Noisy laptop operation is a fairly common problem that users encounter. The sound coming from the case leads to discomfort and irritation. This happens especially often in the summer, when high temperatures force the internal cooling system of the device to work at its limit. But even in this case, the problem with the hum can be eliminated if you find out its cause.
Why is my laptop noisy?
Too loud operation of the device is a problem that is a consequence of a number of problems. Most likely the reason is the following:
- Incorrect software settings;
- Increased operation of any programs;
- Large accumulation of dust inside the laptop;
- Overheat;
- Component malfunction.
Important! You can immediately contact specialists at the service center. But the problem is most likely not that complex. Therefore, you can try to calculate and eliminate it yourself.
One of the reasons for internal hum may be processor overload. To check why the cooler was making noise, you need to open the Task Manager program on your computer. To do this, press the key combination “Alt”, “Ctrl” and “Delete”. After this, a tab will open, at the bottom of which you can see the percentage of processor load. If the figure is close to 100%, then you need to find out which program is causing this.
Having found an application in the list that loads the processor, you need to hover over it and right-click once. An additional menu should appear in which you should select the line “Open file storage location.” In it you can see files executing the program process, wasting device resources.
If it turns out that these files are stored in a folder called “Temp”, then you can safely shut down the application. This action will help the system unload and literally slow down. It is especially important to complete this process if among the detected documents there are those whose names cannot be read, consisting of a set of random characters.
For all software changes to take effect, you must restart the laptop. If the problem is resolved, the device will be much quieter.
Important! Sometimes the computer system is infected with virus programs that launch malicious applications that require huge resources.
Because of them, the processor can overheat greatly, so the coolers start spinning at the highest possible speed. A characteristic hum appears. That's why on every device you need to have a powerful antivirus with updated databases and make system images .
What to do when the cooler is humming?
One of the factors causing annoying noise may be contamination of the fans, which causes them to operate loudly. Over time, dust accumulates inside the device, settles on the cooler blades, interferes with normal air circulation and thereby causes overheating. This not only interferes with the adequate operation of the device, but is also a great threat to the central processor, one of the most important parts of any computer.
When the laptop gets very hot, the temperature sensor reacts, causing the cooler to work intensively. Then a characteristic noise appears. It is urgent to clean the device, removing dust both inside and outside.
Attention! Experienced users are advised to resort to self-cleaning only after the warranty period has expired. Opening and disassembling the device entails loss of warranty from the manufacturer.
It is important to carry out the cleaning process with the laptop turned off. You need to make sure that the computer is not put into sleep mode.
First you need to very carefully disconnect all parts of the device without subjecting them to additional pressure. You can remove dirt with a dry cloth, cotton pads and sticks. And dust can be blown out from hard-to-reach places using a can of compressed air. You can buy one at any hardware store.
The cleaning procedure takes time, as increased care and scrupulousness are required. After its completion, you need to close the lid, carefully tighten all the screws and then start the laptop to check the result. The device will work much quieter and will heat up less during the process if the cause was dust accumulated inside.
But, most likely, after some time you will need the help of an experienced specialist who will carry out a “spring cleaning”, removing all dirt and replacing the thermal paste.
Laptop makes a lot of noise when working for long periods of time
The fan can also make a loud noise due to incorrect settings in the BIOS, the basic input system. You can fix them yourself as follows.
First, you need to restart your laptop to enter the BIOS. But there is one caveat: the login method varies depending on the brand, model and year of manufacture of the device. But usually when loading you need to press the “Del” button or, if nothing happens, you can try the “F2” key.
The dialog box that appears should look something like this: “Press F1 to continue, DEL to enter setup”, “Press DEL to run setup” or “Please press DEL or F2 to enter UEFI BIOS settings” .
Using the arrows, you need to go to the “Hardware Monitor” line. Here it is very important to pay attention to the “Q-Fan Function” parameter. If “Disabled” is written next to it, then it is disabled. This needs to be corrected by changing the status to “Enabled”.
Then you need to go to the line “CPU Target Temperature”. This item is responsible for setting the temperature. It is likely that the parameter is set there with the wrong value, which is the reason for the cooler hum.
You need to click on this indicator, thereby opening a window for selecting the desired temperature, and set the value to 50 degrees. This simple setting can eliminate the hum problem, after which the laptop will run much quieter.
Will repairs help?
