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    Question re: new laptop

    Discussion in 'Toshiba' started by blakejared, Apr 10, 2008.

  1. blakejared

    blakejared Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just bought a laptop for the first time... it's a Toshiba Satellite A200. I've had it for a week, and there were 3 things I want to check are normal for a laptop.

    1. Whenever I open a program or a folder, and every 2 minutes or so, there is a noticeable whirling noise which I presume is the fan, and there is a stronger flow of warm air out of the vent.

    Is the fan supposed to get noticeably louder and turn on for a short time whenever you open a program and then intermittently thereafter? It's distracting and I'm not used to that with a desktop.

    2. Using only Microsoft Word, after 90 minutes, the battery was down to 20% capacity. Is that reasonable for a new battery?

    3. How soon after turning on the laptop should warm air be coming out of the vents? Is it normal to have warm air being emitted within 10 minutes of starting the computer?

    If anyone could help, I would greatly appreciate it. I don't know if the laptop is malfunctioning in which case I should go to the store to have it exchanged for another one... Thanks!

    Jared
     
  2. abehanna

    abehanna Notebook Consultant

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    1. Yes the fan will speed up because when you open an application your CPU use goes up whcih in turn generates heat that needs to be dispersed.

    2. Im not exactly sure about your specific laptop but 90 mins sounds about right to be at 20% still, there are some things you can do to get more out of your battery though, the main one being turn down the brightness on your display.

    3. Your computer will start to heat up as soon as it turns on and the air will be slightly warm but it should definitley not be "hot" unless you are doing something major like gaming or something.

    So it sounds to me like eveything is normal, there are programs you can get to monitior exact air temperatures if you are still worried, but as long as the air is just "warm" i think you are fine.
     
  3. blakejared

    blakejared Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

    Other than the loud on/off fan and the warm air, I've been quite happy with the convenience of a laptop.
     
  4. abehanna

    abehanna Notebook Consultant

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    glad i could help... and glad you are enjoying your new notebook :D