Fan speed

[dayneman1]

I just recently bought a new laptop for college. When running this laptop it heats up very quickly (right now it’s at 56 degrees Celsius ). The fan on it seems to kick in at any given time, not running more or less if it’s hot or cold. I was wondering if there was any way that I could set the fan to run on high. This laptop is a dell 5150, running windows home. I’ve already tried a program called “speed fan” but that doesn’t, for some reason recognize the fan.

Thanks for any help any one is able to provide.

[nihil]

Well, a laptop will tend to run hotter than a desktop, all else being equal.

Sounds like it may be a power saving thing or some other option in your BIOS............like it only starts the fan when a certain limit is reached...............have a look through the manual for that.

What model number is it/operating system etc?

Remember that laptops are intended to be used with their own power supply, so tend to conserve power if possible.

Because they are small, the confined space tends to cause them to heat up.

If I have to use one I tend to remove the battery and get it to run straight off the mains bypass.......they run cooler that way, and the battery will live longer.

[Relyt]

dayneman1

Just as Nihil recommended, I also yank the battery out whenever I can run off the adapter. And if I might add just a quarter's worth. When you use you laptop make sure there's plenty of free space around and underneath it as well. I found on mine, when I would use on the bed of a motel room, the darn thing would really get hot. That was obviously caused by no ventilation around it. So hard surfaces are recommended. Might sound a little silly, but I did actually triple the size of the little rubber pads it would sit on, to help increase air around it.

cheers

[dayneman1]

Thanks for the quick response guys . I have looked through the manual but I couldn’t find anything about what the limit was for the fan to start. I’ve already checked out the power options and have the set it and I also have the computer running off of its adapter. As for the model and operating system…Inspiron 5150 with windows xp home, the processor is 3.2 GHz with HT technology. Nihil if you could give me more information on that BIOS option, or point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Once again thanks for any help you are able to provide me with.

[Nokia]

Inspiron 5150 has an ambient temp of 55 and the fans should kick in when it gets to 61 so I dont think you have anything to worry about, just do as advised and keep it on a hard surface when you are using it!