Hi,

I own a Clevo W860cu(aka Sager NP8690) with a cooling system that generates alot of noise. The cooling system consists of two fans, one for the cpu(intel core i7m) and one for the GPU(ati 5870m).
I cannot provide any noise levels(dB levels) but my personal opinion is that it is much to loud. What I mean is that even when typing this post and with nothing else running on the background it is still quite loud. (while gaming I don't mind the loud fans because I can imagine it is necessary)

By making this thread I am hoping to get some info on how to quiet down my system. Considering the fact that it is notebook we are talking about, most solutions for PCs won't cut it.(e.g. afaik premade fancontrollers don't exist for notebook, the space in the chassis is extremely limited, I can't switch to a case with better cooling support, I can't switch cooling systems(not that I know of) etc.)

Regards,
logion

Try a software fan controller like SpeedFan -- or other notebook-specific brand-specific utilities. There's at least one for Dell, possibly for Lenovo. One of these might work. Also check in the BIOS for any fan/thermal controls.

I tried speedfan and it only shows temps(just like hwmonitor), no fan rpm readings or adjustable fan rpms.
As for a Dell fan controlling software I've come across : i8kfan http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/. However judging by the list of compatible dell notebooks, I'm quite sceptical.(it won't install either on W7 x64, might look into this later)

It is worth mentioning however that there is a hotkey on the keyboard that activates Silent Mode(still rather loud though).
This means that fans are somehow controllable(probably silent mode controls other things too). I don't know how this silent mode is implemented but would it be worthwhile to investigate this and try to extend this functionality? Or is this impossible to answer?

Sounds like you have to ask the manufacturer.... but given the high power CPU and GPU, I'm dubious that you'd be able to cool them very quietly in a laptop.

"910 results found for notebook cooler" - EBAY HAS IN FRONT OF ME, NOW.
Australian Capital Territory. Bidding starts from 99 cents. I never paid more than $25.

I've bought several kinds: passive (no fan for my netbook) & active (USB powered, with or without extra USB sockets, on/off switch & fan speed control.

On high-powered notebooks like ours, I use self-adhesive air leak foam (hardware shops for external home doors) ... multi-layered, to direct the positive air flow under the notebook, towards the air inlets.

Ensure the hot-air outlets are open - not blocked. Every 6 months I lightly vacuum-clean air holes, STOPPING THE NOTEBOOK FAN FROM SPINNING ----- extremely important, 'cos spinning too fast will destroy it: my direct experience

Use an infra-red thermometer (medical, in-ear, EBAY, ($16+ -- 62 results), very accurate & cheap). Detect where the heat is coming from, top, bottom & sides. Usually I use liquid white-out to record the temps, then put clear nail polish over the numbers. If you want to resell later, write onto write-on tape (eg paper masking tape).

I found the HDD was generating too much heat, so either ventilate the cover (soldering iron many holes through the plastic cover) or remove the cover completely.

I removed it, then hard-jammed & taped the edges of the HDD in.

HP recommend that if you are not using the battery in the notebook, remove it. I did this too. Both the battery & its chamber retain heat.

If the external air temperature is too hot for you, then itt might be too hot to run the computer. Theoretically, very humid air should remove more heat than dry air. So wet things in your room, have living plants or an aerated fish-tank.

Greg Zeng, Retired (medical) IT Consultant.