Laptop Fan Speed

[Kekful]

Hi there!

I recently bought an edited Defiance Series laptop, I'm loving it and happy with all performance aspects, etc. however recently (for about a week now) I've noticed that the fans are running at nearly full speed (about 80%) even when not gaming/laptop is idle.

Just wondering if anybody might know why this might be? I'm still able to reduce the fan speed through the control center 3.0 and setting the laptop to quiet/entertainment etc. modes

I mostly have the fans set to performance mode, and usually, they slow down when not gaming and boot up when games are launched.


Any help appreciated!
B


Quick spec list:
Defiance 17.3"
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor 10875H (2.3GHz, 5.1GHz Turbo)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 Max-Q - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
512GB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 1500MB/sR | 1000MB/sW)

 

[Serv]

How does your CPU and GPU usage look like when this happens?
Is there something actually pushing your CPU/GPU to work, and so it needs the fans on?

If its happening randomly and your usage is normal (0-20% idle), then it might be an issue with your drivers or you can try updating the BIOS.

You can check your usage in the Performance tab of Task Manager.

 

[Kekful]

How does your CPU and GPU usage look like when this happens?
Is there something actually pushing your CPU/GPU to work, and so it needs the fans on?

If its happening randomly and your usage is normal (0-20% idle), then it might be an issue with your drivers or you can try updating the BIOS.

You can check your usage in the Performance tab of Task Manager.

View attachment 26288

Thanks for the reply!

I've attached a screenshot of the performance tab in task manager, laptop been idle for 10-15 minutes just sat on desktop, CPU seems fine at 18%ish, yet control center says 96degrees.

Laptop honestly doesn't feel that hot to touch at all, perhaps software is inaccurate with temp?

Honestly no idea!

 

[Serv]

Damn 96 degrees? Either thats reporting wrong or there is something wrong with your cooling system.
I wouldn't use the laptop until you can get this sorted.

I would remove the heatsink and re-apply the thermal paste. Maybe the thermal paste has degraded/leaked out or the screws have gotten loose and is no longer making proper contact with the CPU.

Any decent reputable repair shop should be able to do this for you, or maybe try with PCS if you have warranty?

Get this sorted ASAP - would not recommend running the laptop at 96 degrees at all times.

 

[Kekful]

Damn 96 degrees? Either thats reporting wrong or there is something wrong with your cooling system.
I wouldn't use the laptop until you can get this sorted.

I would remove the heatsink and re-apply the thermal paste. Maybe the thermal paste has degraded/leaked out or the screws have gotten loose and is no longer making proper contact with the CPU.

Any decent reputable repair shop should be able to do this for you, or maybe try with PCS if you have warranty?

Get this sorted ASAP - would not recommend running the laptop at 96 degrees at all times.

Definitely concerning!
I’ve found a temporary fix - reducing the GHz of the CPU by changing the power options to low in control panel, this seems to fix the issue completely and the CPU temp drops way down to 40 ish, and I just turn it back up when gaming

I have contacted a place near me hopefully they will be able to take a look at it!

Laptop still in warranty and have contacted PCS too

 

[Serv]

Also why is your CPU at 4.55ghz idle? It looks like its running at its max boost speed which would explain the high temperature.

Modern CPUs will go down to lower speeds for better power efficiency and thermals.

There is either a bug or an incorrect setting on your system.

Try finding out how to disable CPU boost on your system and see if that fixes your issue, then you can look in to getting your boost to work properly.

 

[Serv]

You beat me to it

Definitely something wrong with your CPU boost or power options.

 

[ubuysa]

How does your CPU and GPU usage look like when this happens?
Is there something actually pushing your CPU/GPU to work, and so it needs the fans on?

If its happening randomly and your usage is normal (0-20% idle), then it might be an issue with your drivers or you can try updating the BIOS.

You can check your usage in the Performance tab of Task Manager.

View attachment 26288

Note that updating the BIOS without approval from PCS will void the warranty.

Damn 96 degrees? Either thats reporting wrong or there is something wrong with your cooling system.
I wouldn't use the laptop until you can get this sorted.

I would remove the heatsink and re-apply the thermal paste. Maybe the thermal paste has degraded/leaked out or the screws have gotten loose and is no longer making proper contact with the CPU.

