laptop: I removed my fan....good/bad idea?

[meep_meep]

Hi

my laptop is like 3.5 years old and the fan in the last year has become really loud and I can barely feel hot air coming out the vent (i clean it out every 6months). I just removed the fan this morning and its bliss.

pentium M 1.6
512 ddr ram
ati radeon mobility 9700

i'm running kubuntu kde4 + ubuntu 8.04 and XP for itunes (ipod touch support). All I do is email, web browsing and watch movies and stuff on flash.

Do you think that i get away without a fan? The most intensive thing i do is use flash 10 beta which uses like 45% processor.

thanks in advanced for your thoughts

:)

[magnus0]

I think you shouldn't take off the fan. Why was it there in the first place? Just get a new fan if it's noisy

[myusername]

the motherboard will melt. get a new fan

[linuxisfree]

Hi

my laptop is like 3.5 years old and the fan in the last year has become really loud and I can barely feel hot air coming out the vent (i clean it out every 6months). I just removed the fan this morning and its bliss.

pentium M 1.6
512 ddr ram
ati radeon mobility 9700

i'm running kubuntu kde4 + ubuntu 8.04 and XP for itunes (ipod touch support). All I do is email, web browsing and watch movies and stuff on flash.

Do you think that i get away without a fan? The most intensive thing i do is use flash 10 beta which uses like 45% processor.

thanks in advanced for your thoughts

:)

Probably not. For whatever reason, it just isn't advisable to get rid of the fan... You could definitely fry your system (if not immediately, then in the long run). I'd do what the previous posters said and get a new fan if the old one was noisy.
Take care!:D

[jeremy1138]

Heat and electronics do not mix. Put the fan back in or install a new fan immediately lest your computer get fried. The people that engineered your computer didn't include that fan just for the heck of it; it's there for a reason.

[rudihawk]

I saw the title of this thread and had alarm bells going off in my head! Put it back! - or get a new fan :P

[+Eric]

Yeah, absolutely put that fan back, and soon.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/322147/fixing_your_noisy_pcs_fans/

[fatality_uk]

Want a good reason to have a fan in

http://cache.consumerist.com/consumer/upload/2006/07/laptop_burning_6.jpg

[Kernel Sanders]

I'd say it's a particularly stupid idea myself.

[gn2]

Do you think that i get away without a fan?

Nope, I doubt your laptop would last two weeks.
The biggest problem area is your ATI graphics adapter. Hot hot hot!

[Paqman]

Have you considered pouring buckets of water in through the cooling vents? Water conducts heat away much better than air (especially air that isn't circulating)

Just make sure you stand back when you do it.

[Canis familiaris]

Hi

my laptop is like 3.5 years old and the fan in the last year has become really loud and I can barely feel hot air coming out the vent (i clean it out every 6months). I just removed the fan this morning and its bliss.

pentium M 1.6
512 ddr ram
ati radeon mobility 9700

i'm running kubuntu kde4 + ubuntu 8.04 and XP for itunes (ipod touch support). All I do is email, web browsing and watch movies and stuff on flash.

Do you think that i get away without a fan? The most intensive thing i do is use flash 10 beta which uses like 45% processor.

thanks in advanced for your thoughts

:)

Put back the fan!
At best your CPU will throttle down so much ans you laptop will become slow. At worst the board will melt.

[myusername]

Have you considered pouring buckets of water in through the cooling vents? Water conducts heat away much better than air (especially air that isn't circulating)

Just make sure you stand back when you do it.

nobody likes that kind of sarcasm...some poor guy will actually do that.

DO NOT DO THAT!

[_DD_]

Follow these simple steps

1. Panic
2. Insert new fan into laptop
3. Relax

[FranMichaels]

Please please put a fan in. It may be okay for a little while with natural air flow and all that but... Unless you live in the arctic, just invest in a nice silent running fan.

[grossaffe]

laptop - fan = :(

[eragon100]

laptop - fan = :(

More like :cry: :cry: ](*,)](*,):oops:#-o#-o

[RSingh]

With the considerable amounts of posts, I think the message has become very obvious yet I would still like to emphasize the point.

DANG, PUT THE FAN BACK!

[Lster]

I've never seen so many people agree - almost completely!

(And, I agree too!)

[fatality_uk]

I've never seen so many people agree - almost completely!

(And, I agree too!)

Me neither. Can't wait for the follow up post...

