Folding Forum

My laptop's fan started making a weird wobbling sound, like an RC car running out of batteries. The fan is always on, and most of the time at its maximum or second to maximum speed because of Folding@home. Do you know what that could be? My computer is fairly new (several months). I don't think it's dust, because the wobbling sound started overnight. Could it be loose? It's the fan for the external air vent. Should I not run Folding@home for a while? Or not use my computer???

I would get it checked out, in the mean time use your computer but do not run F@H, the heat produced by F@H running will not do the rest of the components any good if it cannot be moved out of the case

I'm not worried about overheating. I'm worried that the heat Folding@home generates will cause the fan to stay on high, and that that will burn it out. Is there a way to set Folding@home to only use something like 5 or 10% of the CPU so that it barely generates heat but I can still complete WUs within the deadlines? I know that that can be configured when Folding@home first starts, but I couldn't find anything about that in the client.cfg file (I did find the priority, though, which is set at the lowest being 96).

Stonecold wrote:I'm not worried about overheating. I'm worried that the heat Folding@home generates will cause the fan to stay on high, and that that will burn it out. Is there a way to set Folding@home to only use something like 5 or 10% of the CPU so that it barely generates heat but I can still complete WUs within the deadlines? I know that that can be configured when Folding@home first starts, but I couldn't find anything about that in the client.cfg file (I did find the priority, though, which is set at the lowest being 96).

Always be worried about overheating if you have a fan that sounds like it is on its way out, if it fails and you don't catch it immeadiately you could end up breaking something expensive. If the Lappy is still under warranty get it replaced.

If you are running the systray client you can use the CPU usage slider on the advanced tab of the configuration screens to reduce CPU usage

I'm using Core Temp, and if it detects that the CPU is over 100 degrees Celsius, it will automatically shut down. And Intel's specs say that my CPU can handle up to 130 degrees Celsius. If the fan does get 100% stuck or blows out, my computer will shut down (unless it freezes or locks up, in which case it's screwed).

I don't have the systray client, I have the command line SMP one. Is there any way to adjust the CPU usage for that? Is there a feature on my computer in general that could do that, if Folding@home can't?

And it is under warranty until sometime in 2013. Do you mean I should get the whole laptop replaced?! Or just the fan?

The sound you hear is most likely the bearings on the fan. A good fan has sufficient lubrication to last for the life of the computer. A cheap fan will run out of lubrication, start making noise, and then freeze up. If you're reasonably handy, replace the fan. Otherwise pay somebody to do it for you.

Will me replacing the fan void the warranty?

If it's under warranty, have them replace the fan!

So the fan is shot?

Your fan is shot, have it replaced by the mfg co if under warranty, or replace it yourself if it's not. You are looking at spending $10 if you foot the bill yourself. Fans are cheap, even the good ones.

How much longer do you think it'll last (assuming I'm not running Folding@home)?

That's not predictable ... it might definitively fail today, or in a few years ...

I run F@H on an ASUS G73JH laptop and my guess is you need to blow the dust out of it. I have to blow the dust out of mine every month or 2. You most likely have some dust built up around the fan that is causing some friction on the fan. Mine will do that occasionally and will start making strange noises suddenly. Once I blow the dust out then noises quit and the fan speed will go back to normal speeds.

Get it fixed! Fan bearings can fail at any time for a multitude of reasons. Cheap systems are cheap for a reason...

If you're reasonably handy, and have some small screwdrivers, you can probably replace it yourself if it's out of warranty. Laptop mfgrs usually have repair sheets on-line for common ailments, so they can send a part and let the user fix it.

If it's that dusty, it's also likely some dust got into the fan bearing. If under warranty, the vendor will likely clean out the system when they replace the fan.

Noisy fans, as someone already pointed out, are unpredictable. Once a laptop fan quits, the CPU and/or other components can fry quickly, because there is little room for heat sinks to help dissipate heat efficiently.

It just died. I'm going to send it in for a repair.