Any decent reputable repair shop should be able to do this for you, or maybe try with PCS if you have warranty?

Get this sorted ASAP - would not recommend running the laptop at 96 degrees at all times.

Note that taking any PCS build to a third party for any modifications will void your warranty (and I see from your OP that you've only recently bought it, so it's still under warranty).

Can you download HWMonitor please and post a screenshot of the temps it shows, both at complete idle and at as full a load as you can give it.

 

[Serv]

So how do we update the BIOS of a PCS laptop? I'm waiting for my order atm and that seems like a hassle...

I thought anything from the downloads page was approved and ok to install myself.

 

[ubuysa]

So how do we update the BIOS of a PCS laptop? I'm waiting for my order atm and that seems like a hassle...

I thought anything from the downloads page was approved and ok to install myself.

Phone PCS and tell them why you want to update the BIOS. They will usually supply the update. See the Terms & Conditions....

7.9 We reserve the right to suspend the warranty or refuse service if your Case, Motherboard, CPU or BIOS have been replaced without authorisation.
Any tampering, repair or modification by unauthorised personnel voids the warranty.

 

[Serv]

That seems mildly annoying... I'm used to being the admin 😅

Thanks for the info!

 

[Kekful]

Note that updating the BIOS without approval from PCS will void the warranty.


Note that taking any PCS build to a third party for any modifications will void your warranty (and I see from your OP that you've only recently bought it, so it's still under warranty).

Can you download HWMonitor please and post a screenshot of the temps it shows, both at complete idle and at as full a load as you can give it.

Hi there!

Many thanks for the clarification RE warranty!

As requested here's both a screenshot of HWmonitor running while laptop has been idle for about 10 minutes (first pic), and when my usual game is played in the background for about 10 minutes also (Note the game is only WoW so not necessarily the most taxing game)

 

[Martinr36]

Looking at those figures i'd say get a repaste, if you aren't happy doing it yourself then get it RMA'd and point PCS in the direction of this thread

 

[Serv]

Agree with the repaste job, but you found that limiting the power lowered to 40 degrees right?
It would save you the hassle of sending it in to PCS or paying for a repair.

Had a quick google search and apparently setting windows power plan to High Performance may leave your CPU running at max clocks.
Try setting your windows power plan to Balanced and see if that helps.
Check the minimum processor state when on battery/plugged in is set to 5% or so.

Try lowering this slider to just 1 below the max power mode.

Also in your BIOS do you have an option called Intel Speedstep? This should be enabled. Disabling it will cause your CPU to run at max speeds.

 

[Kekful]

Agree with the repaste job, but you found that limiting the power lowered to 40 degrees right?
It would save you the hassle of sending it in to PCS or paying for a repair.

Had a quick google search and apparently setting windows power plan to High Performance may leave your CPU running at max clocks.
Try setting your windows power plan to Balanced and see if that helps.
Check the minimum processor state when on battery/plugged in is set to 5% or so.

View attachment 26305


Try lowering this slider to just 1 below the max power mode.

View attachment 26306




Also in your BIOS do you have an option called Intel Speedstep? This should be enabled. Disabling it will cause your CPU to run at max speeds.

Have changed my power options to balanced and that seems to have done the trick!

Currently, my GHz reduces when idle/on desktop and increases back up where needed for gaming just like it used to! Surprised that it wa a relatively simple fix haha!

I wonder if the laptop was set to balanced previously and somehow changed?

Nonetheless, I really appreciate the help from yourself and everyone who commented!
B

 

[Serv]

Glad its sorted mate - enjoy the laptop

 

[Ambassador Spock]

Also why is your CPU at 4.55ghz idle? It looks like its running at its max boost speed which would explain the high temperature.

Modern CPUs will go down to lower speeds for better power efficiency and thermals.

There is either a bug or an incorrect setting on your system.

Try finding out how to disable CPU boost on your system and see if that fixes your issue, then you can look in to getting your boost to work properly.

I had the exact same issue with my Defiance - the CPU was boosting to 3.5-4.5 gHz even when completely idle, which was massively affecting temps and fan speeds. I ended up having to RMA it for a full motherboard replacement...