself first if it worth the risk.

Question #2: Should I RMA on GSOD?
Answer: Some people says yes. But most of them are still getting GSOD after RMA. Third times a charm? ASUS tech said they have high RMA rate on GPU issues.

+ theres the keyboard lagg issue that was supposedly fixed in 209 bios...

 

Oh yes. Tha fan IS annoying. And it's only in idle. I don't mind it to be louder at load, but when idle it should be quiet.
What are the temps (and which ones) that start CPU fan ? Looks like it starts when CPU core hits 49C and they don't stop, even when it goes down to 44C.
I think I'll send it back as this noise is intolerable... Sad though for such an expensive laptop.
Is there a way to change fans to another model, perhaps the one without ball bearing ? Any suggestions on fan type ?

 

I don't think all your G73 question have been addresses yet. I would start a new thread in the Asus forum which I will gladly follow myself since I was all set to buy a G73 till I started reading about the issues on the G73 and the G51JX which was another laptop I was considering.

And I know that Asus addresses the BSOD issues on the regular G51. But have still not addresses them on the G51JX.

I'm no longer really looking at the Asus as much. Too bad I really love the design of that laptop. I really could use the lighted keyboard.

 

I could hear my old big HP Pavilion a mile away even if I was just using notepad! So in comparison I can barely hear the 8760 sitting on my lap. If your running something that requires horsepower, you can hear the fans crank up, but I expect that. Its just white noise to me, and with those tinny speakers I use earbuds anyway, so its a non issue.