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Alienware 13 laptop fans issue
Hi, I'm having trouble with the fans in my laptop, have had since I bought it new.
When in non-game use there's just a very quiet fan, no problems.
When I'm in game the other fans go on and they're a bit noisy, but they're working great to keep it cool.
The problem is after I close the game and after the laptop cools down the fans still stay on full blast. I've tried just leaving it like that for ages but they don't stop. And worse after a while they'll start to make a nasty v. loud buzzing noise (this same buzzing in the fans also sometimes happens just for a second during startup).
The only solution I have is to put the laptop to sleep and then wake it up again, after which everything goes back to normal. But I wish I didn't have to do this every time I close a game.
Is this a problem anyone's familiar with? Is there a way I can test the fans or the heat sensor? Or anything else I could try? No idea what I should do, any help greatly appreciated!!
DELL-Terry B
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June 16th, 2016 17:00
I moved your post to the Alienware club. I have some questions regarding the fan noise
You may want to update the BIOS
A04 for AW 13
<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>
I am looking forward to your reply.
TB
shavedfish
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June 18th, 2016 15:00
Thanks Terry!
I think the issue has been there since I first got the laptop, which I got in the mail last July. I only noticed it once I started playing games on it, and by then I'd installed a lot of software. I haven't personally added anything in terms of hardware, but the laptop is the base model with the extra 8GB of RAM put in at the factory (16GB total).
It doesn't shut down by itself, and it's not overheating--it gets warm in-game but not hot.
I'll open up the back to blow out any dust and try updating the BIOS and get back to you with how that goes.
Robert
DELL-Terry B
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June 20th, 2016 10:00
Thanks Robert,
Please let me know what you find out.
TB
shavedfish
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June 27th, 2016 08:00
Hi Terry,
I opened the back panel (the small one containing the RAM and other things) and blew compressed air in it, and blew compressed air through all the fan vents, and there wasn't really any noticeable dust. I've continued using it for games, and tried a few times over the last week to blow out dust again, but nothing's changed there--the fans still stay on full-blast indefinitely after gaming, and always start making that buzzing/whirring/grating noise after a while.
In terms of the BIOS, I haven't updated a BIOS before so I'm a little nervous but willing to give it a go if you think it would help. The system information on my laptop says the version I have installed is Alienware A04 3/26/2015. I notice the version in the first link you sent is dated 4/17/2015, but is still version A04--would you say it is definitely worth updating from one to the other? It seems strange that it was brand new in July 2015 when I got it but it doesn't have the April 2015 BIOS version? The second link you sent, "1.2.14 for AW 13 R2", do I also need to install that? Sorry, just want to be really sure I know what I'm doing before I dive in! Thank you for this
Best wishes,
Robert
DELL-Terry B
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June 28th, 2016 16:00
Robert,
Do you have the AW 13 or AW13 R2? The first file is for the AW 13, the second for the AW 13 R2. If you already have the current version installed of the BIOS I don't suggest reinstalling it.
I know that the fan noise can be annoying but as long as you don't have any other symptoms, the notebook isn't giving errors, or unexpectedly shutting down i don't know if I would worry too much about it. If you haven't yet i do suggest running <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>