Locating a failing fan on the Pangolin P5
My 3-year old Pangolin P5 has recently begun making rattling or buzzing noises that I believe are associated with a fan (certainly with *some* rotary component that's wearing out). They're coming from the left side of the case, but they do seem to be independent of the more typical fan noises I'd gotten used to before this started (I will at times hear both at once, and they seem to switch between RPM settings independently of each other). They do not seem to be as strongly correlated with CPU or GPU activity as the normal fan noises (if anything, the bad fan seems to let up when the main fan kicks in). They also do not seem to be correlated with drive activity (I had been afraid at first that the noises might be coming from the hard drive, but I'm pretty sure by now that that's not the case).
The buzzing noise usually starts when I boot the machine and immediately log in, within a minute or two of reaching the desktop, and either stops within 5 to 10 seconds, or continues until I shut the machine down (which I generally do within a minute or two to avoid stressing the malfunctioning fan further). It happens once in every five or ten boots, and rarely at any time other than shortly after boot.
The rattling noise seems to be coming from the same location and I believe it to be a lower RPM setting of the same fan. It can show up at any time and continue for a fairly long time (to the point that I'm not sure whether it's an intermittent noise, or a constant one that I only intermittently notice).
In summary: Some other fan than the main CPU fan seems to be wearing out, but I'm not really sure exactly where it is or what component it's responsible for cooling. Its activity does not seem to be strongly correlated with CPU load, and it only kicks up to high RPM within the first few minutes after boot. I'd like to figure out where it is, if I can replace it, and, if so, what part I'd need to order (as well as what the consequences would be of letting it fail completely).
Re: Locating a failing fan on the Pangolin P5
Have you checked the power supply fan? Fans are relatively cheap, if I had one wear out I would probably just replace them all. Of course some are easier to get at than others.
Letting a cpu fan fail would be bad news very quickly. Other fans would not immediately kill the pc, but running hot shortens the life of the computer significantly. Usually if the core temp gets too high the pc will shut off before damage occurs as a safety measure, but I wouldn't rely on that.
Re: Locating a failing fan on the Pangolin P5
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Petro Dawg
Have you checked the power supply fan? Fans are relatively cheap, if I had one wear out I would probably just replace them all. Of course some are easier to get at than others.
The Pangolin is a laptop, so the power supply is external. The noises are definitely coming from inside the laptop case.
Re: Locating a failing fan on the Pangolin P5
While it's somewhat difficult to localize the noise just by listening, I was able localize it further by feeling the case while the fan in question was running at high RPM and noting where the case was vibrating most. It's coming from the area between the status indicator LEDs and the left control key. Can any System76 staff tell me what components would be located there?
Re: Locating a failing fan on the Pangolin P5
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jwbrase
While it's somewhat difficult to localize the noise just by listening, I was able localize it further by feeling the case while the fan in question was running at high RPM and noting where the case was vibrating most. It's coming from the area between the status indicator LEDs and the left control key. Can any System76 staff tell me what components would be located there?
That sounds like the Main System Fan. Let us know via support (log in to your account on our website to open a support case) and we'll get you a new fan.
