GPU-Fan does not turn off after back to desktop from a game

I don’t consider is the Optimus the one causing the problem, what I will recommend you is to perform a power drain, flash the BIOS to the latest version as well check the video card temperature just to make sure is not overheating. 

I have the newest Bios on my AW17. I have installed Open Hardware Monitor and now I can prove, that I was correct with my assumption: The Problem is OPTIMUS!

You can verify that problem yourself, here are the steps:

1) Install Open Hardware Monitor or a similar program to monitor your GPU temperature.

2) On Desktop with enabled OPTIMUS it shows 0°C for GPU Core. This is, because the GPU is off and can't report its temperature!

3) Now right click on desktop and select the NVIDIA Settings. Go to "Image settings with preview" (or something like that, I have no english version), it is the first item under 3D-Settings. You can see a Spinning 3D-NVIDIA-Logo there.

4) As soon as you see the spinning Logo, the GPU gets activated and Open Hardware Monitor shows a correct GPU temperature.

5) As soon as you click on another tab and hide the spinning Logo, or close the NVIDIA Settings, the GPU-temperature is again reporting as 0°C (I think, this is only a default value in Open Hardware Monitor, in fact the temperature is not reported by the GPU anymore)

So! This is a problem, if you are playing a game and close it. The GPU is hot -> GPU fan is cooling at a high level -> you're going to the desktop -> OPTIMUS turns off the GPU -> GPU can't report its temperature any more -> FAN is not aware of the cooler GPU and is still spinning at high level.

The only work around is to activate the GPU, but without a huge work (to not heat the GPU). This can be done by showing the NVIDIA settings with the spinning NVIDIA 3D-Logo as mentioned before. GPU gets activated, but there is no huge work to do (the NVIDIA Logo is a simple scene). GPU remains cool, but while it is active, it can report its cooler temperature and -> GPU fan slows down and turns off.

Can someone please report this problem to the Alienware Team, which maybe can help with a new BIOS? I think, this are possibilities for a bugfix:

Bugfix 1) If GPU is on, read temperature -> match the temperature with the BIOS look-up table for GPU-Fan speed -> set FAN speed. If GPU is off (while Optimus is on, or some other circumstances) -> turn off GPU fan as well (because GPU off means no more heat, and a still wam GPU is OK, as long as it can't produce any more heat, you can safely turn off the GPU fan).

Bugfix 2) If OPTIMUS is going to disable the GPU, keep the GPU on as long as it is cooled by the GPU fan. As the FAN is slowing down and turns off, now OPTIMUS can kick in and turn off the dedicated GPU.

Bugfix 3) (still work around, but better than nothing) Provide an extra Alienware-GPU-FAN control software, which is integrated to the Alienware-Control-Center and which itself monitors, if the GPU is on or not. If it is off, then turn off the GPU fan, or report a fake and cool GPU temperature to the system, so the system can turn off the GPU fan itself.

I hope, you understand, what my problem is. THIS IS A BUG ON alienware soft or hardware! And I think, the problem can be fixed either in the BIOS or in the software.

Please report this problem to the Alienware Team.

My Hardware is:

2nd Oct. AW17 with newest BIOS and a 880M GPU, with a 60HZ panel (OPTIMUS is enabled).

I will recommend you to flash the BIOS even thought is the same version in top of that perform the power I mention in the previous post.

And if you think there is a problem with the software you can uninstall the video card driver and re install it again, to monitor de the video card temperatures I will recommend you the GPU-Z and if you could send a screenshot of the video card temperature when the optimus is on and off it will be great. 

OK, I did what you said. First I have reinstalled my BIOS:

As I mentioned, I already had the newest BIOS. After that update I performed a power drain. And now the screens you requested:

GPU off = no FAN contraolling, GPU fan remains at its speed all the time right before the GPU was disabled (because no 3D content on screen to render):

And now switching the NVIDIA control panel to show some 3D-content -> this causes the GPU to power on -> temperatures are reporting AND the GPU fan slows down and turns off, because it knows now, that the GPU is cool:

Is this what you wanted to see? Actually my work around is to display the NVIDIA settings with the 3D animated LOGO for some seconds after I played a game and step back to desktop. This helps me to disable the GPU fan, because the GPU has time to cool down while still reporting its temperatures and so the fan knows, that the GPU is cool after a few seconds...

Sorry, if I'm repeating myself, but I have doubts that all is clear to you what I trying to say with that GPU fan problem.

Interesting, which version of the NVidia driver are you using? And have you tried the driver in the Dell website? 

Yes, I have installed dell-drivers for all devices in that notebook. After a few days of testing NVidia Experience showed a message about a newer driver and I installed it to. Now I'm using the 344.48 from 22.10.2014. But the problem was the same with boths drivers.

If you really want to reconstruct the bug, get a copy of Battle Field 3, start it, play it for 5 Minutes, so the GPU-Fan starts to cooling the GPU. Then exit the game. You will hear the GPU fan still cooling, never stopping. Then go to the NVIDIA settings and show the 3D-rotating Logo, and after a few seconds the GPU fan will stop. Battle Field 3 is until now the only game for me, where this happens with 100% chance. In other games it doesn't always (for example Far Cry 3, exit it, and if u r lucky then the gpu-fan will stop).

Battle Field 3 uses the Alienware FX. Maybe this is a point to look for the problem? I'm software developer, but I don't know your software ofcourse :) So I can only guess where the problem is.

PS: I can live with this (because I have a work around mentioned earlier). But I hopped, if someone other has discovered that kind of problem too and could suggest something to stop it happening.

Ok so we will try to reproduce the problem and make some more research. We will get back to you in the next 24 to 48 business hours.             

Hello AlienPredator!

We were able to reproduce the problem with the fans on an Alienware 17 however we will need to escalate the case and search for a possible solution.

I will get back to you whenever they provide me an update; I apologize for any inconvenience this could cause you. 

Hi,

thank you for info. I am happy to see you can reproduce the problem. Eagerly await the solution.

Have a nice day.