"It's possible. Look at this web site..."

[hessiess]

laptops can easely overheet WITH a fan. PUT IT BACK IN!.

[Masoris]

How about makes your fan slowly by attaching resistance and makes low voltage?

[meep_meep]

the fan is back in the laptop!


I guess that i deluded my self that it could work even tho deep down i thought that it wouldnt.

Would it be possible to passively cool (silently) the processor if i open up the bottom of my laptop? I dont really move my laptop so having a stationary setup wouldn't be a problem.

"How about makes your fan slowly by attaching resistance and makes low voltage?"

That sounds interesting but I'd have to cut the plastic coating off the wires and they are incontact with a metal surface so it wouldnt work.



if i'm just talking rubbish and i should just buy a new fan then say so :) i wont be offend!

meep

[chucky chuckaluck]

just blow on it. you should be fine.

[RandomJoe]

Would it be possible to passively cool (silently) the processor if i open up the bottom of my laptop? I dont really move my laptop so having a stationary setup wouldn't be a problem.
Remember, the processor isn't the only thing that needs cooling. There are a number of other components (most notably the video card) in a laptop that require cooling as well.

Opening the bottom probably wouldn't help anyway, as the motherboard is likely solid so little/no air could rise up to where it needs to be. Further, the heat sinks are designed with a certain CFM in mind (that the fan provides) so could be too small for passive cooling.

Now, you could get a small hose that is about the size of the old fan, attach it over the fan opening, then run it off the desk, size up some, and put a larger/quieter fan off behind the desk where you wouldn't hear it! :lolflag: I did something like that with a monitor once, the flyback transformer was dying - it would get hot, "snap", and the display would go out until it had cooled back down. I used twist-ties to attach a flexible dryer hose to the top of the monitor, and ran it down to the floor. A 4" 12V fan attached to the other end kept the monitor cool enough to stay running for quite a long time, until I could scrape up the cash to buy another one.

[eldragon]

putting a resistance in serie with the fan is not that good an idea. especially with laptop fans that are already speed controlled by the mainboard.
especially if its noisy, it means the bearings are giveing in, and that means more friction. it will break the fan sooner.

i would hunt for a new fan.

[+Eric]

You can very likely find a new fan on ebay, for reasonable money.

Do not try and slow the fan down. Just about as bad taking it out. And also, it's very much a good idea to get a new one, simply because if it fails, we'll were are you then? Right back where you were yesterday.... :)

In the mean time, you can try and take it apart per the video I posted and put a bit of grease on it. Graphite grease may work really well!

[Jim!]

I'd just go for replacing the fan with a new one dude... (replacement fans don't really cost that much, really!)

[steveneddy]

I vote for leaving the fan off and post the pic of the laptop after it roasts.

Make sure you tell us exactly how long it actually lasted and what you were doing right before it popped!

My CPU usage goes way up while watching video or Flash, so use the CPU real hard and let us know if it catches fire or just shuts down.

You know you wanna buy a new laptop anyway, and this will just give you a reason to. And it will give us some entertainment.

:popcorn:

[gn2]

Just sell the laptop on eBay and buy a new one?

[paulderol]

Want a good reason to have a fan in

http://cache.consumerist.com/consumer/upload/2006/07/laptop_burning_6.jpg

this is perhaps the coolest laptop picture ever.

PUT YOUR FAN BACK IN, THAT'S INSANE.

[Paqman]

nobody likes that kind of sarcasm...some poor guy will actually do that.

DO NOT DO THAT!

I know, bad of me. But i'm inclined to think that anyone who's incapable of recognising the sarcasm is also incapable of avoiding wrecking their machine in some other inventive fashion.

[Erik Trybom]

Actually it's not as bad as some say.

Your laptop won't go up in smoke or melt just because you removed the fan. If it did, it would do so within 30 seconds. That *might* happen if you also removed the heatsink, but not just the fan.

The most probable outcome is slower performance and reduced lifetime of the CPU. The processor would throttle down to avoid heat damage. If stressed enough, it might even power off. Depends on the type of processor you have.

Heat is not good for integrated circuits though, and there might be problems with electromigration. The tiny features on the cpu get "worn" which ultimately leads to device failure. So the laptop won't last as long.