There are often cases when what is heard inside a working laptop is not the hum of a fan at all, but some strange tapping or clicking. Sometimes there is even a sound similar to a grinding sound, as if parts of the cooler are clinging to each other. In this case, the situation is really serious. To solve it, you need to buy and install a new fan. Doing this yourself is not recommended.
Dry thermal paste can also cause the hum. This is a special substance designed to conduct heat, seal and connect device parts. On the Internet you can find a huge number of articles and videos on how to replace thermal paste yourself. But it is better to immediately turn to professionals with this problem. Sometimes it is very difficult to disassemble a laptop properly and put it back together correctly. In addition, if an inexperienced user intervenes, there is a risk of damage to parts. And this promises additional expensive repairs.
Any equipment, including a laptop, requires compliance with operating rules and proper care, which, unfortunately, many users forget about. It is easier to prevent any problem than to solve it. To minimize problems with your laptop, you should regularly wipe it from dust.
Important! During operation, you should not place it on a bed, blanket or other surface that blocks air access to the fan. Also, you should not use your laptop on hot days, much less leave it in direct sunlight.
Another solution to the problem of device overheating can be the use of a special stand. Such devices are specifically designed to cool a laptop. They have one or more additional fans installed that blow air over the computer case and thereby lower its temperature. The quality and cooling power highly depend on the manufacturer, model and cost of the gadget.
A stand with a built-in cooler can really help cope with the increased temperature of the device. But nothing will protect your laptop from dust accumulation. Dirt settles not only on the fan parts, but also clogs the microcircuits, disrupting the flow of necessary air and preventing heat removal. A large amount of dust can even lead to burnt contacts and malfunction of the motherboard, video card or processor. All this will entail replacement of components and expensive repairs. Therefore, experts recommend cleaning the laptop internally every six months, without waiting for noise or other unpleasant “symptoms” to appear.
If the laptop buzzes when you turn it on and makes it difficult to concentrate on work, then it’s time to take a number of measures aimed at eliminating the problem. In this article you will find tips that can help you significantly reduce the noise level generated by your personal computer.
The laptop started humming - reasons
The main reasons why this problem occurs include:
- strong heating of laptop components;
- accumulation of dust and dirt on the cooler blades;
- wear of cooler impeller bearings;
- non-optimal setting of the conditions on which the fan rotation speed depends.
Laptop is buzzing - what to do?
First of all, it should be said that if strong noise begins to appear when running programs or computer games that heavily load the system, then this is normal. In such a situation, you should not take any action. But if strong noise occurs when a minimum number of undemanding programs are running and the reason is unclear to you, then simply follow the solutions listed below in order.
Eliminate overheating
The fan in a laptop often makes a loud noise due to the fact that it is not being used correctly. If the gadget is on your lap, stomach, or, even worse, on a shag carpet or other soft and uneven surface, then the noise only indicates that it is actively fighting for its life. And all because the ventilation holes on the computer case are blocked. To prevent this from happening, you need to keep the laptop on a flat, hard surface, ensuring oxygen access to the radiator. Special cooling pads for laptops with a built-in cooler also help maintain low temperatures.
Clean from dust
It’s worth mentioning right away that if your laptop is under warranty or you are not sure that you can perform partial disassembly without damaging the computer, take it to a service center without hesitation. Sometimes simple cleaning of dust if the gadget is disassembled or assembled incorrectly can lead to disastrous consequences.
If you are confident in your abilities and want to clean the laptop yourself, then proceed as follows:
- Turn off the computer completely, disconnect the power adapter from it and remove the battery;
- unscrew all the screws located on the back panel (note that on some models the screws are also located under the rubber feet, so to get to them you need to pry the foot off with a screwdriver on one side);
- very carefully remove the cover; on some laptops you need to move it slightly to the side to do this;
- Clean the cooling system from large accumulations of dust and dirt using cotton swabs;
- blow off finer dust, and also clean hard-to-reach places using a can of compressed air (sold in computer stores; when using, keep the can vertically, otherwise you will flood the elements with escaping liquid, which can lead to breakdown);
- Finally, place the cover in place and secure it with the screws.
Update BIOS
If cleaning the dust did not help get rid of the strong noise, then perhaps the computer manufacturers made a mistake in the cooler rotation speed settings. This sometimes happens, and often after a while a new BIOS version with corrected errors appears on the manufacturer’s official website for the problematic laptop model. If this is your case, update your BIOS.
In this article, we did not consider options for solving the problem when the fan in a laptop is humming due to the fact that the thermal paste has lost its properties or the components of the cooler have worn out, since in such cases it is necessary to have certain knowledge and skills that only qualified specialists possess.
