It’s hugely unpleasant to be using your laptop and hearing it producing such a loud noise. The source of that sound is often the fan, and while you can casually hear it sometimes, it’s a part that’s characterized due to its low sound levels.
Still, sometimes, it produces such a loud grinding noise we can’t focus on the task we’re currently doing. If that’s what you’re currently dealing with and you have no time to take your laptop to a technician, this article is for you. Today, we’ll show you how to fix your laptop’s fan’s problems, including its noise and some tips regarding its maintenance.
Most electronic appliances that generate heat have a fan integrated to regulate the temperature levels, and laptops are not the exception. Although it’s normal for it to produce sounds, it should be almost unperceivable at all times. If your laptop’s fan is making too much noise, we’re going to explain to you why that is happening what you can do to solve it.
The grinding noise problem may be caused by faulty hardware or by heavy software. We’ll see solutions for each case next.
The Reason Behind the Grinding Sound of Your Laptop Fan
A laptop fan employs centrifugal force to move the air stream. The fan usually is enclosed in a cover. Whenever the fan blades spin, they push the air towards the cover’s edges. This generates the air stream, which is then directed towards the laptop’s ventilation openings.
It’s common for these fans to work exceptionally in such enclosed environments. However, they must spin at high rpm levels to generate a good air stream. Can you guess what happens when a small fan spins at high rpm?
There may be two possible reasons why a laptop fan is producing too much noise. Although there’s a solution to both situations, it is always better to consider all the possibilities. Please, pay attention:
- The fan uses a bearing, and sometimes, it may be worn or dirty. If that’s what’s happening, don’t complicate things too much. You can get rid of the problem by replacing the fan. You can find some at good prices; even a second-hand fan should be enough to solve your problem.
- On the other hand, your laptop may be working at hugely high-temperature levels. When that happens, the fan will work at its maximum capacity. Therefore, it can be producing such unpleasant noise, almost as if your computer is about to break.
We’ve already given you the solution for the first case. However, if you’ve already inspected your laptop and you think there is nothing wrong with the fan, we’ll provide you some solutions regarding the second situation.
How to Solve the Laptop Fan Noise Using Software
The first step you must do is find out what the cause for the fan to be working at such high rpm is. In most cases, it is because the processor is getting too hot. If a software process currently active in your laptop is using too many resources, the processor will get extremely hot.
So the processor doesn’t overheat, the fan will modify the rpm it is currently using for spinning adequately. Therefore, if you have a heavy software process active, the laptop fan will increase its rpm. That will increase the temperature levels as well, leaving you with an unpleasant noise too.
To check out the process that’s causing so much problem, you can open Windows’s task manager and then go to the “Processes” tab. There, you should find the process that’s causing you so much trouble with no effort.
Once you’ve identified the process using too much of your laptop’s resources, make right-click with your mouse on the problematic program and select terminate the task.
Still, please note that sometimes you cannot perform this action as the process may be necessary for your laptop to continue functioning. If that’s the case, you can find software that helps you modify the fan’s rpm manually. Although doing what we’re recommending may seem like the answer to your problems, it can be counterproductive if it is not carefully done as it can overheat the processor. That will cause your laptop to restart immediately.
Additionally, we’d recommend using a program, ThrottleStop. This software allows you to modify the limitations of your laptop, including those related to temperature problems.
If you could not solve the problem with what we’ve described here, maybe it’s time to check out the hardware and see it’s happening. You may not need a total replacement – but to modify certain parts.
How to Solve the Laptop Fan Noise by Inspecting the Hardware
Your laptop can be producing so much noise due to a faulty refrigeration system. Maybe it’s dirty, or maybe the thermal paste is already dry.
If what’s happening in the first case, the solution may not be that difficult. You must open the lower part of your laptop and go to the zone where you find the fan. Once you’re there, please start cleaning all the dirt and dust accumulated due to the prolonged use. It’s not only about the fan and its cover. It would help if you also took care of the heat pipe.
The heat pipe is the zone where you can find the most heat. When dust accumulates too much in this area, the air doesn’t flow as it should through it. Therefore, it will cause refrigeration problems to the processor, and the fan’s rpm will increase greatly. That’s the cause of the sound.
It’s also convenient to dismount the fan and apply lubricant to its center, especially if your laptop has been working for some years now. This can help reduce the noise.
You can also use compressed air to clean the ventilation openings.
Whenever you use compressed air to clean it this way, you’ll get rid of the dust with ease, and everything will start functioning as it should. However, please note this method is not an exact solution. If you do not dismount the fan and clean it completely, the task won’t be completed.
Using compressed air directly to the ventilation openings can be counterproductive as well, as it can spread all the dust and dirt to all the laptops, and that would be worse. If you don’t know how to dismount your laptop or are too scared to do it, this solution may be provisional until you find the help of a technician. However, we advise you only to use it as your last resort as it can cause further damage to your device.
Conclusion
In the same way, you can find multiple causes for your laptop fan to be faulty. There are solutions, and most of the time, they won’t be time-consuming or expensive.
Before dismounting your laptop fan, we advise you to discard all the possibilities related to software. Although providing maintenance to your device would be great, it won’t help too much if the problem is caused by software.
If you’re trying to dismount a laptop fan for the first time, we recommend using a tutorial to avoid causing damages to the device. It would also help as you will have an excellent guide to follow while you’re doing the hard work.
Using a laptop while producing a grinding noise can be hugely unpleasant. Still, if you try the solutions we have provided you in this article, the problem will disappear immediately, and you’ll be using your laptop in no time.
