Fan control software for latest Latitudes?

Does anyone know of a good fan control software for the newest series of Latitudes? I have a Latitude XT3 Tablet PC but it's pretty similar to the rest of the Latitude line. I can't find good software to control its fan. I've tried HWiNFO and SpeedFan, but neither can successfully control the fan. It seems that they set the speed but something else immediately resets it.

 

As far as I know, there is nothing. Period. Part of the reason I'm running TP right now.

Do tell if you find something that works.

 

TP? ThinkPad? Do those have good fan control ability? The ability to control the fan to my liking will definitely be a top priority for my next purchase!

AAAH Fans drive me insane! It doesn't need to be on! A little heat won't hurt it! I thought it was just my old HP 2740p that was really annoying with the fan (ran ALWAYS) but I was luckily able to control it with HWiNFO64. This Dell now sometimes shuts off but I'm unable to manually control it! Switching power modes back and fourth will sometimes shut the fan off, but it just loves running!

 

Never had an issue with tpfc; I think in general the controls are a bit more fine-grained than i8kfangui ever was. And it's still being updated unlike i8k where the guy just vanished from the face of the planet.

 

Just looked at tpfc. Looks like it's a $40 board that you have to modify the fan connector for? I guess I'd be willing to go that far if there was something like that for Dell. I was thinking of making something myself actually, but was wondering how I would interface with it while it's inside my PC. Thinking maybe the USB port in the ExpressCard slot. I guess I don't need to interface it from within Windows if I just program a microcontroller the right way.

For tonight I just popped open the bottom panel and unplugged the fan. Aaaah quietness. It's only reaching 60 degrees Celsius with no fan.

EDIT: looks like there is some software only solution, too. I'll definitely look into it more next time. My Latitude XT3 had such a good price I just couldn't resist!

 

Hmm, I have no idea what you are looking at. tpfc is free and software-only:

TPFanControl by troubadix

 

I see. Thanks for the info.

 

Have you replaced the thermal grease in your laptop? Most of the time, the fan in my E4300 and E6410 don't even turn on. I wouldn't recommend changing fan settings manually as the BIOS is better suited for that job.

 

What is the temperature at which your fans turn on? I believe my fans turn on as soon as the CPU reaches 55 degrees and won't turn off until it falls back to 50. This is set to quiet mode, too. If I switch power plans and then back then they'll turn off again for a little. Whenever I'm actually using the PC, the fans are on, even if I'm just looking at a web page and have 1% or less CPU usage.

Should it be idling at less than this? This is a Latitude XT3. I guess I'll try replacing my heat grease tomorrow, see what happens. I just get really annoyed by fan noise. And for some reason the grille on the bottom of the PC isn't on top of the fan! Just in the center of the laptop, but the fan is on the side. Placing aesthetics over function.

If that doesn't work I'll seriously consider programming a microcontroller to sit in between the fan and motherboard similar to this thing
http://tpfc.mywo.org/index.php?action=home
Luckily there is a ton of empty space inside the XT3. There is a third PCI-E slot near the CPU fan which I can place it in. By the way, does anyone know what this slot is for? The specs and service manual don't mention it. In some of the service manual photos I see a card in there, but it has no wires. Is it mSATA? I think I saw a third slot in the E6520 disassembly. Intel Rapid Storage shows 2 internal SATA ports, but it also shows 3 external SATA which I believe only two exist (dock and side of laptop)

 

Fan behavior will vary depending on the model, although you might want to update the BIOS and see if that helps.