15 068Typically, portable computers—notebooks, laptops, netbooks, and ultrabooks—are relatively quiet. Special components are developed for them that have lower heat transfer and a quiet cooling system is installed. But sooner or later, any owner of such a device may encounter the fact that the computer begins to make sounds - buzzing and buzzing. You shouldn’t be immediately scared by this and run headlong into a service center or call a computer technician. First you should try to figure it out yourself - why is my laptop humming??
The situations that arise can be divided into two groups:
The new laptop suddenly buzzed
The first reaction of an ordinary user is “broke”! Not really. It’s just that the laptop gets very hot and therefore the cooler (fan) hums, trying to cool the processor. There are several ways to deal with this.
1. Setting up the power supply scheme.
Powerful and fast laptops, at maximum operating parameters, usually get very hot. However, in most cases, maximum performance is not needed (of course, if you are not a fan of games). We do the following: press the key combination Win+R. The Run window will open:
Enter the command powercfg.cpl and click on the OK button. The Windows operating system power settings window will open:
If your power plan is set to “High Performance”, change it to “Balanced”. After that, close the window and reboot.
2. Using a laptop stand:
Now in any more or less large store that sells computers and components, you can buy a special cooling pad for a laptop:
It is usually a special platform with built-in fans that drive cool air to the bottom of the laptop, which heats up the most. This is a very convenient thing, which also allows you to position the laptop more comfortably and prevents anything from blocking the cooling system holes on its case.
Old laptop hums
If your old comrade suddenly started making noise with his cooler, then try to remember when you cleaned it. Would you like to see what its cooling system looks like after 2-3 years of active use:
Dust and hair clog the radiator to the point where airflow can barely pass through it. The cooler begins to blow hot air. It is clear that this is not enough and the system begins to increase the fan speed. That's why the laptop starts humming because it simply can't handle the heat. The solution is simple - cleaning and purging.
If you yourself can unscrew a few screws on the bottom of the case and get to the fan, then clean it carefully, first with a dry and then a damp cotton swab:
Blowing out the radiator is also not difficult - you either need to buy a can of compressed air at a computer store, or use some weak car compressor. As an option, you can blow it out with an old Soviet vacuum cleaner that can operate in blowing mode. The main thing is not to try to clean with a vacuum cleaner - this can end sadly.
And finally, a piece of advice - try to place the laptop on a flat, hard surface so as not to block the ventilation holes under any circumstances. It is also advisable to place it in a normally ventilated place. Then it will delight you with normal and quiet operation for a long time.
Or, for example, if you work with high-quality video materials, the cooler immediately makes itself known - a certain hum appears. During the day, when both the house and the street are filled with sounds, this noise is not particularly noticeable. But during night work, when you don’t want to wake up your family, the hum of coolers and the insides of a laptop really attracts attention. Why is it noisy and what needs to be done to make the laptop work quickly and silently - read on.
Why is my laptop noisy?
The internal structure of a laptop involves three parts that can serve as a source of extraneous sound: a cooler, a hard drive, and a drive.
1. The cooler is always noisy, as it is a small fan that circulates air to cool the “insides” of the laptop. If you do not give the laptop a heavy load, the noise level from the fan will be barely noticeable. Increasing the load on the processor immediately increases this hum, as the cooler accelerates in order to manage to supply cold air inside the laptop case and prevent overheating of spare parts.
2. CD/DVD drives are also very noisy. Now, of course, information on disks is not very popular, but even when empty, the drive sometimes makes loud noises, and when reading or writing to a disk, the noise becomes very loud. There are programs that regulate the speed of data exchange in the drive, but they significantly slow down the operation. The best solution to this problem is to remove the disks in a timely manner when you are finished working with them.
3. The last reason for the noisy operation of a laptop lies in the functioning of the hard drive. It is its magnetic heads that make grinding sounds with clicks. This does not always happen, but only with intense work: reading “heavy” information, the “hard” accelerates and begins to work in an enhanced mode.
What to do if the laptop is noisy and overheating?
To improve the performance of a laptop and to make the sounds it makes quieter, there are several optimal ways, one way or another related either to the features of the external device or to the laptop software.
