Consequences of always having fan on slow, high during gaming?

Hi,

When I first received my Dell E1705, I was a bit worried about my idle temperature.

Although I know as a fact that both my 7900GS & Core 2 Duo T7400 can withstand extreme temperatures [theoretically up to 90C for the GPU, 100C CPU, if I recall], I was not comfortable with my dell running so hot.

My GPU ran about 70C Idle, CPU unknown at the time.

Well all that was before I discovered I8KFanGUI. It's an excellent fan control with the exception of some minor bugs [a fan will sometimes dramatically change speeds every 3 seconds].

Well, after installing the fan control program about 2 months ago, I've been really impressed with the results. My Idle CPU temp is around 30C, GPU idles @ around 55C.

Now, after 30+ minutes of gaming, my GPU can get quiet hot. Usually, it stays within 70C due to my fan control settings [CPU @ ~60C during gaming].

For some reason, I just don't feel comfortable seeing my GPU go that high, even though im sure it's normal for it to run that hot during intense gaming.

Now my question is, A'm I doing anything wrong by allowing my 2nd fan to stay always on, and have my CPU & GPU fans adjusted to high after they hit 70C?

Im a bit paranoid of having long term problems with my fans.

[In other words, my Secondary fan is always on (slow); The Primary fan is only on after moderate CPU usage (slow); My Secondary fan is always on High during gaming]

Thank you for any help!

PS. I have my CPU & GPU Fan control on these settings: "55C Slow Off", "65C Slow Slow", "70C Fast Slow", "77C Fast Fast"

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You could order a notebook cooling pad from the various online retailers. It retails about $18-25.

 

The worst that could happen is the fan would collect dust faster and seize once the dust gets into the lubrication. You could either try and clean them out every few months, purchase a few spare fan units from Dell Spare Parts, or if you have the extended warranty with completecare then not even worry about, just call em up and have them send a new fan whenever it starts rattling bad.

 

The only real potential drawback would be the quicker accumlation of dust, a blast of compressed air one a week through all the vents will greatly reduce that risk, its also a good idea to open it up eveyonce in awhil, 6 months to a year, and clean it thoroughly. Some say that it will cause the fans to wear out quicker, with quality ball bearing fans this really isnt the case, if they clogged with dust and dirt, and cant spin properly, they will burn up faster, I have a few quality desktop fans that I've recycled from many machines, I have one thats at least 8 years old, and has run pretty much nonstop for that period of time with no problems at all, just keep them clean,if they start making noise, lightly lube it.

70c for a 7900 isnt bad, one thing that would help a lot would be to kick the gpu fan on earlier, the fans dont really cool the heat sink when the chips are working at load, more so it just keeps the sink from getting hotter, cranking them up before it gets uncomfortably hot will keep the chips noticably cooler.

 

same components as you.

my CPU idles in mid 30s, GPU mid-50s. i use a LapCool4 as well. (doesn't doo much for CPU/GPU temps, but keeps the memory, chipset and hd cooler by a few degrees.)

70s GPU during gaming is nothing, especially since you've taken measures. i've only been playi-- uh, i mean "working on" -- Marvel Ultimate Alliance -- not a super-demanding game, but with all the features on high at full 1920x1200 res, i've only peaked at 70 since i8kfangui. (but talk to me once John Woo's Stranglehold gets released ...)

according to nVidia, the GPU won't start shutting down until it hits 100. i know it's crazy, because god knows what hella environment / neglect you have to be putting your notebook through for those kind of temps, but there you go.

cooler is better. your components will last longer. so maybe your fans *might* burnout faster. but keep them clean, that will help. besides, it's a lot easier and cheaper to replace fans than it is the GPU.