If you don't really care about your laptop (like, thinking about getting a new one anyway) and have adequate and continuous backup of your data (cannot stress this enough), then the luxury of a silent computer might be worth the risk of taking the fan out. You'd better make sure it doesn't get too hot though, or it could turn into a fire hazard.

Of course, a far better advice would be to get a new fan.

[mips]

Me neither. Can't wait for the follow up post...


It's kinda hard to post from a dead laptop so we might not see a follow up post ;)

[meep_meep]

Remember, the processor isn't the only thing that needs cooling. There are a number of other components (most notably the video card) in a laptop that require cooling as well.

Opening the bottom probably wouldn't help anyway, as the motherboard is likely solid so little/no air could rise up to where it needs to be. Further, the heat sinks are designed with a certain CFM in mind (that the fan provides) so could be too small for passive cooling.

Now, you could get a small hose that is about the size of the old fan, attach it over the fan opening, then run it off the desk, size up some, and put a larger/quieter fan off behind the desk where you wouldn't hear it! :lolflag: I did something like that with a monitor once, the flyback transformer was dying - it would get hot, "snap", and the display would go out until it had cooled back down. I used twist-ties to attach a flexible dryer hose to the top of the monitor, and ran it down to the floor. A 4" 12V fan attached to the other end kept the monitor cool enough to stay running for quite a long time, until I could scrape up the cash to buy another one.

i might do that lol but if a new fan is cheaper then I might get that.

How do I know which fan to buy? I've got a random brand of laptop 'AJP' which now dont sell laptops anymore.

[meep_meep]

Actually it's not as bad as some say.

Your laptop won't go up in smoke or melt just because you removed the fan. If it did, it would do so within 30 seconds. That *might* happen if you also removed the heatsink, but not just the fan.

The most probable outcome is slower performance and reduced lifetime of the CPU. The processor would throttle down to avoid heat damage. If stressed enough, it might even power off. Depends on the type of processor you have.

Heat is not good for integrated circuits though, and there might be problems with electromigration. The tiny features on the cpu get "worn" which ultimately leads to device failure. So the laptop won't last as long.

If you don't really care about your laptop (like, thinking about getting a new one anyway) and have adequate and continuous backup of your data (cannot stress this enough), then the luxury of a silent computer might be worth the risk of taking the fan out. You'd better make sure it doesn't get too hot though, or it could turn into a fire hazard.

Of course, a far better advice would be to get a new fan.

yeah my fan has been rubbish for a while and my laptop has survived so far. So I think that my processor + electronics have been damaging themselves for a while. My proc (pentium M) has good scaling on it. I used to play counterstrike source in summer and i had my laptop switch itself off a couple of times because it got so hot.

to be honest my fan doesn't feel like its outputting any hot air at all. I've already tried oiling it to no avail. I'll buy a new fan if its about £5-10 else i'll just rip my fan out and let my laptop die a slow death (i've already backup everything up).

[gn2]

How do I know which fan to buy? I've got a random brand of laptop 'AJP' which now dont sell laptops anymore.

I think AJP were just a brand, the laptop will be a standard chassis made by another OEM company. The only AJP component would have been the badge.
Have a search on the web for your make/model to see if you can find out which it is.

[mips]

i might do that lol but if a new fan is cheaper then I might get that.

How do I know which fan to buy? I've got a random brand of laptop 'AJP' which now dont sell laptops anymore.

Sometimes on the fan it states the Voltage, Current, rpm and you can measure the physical size.

[AlexBellisBrown]

You could always buy one of them plates that you put under the laptop, which cools them. It has a fan built in that plugs into the USB slot. They are available pretty much everywhere here in Spain. (Hot country) :P

[Ioky]

NO, it is NOT ok for you to remove the fan. if you still want your laptop. If I am you, the only reason that I would take the fan out, is when I want to cook some egg with the CPU or GPU. Usually GPU do a better job. Although P M are pretty good with low heat, it will still get very hot.

You really should get a new fan, and some good thermal grease(get the best one, they are not expensive) it really help, I can drop your CPU temperature by 5 to 20% like a few degrees. but yet, heat is always a problem with computer. low the heat, more stable your system will be.

[fedex1993]

common sense never remove a cpu cooler while runnign a desktop, common sense never remove a fan from a video card

[llama320]

not that this thread hasn't been beaten to death or anything..but


I saw the title of this thread and had alarm bells going off in my head! Put it back! - or get a new fan :P

_ _ _^^^^agree!