Bios and Driver Update
Many users, when upgrading the technical components of their laptop, often forget about upgrading the software. It is no less important for the sufficient performance of the equipment, especially when it comes to updating (flashing) the BIOS system and drivers. If you visit the website of the laptop manufacturer once every six months or a year and update the software in the form of, at a minimum, drivers, this will allow you to get rid of moments when the laptop makes noise or gets very hot. In addition, improving the software will significantly increase the speed of the laptop computer.
Important nuances and tips for updating the BIOS:
- do not download new versions from anywhere other than the official website, and only after you find out the model;
- if the update occurs using official programs, the process becomes simpler and clearer. There is also a “but” - you take a risk, since anti-virus applications and other third-party processes can cause the laptop to freeze;
- During the update, you need to protect yourself from any problems with the electrical network, as this can significantly damage the motherboard;
- It is recommended to save the old, familiar BIOS variation on a separate medium in advance, in case the update performs poorly;
- It is recommended not to select alpha versions that are in the testing process.
Flashing the BIOS optimizes the processes in the laptop, including the rotation speed of the cooler.
It's easy to update drivers: visit the manufacturer's website, download them individually or in a pack, run them and, following the prompts, install the drivers like a regular program.
Cleaning from dust
When small debris particles get into the cooler, they slow down its operation, make it difficult to rotate, causing loud buzzing and noise. Regular cleaning will help maintain the performance of the machine and avoid loud noises during operation.
1. take brushes with synthetic bristles - they shed less and clean the surface of the “insides” of the laptop better;
2. It is recommended to clean your laptop at least once every six months;
3. when cleaning, it is better to also change the thermal paste and lubricate the moving parts of the coolers;
4. It is recommended to carry out the cleaning process on a table, and not on a bed, floor or chair, since otherwise all the necessary screws may be lost;
5. to unscrew the bolts, it is more convenient to use a magnetized one, so that it is easier to remove the screws from the grooves and not lose them;
6. It is advised not to clean laptops under warranty yourself, since opening the back cover will void the warranty;
7. Experts strongly recommend that before disassembling a laptop, find materials on how to do it correctly;
8. The necessary tools for physical cleaning are: a set of screwdrivers with suitable cue balls, thin brushes, alcohol wipes.
Regular care of your laptop, expressed in cleaning dust and changing thermal paste, will reduce the noise of the operating fan and protect the laptop from heating.
Reducing the cooler rotation speed
Elimination of excess noise is also carried out locally. You can download software that controls the fan speed. Such programs detect temperature changes inside the laptop case, automatically adjusting the rate of movement of the blades - so the cooler will work with optimal efficiency, and you will avoid a lot of noise.
Often, such utilities are not needed for the high-quality operation of a laptop; however, some laptop models require this fan speed control, since they initially do not have sufficiently sensitive temperature sensors.
Due to the low sensitivity of these sensors, the cooler may not slow down immediately as soon as the temperature drops, but after some time. This delay leads to rapid wear of the cooler's moving parts and constant noise.
You should use such software very carefully, as there is a possibility of the program crashing and, as a result, dangerous overheating of the laptop.
Reducing hard drive noise
The grinding noise of your device is nothing more than the positioning of the read heads of the hard drive, they are the ones making the loud noise. Don’t rush to panic, cover your ears, or look for a new device - just look at the settings of the hard drive itself. There is a head monitoring function, a priori it is turned off by default. Using special programs, you can turn it on, thereby reducing the reading speed and removing noise. Of course, this slightly reduces performance, while at the same time significantly adding years of service to it.
QuietHDD is considered the best program for this. It's not difficult to understand:
- download and unzip the program, run as administrator;
- Find the application icon on the taskbar;
- call the context menu by right click and select “Settings”;
- go to the “AAM Settings” tab;
- move both sliders to the left to the minimum value;
- save everything with the “Apply” button.
After completing this algorithm, the working parts of the hard drive will slow down, and it will stop humming, grinding or clicking. In order for the application to start working simultaneously with turning on the laptop, you need to copy the launch file to the Desktop, mark Run as administrator in Properties and move this file to Autorun, which can be found in the Start panel.
Programs for changing the cooler rotation speed
SpeedFan is rightfully considered the simplest and most functional software for controlling a cooler. A clear interface and automatic operation are the best companions for a program of this nature.
The application will easily adjust the rotation speed of the coolers - this will not cause any difficulties for you:
1. install the software;
2. run it;
3. in a matter of seconds, the program will collect information about all working laptop coolers and display the data in a list;
4. in the working window, remember two blocks of information.
