studio 1749 fan noise/temperature problems

I don't know if this will correct the problem but I own a HP laptop and always use it (in my lap - very cool) with a cooling platform under it. The laptop fan hardly ever runs. For twenty-some dollars, it could be an easy fix.

The fan and heat sink work perfectly, they just come on too often.

A recent post linked the fan activity with CPU Load.  If you run a program like SpeedFan 4.41, the charts will show the fan turns on when core temperatures reach 35C.  Core temps reach 35C in 2 ways: suddenly when CPU Load increases OR gradually through heat gain, every 40-60 sec.  This is the fan activity we experience.  The fan and heat sink lower the temperature below 30C, the fan turns off, and the endless cycle begins again.

Aren't CPU core temps of 50-60C OK?  Why turn the fan on at a relatively low temperature of 35C?

Has anyone tried stopping their fan?   And see how long their motherboard lasts before CPU core burnout.  Any volunteers?

hmm. Yeah I actually thought of that, but really? Slap a cooling pad under an already large notebook. Seems like a major hassle for something that simply should not be an issue to begin with. does the cooling pad have it's own fans as well? I might as well refridgerate my room. haha

IMHO, it's more important to have a computer that's well built rather than powerful. My best recent surprise comes from the mac mini 2010: a very small, very silent, very cool, very energy-efficient computer, although the price/performance ratio is clearly under the market average. Although I think of myself as a power user for some tasks, I realised I didn't need that much power. Moreover, I had to disable speedstep, powerplay technologies, etc. so as to stabilize my 1749. What's the point ??

Next laptop I'll get, I'll make sure it runs cool, silent and stable. Notebookcheck.com has some of the best reviews, with temperature/noise tests. I am clearly disappointed in this 1749 that is hot, noisy and unreliable. I am also disappointed in how Dell seems to just ignore those issues.

I am using my notebook mobile. I don't like to buy and carry a cooling platform, just because DELL is not willing to implement an intelligent fan control in the BIOS.

Today (after 60 days) a very friendly and professional NBD (next business day) support guy replaced the motherboard, the fan, 2 fan pipes.The "new" motherboard was already refurnished :-(

Result: No change. Same problem. The fan is going up and down.

2x yes.

Did the support guy acknowledge there was no change?  Is that information getting back to Dell?

Thanks.

Swapping the MB & fan has no effect (been there etc)

Dell are not going to do anything about this silly problem - looks at the stats - this issue has been open for over 200 days.

 Therefore all you can do is

1. Personally, never buy Dell again (my first and last Dell)

2. As probably most of you work in origanisations - spread the word on tyhe lack of response to such a trivial issue.

3. If you know anyone who works at magazines such PC Pro/What Laptop - point them in this direction

Well still being within the return period, I'm still considering returning it before it's too late and buying something else. Anyone have any suggestions for alternatives? Envy 17? Want something with good video card, 17"+ screen, +1080p resolution (1920x1080). Hard to compare because I got the 1749 refurbished, and it's difficult to find something similar in the same price range.

+1 to monabri: had my motherboard changed without any change.

I actually feel pretty confused about Dell. I certainly regret I bought the 1749, but I am really happy with the Vostro 200s desktop I bought. The 1749 is a pretty painful experience, though.

@Patrick00: what computer are you looking for ? The Envy 17 is clearly more expensive than the 1749. If you don't care about the price, why not a macbook pro at 2299€ ;-). Let us know your expectations so we can help you.

I would go for the Acer Aspire 7745G. It has a radeon 5850, core i 5 430 and the fan is silent! Here in germany you can buy this notebook for 800-900 euro.

Back to topic.I personally will never buy me another dell laptop for private or for my company. I have some people already advised against this notebook and I will also go on no matter if an update is comin or not.

There are already several cancelled orders, returned laptop and changed motherboards... And nothing has changed: no fix, no communication. What is wrong with DELL, really ?

Either they don't care about their private customer segment or they have huge management issues... Knowing the scandal of the leaking power supplies, I'd go for management issues.

Worst is, they know about the problem and they won't do anything about it.

Yes, I actually considered the Acer, but they don't have 1080p 1920x1080 displays on them. They have 1600x900 displays.

@arto65: The Envy 17 is more expensive. However I've seen some refurbished models for pricing closer to the 1749. Of course, I've read about some issues with the Envy 17 as well in terms of dead pixels, case build quality, and i7 models overheating.

In general, i'm looking for a machine with:

17" or larger display

Full HD (1920x1080) resolution

decent video card (5650, 5850, etc.)

Yeah, if it's close to 2k, then I would just buy a macbook pro and dual boot windows, but I got the refurb 1749 for about $870 shipped and am looking for nothing more than $1200 for something that won't have the noise issue. At that price range, it looks like i'm looking at either Acer/Asus or a refurb HP/Dell.

Well I ended up going for a custom built Sony E Series from SonyStyle UK. Not to everyones taste but I really like the Mac Book style of this machine in white.

They've recently just dropped the price on these by around £200.

So I ordered -

17.3" 1920  LED display

i5 - 460M

5650

4 gig 1066 DDR3 RAM

No Blu Ray just DVD

2 year warranty

And All in this  cost me less than the 1749 I was all set to buy before I read this forum thread at the weekend.

Delivery expected 8th October. Can't wait.