TX1 fan noise

[McMagnus]

Hi

I upgraded from a T1XP to a TX1XP last week and the new fan is starting to bother me. I've heard (at Tom's hardware I think) that the new Centrino chipset runs a bit hotter than the old, but I thought the BIOS would be able to keep it slow enough at the lowest performance setting to not bother me.

However, when at the lowest possible performance (CPU Control on "Battery Life" and the "System Idle Process" toggles between 98-99% and the My Computer->Properties says the CPU is running at 299MHz), the fan is still spinning up and down every 6 seconds or so. The old T1XP was dead silent until I at least started compiling or something. And then the fan spun up only after running at 100% CPU for almost a minute.

Also, the fan itself has a noise of its own in the new TX1XP. In the old T1XP, all I heard was the sound of the air flowing out, nothing else.

So, the problem is two-fold.

1. The fan spins up and down constantly. It runs *much* more than the old T1XP.

2. The fan sounds more than necessary. The old T1XP proves that it's possible to make them really silent, why isn't the new as silent? Did I get a bad one? Should I switch?

[Pagemakers]

I am looking at a TX2 now and it does have a fan as far as I can see. I have written back to tech support for a further comment.

[Wanderer17]

I own the TX2XP/B since yesterday - yes, it has a fan...

[Pagemakers]

I own the TX2XP/B since yesterday - yes, it has a fan...

Does it cycle on and off often?

Is it noticeably loud?

Are you able to compare it with the TX1?

[Wanderer17]

Does it cycle on and off often?
Is it noticeably loud?
Are you able to compare it with the TX1?

It depends on what you're doing and from the temperature of the area, you're working in.

2 things are noticable: a.) the fan does run variable speed and b.) there is a control-center where you can configure the fan-speed between "low noise" & "high performance".

Starting the cold TX2XP in a room with 18°C and typing a word-document, the fan does mostly not work. Installing the NB while the HDD is working hard and charching the battery, the fan is running nonstop.

No, I cannot compare with the TX1 - I can compare with the C1VE: the TX2XP is definite quieter. IMHO the TX2XP is not fanless, but the fan is acceptable.

[Pagemakers]

Thanks. It sounds the same as my TX1. No need to upgrade then!

[lantek]

Thanks. It sounds the same as my TX1.  No need to upgrade then!

Would you even consider buying a Sony again after their design flaws and subsequent attitude in dealing with the problems of the TX1XP? Their technical support has to be the most unhelpful, slow-to-respond, and frustrating department to deal with out of any of the major computer manufacturers. The TX1XP is my second and last Sony product.

[Pagemakers]

I have to say I am very very disappointed with Sony. It's as if they don't give a monkeys.

Tech support take about 10 for each reply.

Very poor indeed.

[kee-lo_]

I have to say I am very very disappointed with Sony.  It's as if they don't give a monkeys.

Tech support take about 10 for each reply.

Very poor indeed.

VAIO-Link are slow - I'm not sure how they won the LISA

[Pagemakers]

After 3 1/2 weeks sony sales have just replied wih:

Thank you for your enquiry.

There is a very small fan on the TX2 CPU.

I have forwarded the link on to have it checked with marketing.




Yours sincerely,
Nicola Tustin
Customer Service Advisor


They also updated my tech report with:

*** NOTES 20-Mar-2006 Action Type: Info
Thank you for contacting us, unfortunately, wrong information was given in the previous reply, this notebook indeed has a built in fan, the only vaio notebook which doesn't make use of a fan is the X505 model.

[kee-lo_]

About time too