The first block shows the speed of the cooler, expressed in the number of revolutions, and the program determines which fan belongs where. Sometimes, of course, she is not able to complete this task and then you can change the indicators at random.
The second block is changing the speed of coolers by percentage. By experimenting with these indicators, you can adjust the cooler speeds and, trusting your hearing, choose an acceptable speed. Please note that your correct choice will also affect the temperature inside the laptop - it greatly depends on the intensity of the blades. Therefore, you need to pay even more attention to the speed of coolers: the volume of the device and the cooling of its “filling” depend on it.
To enable SpeedFan when you start your computer, click on the fields in the equivalent program option items. You can enter them by clicking on the “Configure” button and selecting the “Options” tab of the same name.
The second good program for monitoring the cooler is MSI Afterburner. This utility works exclusively with coolers. After installing and opening the program, you can see that there is only one cooler adjustment slider. Since by default it works in automatic mode, to configure it yourself you need to switch to custom mode. If the video card cooler is very noisy, then you need to select the optimal value for its rotation speed. The parameters take effect when you click the “Apply” button.
The right window of the application shows graphs of temperature changes, blade speed both as a percentage and in revolutions per second.
This program is also known for the fact that it has a function that allows you to set different cooler speeds under different temperature conditions. You can find this function by going to “Settings”, and then opening the “Cooler” tab. Select “Custom Auto Mode”. Set additional points on the graph that will program the fan. After the settings, the program will independently adjust the speed to the user’s.
All the actions described in this article are aimed at timely care of the laptop, both from a purely technical side and from the software side. And if regular cleaning of the laptop from dust is necessary in any case, then experts advise using other methods of reducing noise only in situations where the laptop hums outside of heavy loads, games or resource-intensive programs.
Updating drivers should be done once every six months to a year if the new software on the official website has significant differences from the existing one, and the BIOS should not be updated unnecessarily. However, most often the laptop is excessively noisy precisely because of a dirty cooler and old thermal paste, so getting it to work quietly will not be difficult.
Does your laptop make noise while working? Have you noticed that it has started to get very hot, and not only the case is getting hot, but also the keyboard? Perhaps you have even had to deal with the fact that the case vibrates a little or a cracking sound is heard from it? It's time to figure out why this is happening and what measures need to be taken to prevent your laptop from failing.
First, let's find out the main reasons why a laptop might make noise and why it gets hot during operation.
So, the main “provocateurs”:
Dust has accumulated in the cooling system.
As a result, the process of heat exchange with the outside temperature has deteriorated and the processor gets very hot. Thermal sensors installed to monitor this process cause a protective reaction - they give a signal to the cooler so that it works more powerfully and, by increasing its speed, cools the processor. If this process were not possible, the laptop would fail immediately after severe overheating. Thus, the noise in this case is caused by the rotation speed of the cooling cooler, and the power of its rotation is due to accumulated dust.
The cooler has failed.
The most common reason why a cooler becomes unusable is that the bearing bushings wear out. Moreover, the cooling system in this case continues to work at full power and the same cooler does not reduce the speed, but this whole process is accompanied by noise, and in some cases, when you put your hands on the keyboard, you can even feel a slight vibration. The cooler fails, as a rule, again due to the accumulation of dust in the cooling system.
Overload, working with large-scale resources.
Laptop noise may not always indicate any problems with the cooling system. Very often, its appearance is provoked by excessive load, for example, if you have installed some kind of “sophisticated” game or are working in an application from the “resource-intensive” category. By the way, some laptops are not designed for games at all; at least they cannot be used for these purposes for a long time. Such loads, coupled with the weak power of the cooler, will inevitably lead to failure of the laptop.
How to avoid laptop overheating? The answer is simple - you need to use it correctly, namely:
It is necessary to regularly clean the laptop from dust and, in general, not to use it in a room where it constantly accumulates.
If your laptop is subject to heavy loads (you work on it for a long time, play games or work with resource-intensive applications), be sure to use a high-quality stand with cooling ventilation.
During operation, the laptop should only be placed on a flat, hard surface. This is the only way the ventilation system can cope with the load. If, while working, the laptop is on your lap or you place it on the sofa, the processor will simply begin to “suffocate”, because air exchange will be impossible.
If, despite following all of the above recommendations, the laptop still continues to make a lot of noise, and at the same time, for no apparent reason, it turns off or reboots, you must urgently contact customer service. These “symptoms” may indicate a failure of the motherboard. The cost of replacing it is sometimes identical to the cost of a new laptop.
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