Thread: Ubuntu fan noise

  1. #1
    Registered User Stonehambey's Avatar
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    Ubuntu fan noise

    When my laptop (hp pavillion dv2700) runs ubuntu, the fan seems to go into overdrive, it's like a hairdryer.

    I did a bit of googling and it seems I'm not the only person with this problem, however a lot of threads didn't solve the problem and many are laptop specific.

    I love ubuntu and would like to use it all the time, but with this level of noise it's simply not practical. Any advice on what to do from here?

    Thanks in advance,

    Stonehambey

  2. #2
    Kernel hacker
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    Have you enabled CPU speed variation depending on load? Which policy/governor are you using?

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    Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
    Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.

  3. #3
    Registered User Stonehambey's Avatar
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    Hi Mat, thanks for the reply,

    Quote Originally Posted by matsp View Post
    Have you enabled CPU speed variation depending on load?
    Given that I don't know how to do that, I would say no ^_^

    Which policy/governor are you using?
    Despite an interest in programming, I'm actually not very computer literate, could you explain what you mean here?

    Please forgive my ignorance,

    Regards,

    Stonehambey

  4. #4
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    There is a functionality called "cpufreq" that varies the speed of the CPU depending on how much you "need". So if you are just sitting there typing something, it will not use much CPU power, so it will slow it down to a minimum (e.g. 500MHz), then when you compile, CPU usage will be high, so it will speed up the CPU to max speed (e.g. 2000MHz).

    This was the first ubuntu related thread on CPUFreqd:
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=394911

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    Mats
    Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
    Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.

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    Registered User Stonehambey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by matsp View Post
    There is a functionality called "cpufreq" that varies the speed of the CPU depending on how much you "need". So if you are just sitting there typing something, it will not use much CPU power, so it will slow it down to a minimum (e.g. 500MHz), then when you compile, CPU usage will be high, so it will speed up the CPU to max speed (e.g. 2000MHz).

    This was the first ubuntu related thread on CPUFreqd:
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=394911

    --
    Mats
    Thanks, I managed to install and get it running no problem, but it doesn't appear to have fixed the problem. However it could be that I haven't changed the right things in the .conf file.

    Stonehambey

  6. #6
    Registered User Stonehambey's Avatar
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    After some more digging, I found this link

    http://aldeby.org/blog/index.php/hp-...oad-links.html

    Does it look like it's worth a shot? It seems a pretty recent BIOS update and mentions fan and CPU settings.

    One question is can I run this BIOS update in ubuntu? Since I no longer have windows on my laptop (don't ask).

    I reard BIOS updates can seriously damage your comp if not done correctly, hence my apprehension!

    Regards,

    Stonehambey

  7. #7
    Devil's Advocate SlyMaelstrom's Avatar
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    It appears those BIOS only come with a utility to flash from Windows... which by the way, I never trust anyway. I'd prefer an on-the-bios flashing utility or at least one that operates out of an MS-DOS boot disk.
    Sent from my iPadŽ

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    >>Despite an interest in programming, I'm actually not very computer literate

    I feel your pain.

  9. #9
    C++まいる!Cをこわせ!
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    Do you actually have all the proper drivers installed? Some fans for CPU or GPU are regulated by the drivers and not having them installed causes it to run at full speed all the time.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

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    I forgot to mention. I have almost the same laptop as you, run Ubuntu, and still have no fan problems. I also only run the live CD version if that makes any difference.

  11. #11
    Registered User Stonehambey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Elysia View Post
    Do you actually have all the proper drivers installed? Some fans for CPU or GPU are regulated by the drivers and not having them installed causes it to run at full speed all the time.
    I don't know, how would I find this out?

    Quote Originally Posted by lruc
    I forgot to mention. I have almost the same laptop as you, run Ubuntu, and still have no fan problems. I also only run the live CD version if that makes any difference.
    I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse tbh :P

    If it helps, the fan is ok when I turn the laptop on, after about 15 mins of use, with little more than a browser running, the fan will run high. It won't stop until I turn off the laptop.

    I was on the phone to a linux guy last night, and I think we managed to discern that the fan is not controlled by the acpi, whatever that means :P

    I'll keep digging, ubuntu is too good to let this beat me!

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