[SOLVED] Sometimes my computer fan is really loud and the speed drops severely

[Mproseling]

Lenovo U41-70 Type 80jv loud fan and slow performance
I’m not really sure what is needed to be provided so i’ll just say my processor: Intel i5-5200U

Sometimes, my computer runs at 0.46 GHz instead of its usual 2.49-2.58 GHz. Initially, I got a can of compressed air and cleaned out dust while reapplying thermal paste. This seemed to work and my computer was running smoothly. However this was a few years ago.

Now, I ordered a better thermal paste and reapplied it, hoping it would solve my problems. However, nothing changed and it’s still running really slowly with the fan being very loud. When I check Task Manager, nothing is taking up a lot of CPU usage and I used RealTemp to check and see that everything is fine, around 40-50 degrees C. I also ran MalwareBytes to check but there were no viruses scanned. I am trying to see if Bitdefender might do a better job and catch something MalwareBytes had missed.

I was thinking that the computer is thinking it is overheating but it is actually not. Any advice is welcomed and appreciated, and I’ll be happy to provide more details. Thank you!

 

[blazerboy]

Check your power plan settings, see if it's set to reduce power before raising fan speed. This is known as throttling. Also in there, check your max processor frequency. On a laptop, you have different power plans, one on battery and one on ac. Check both.

 

[Budge414]

Hi there!

Few things I would try:

• Different power plan. Especially if you're using Power Saver or High Performance.
• Try using another program to verify you're temps. I don't doubt RealTemp's readings, but the sensors on laptops can sometimes produce some weirdness in results. Try HWMonitor or HWiNFO64.
• Remove the fan and take a REALLY good look at the heatsink from the inside where your notebook exhausts hot air. Sometimes general use and blowing compressed air without removing the fin assembly can cause such a thick layer of dust that it won't fit through the fins and be removed as intended. If you feel a healthy flow of air this is usually not the case, but this has happened to me and went unnoticed since the internal side of the fins are concealed, even though airflow felt okay.

 

[Mproseling]

Hi thank you both for the responses! I have checked the processor power management for Balanced and High Performance (i normally only alternate between them when gaming and not) and the cooling systems are turned on and max processor is 100%. I realised I have Speccy and HWMonitor installed already, and at Balanced its 55-65 degrees but as I'm typing now my computer is not at the slow state yet. It comes pretty randomly and often after my com goes to sleep so I'll check it again when it's there. I'll check the fan next!

 

[Mproseling]

So I cleared out a bit of rust I found in the fan and the frequency of this problem decreased a lil but is still present. Thank you though. I realised the problem pops up after startup/hibernation rather than halfway through normal usage. Any other idea? They are much appreciated

 

[Karadjgne]

Rust? In a laptop? Wait what?

I'd say it's time to pop out the battery, pull off the rear cover and blow that laptop out but good. If you blew anything out before and things improved, it's more than likely built up dust/rust? (mind boggling) /debris that's slowing down the fan and preventing full airflow, which allows temps to go up.

 

[Mproseling]

Yeah but the thing is I don't think my laptop is actually heating up that much though. Like I could just turn on my computer without prior use for hours and it would still be slow and the fan be loud.

 

[blazerboy]

Rust in a laptop is a big no no. It needs to be opened to checked for damage and cleaned thoroughly. Rust is iron oxide. As such it is isn't as electrically conductive as iron but still could be causing issues. Means you could have / are shorting something out.

 

[Mproseling]

Ah I see, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you karad and blazerboy I will scour my laptop and remove any debris