# New Computer Started Making Funny Revving Noise



## Harvey777 (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi, Everybody!

Please help! I'm not sure if I have a problem here or not. I just got me a new Compaq about 10 days ago- P4, 3Ghz, 1Ghz RAM, Vista Home Basic, Most of the bloatware/junk disabled or deleted). 
The computer works fine...but yesterday, it started making funny noises that it hadn't made before. It sounds as though one of the fans is revving up...but only for one second at a time. Sometimes it will do this "revving" every few seconds...sometimes it will go for a while without doing it. Sometimes the revving is very loud...sometimes it's not too loud.
Tech support says it's normal- The fans just increasing RPM to cool things down when needed. But why didn't the computer do this since the beginning? And it doesn't matter if the computer is sitting idle with nothing running...or if it is being used. (I dont do anything hard core with it)
This noixe just doesn't sound right to me. It sounds like whenh a car engine isn't running right and keeps surging...and it doesn't go on long enough to really do any cooling anyway. Just for a second...

normal fan noise...
SURGE!!!!!(1 sec)
Normal noise(15 seconds)
SURGE!!!(1 sec)
Normal(15 sec)...etc.

Normal(20 minutes)
SURGE!!!(1 sec)
Normal(3 minutes)
SURGE!!!!!(3 seconds)

And the surging/revving noise is quite loud....I'm not talking about the fan doubling it's speed...I mean it sounds like it's quadrupling at least! 

Other than that...everything seems fine.

I'd really like to know if this is indicative of something being wrong, so i can have it fixed under warranty (or exchanged)

My former computer was a 7 year old IBM, run all it's life with no Antivirus or anything...and it never made any noise like this (once the fan died and i had to replace it...but never had this quirky revving!)

Please help! How can I diagnose this?


----------



## Sherry22160 (Jul 17, 2006)

It sounds like the BIOS power management settings.

Can you get into your BIOS and find Power Management.
Set it to "Not" conserve Power.

See if this helps....


----------



## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

Do you know which fan it is? It could just be a faulty (noisy) case fan. If it's the cpu, then I would install Speedfan to watch the temperatures to see if they coincide. Could also be the hsf is loosening up and might need to be tightened down if that is the fan making the noise.
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php


----------



## Enbee (Nov 9, 2004)

I know this is probably a silly question.... but are you sure that the noise is coming from a fan? When you open the case, can you tell that it's a fan?... and which one?


----------



## Harvey777 (Mar 15, 2007)

Enbee said:


> I know this is probably a silly question.... but are you sure that the noise is coming from a fan? When you open the case, can you tell that it's a fan?... and which one?


Thanks everyone, for the answers so far.

No...actually, I haven't yet opened 'er up to track down the noise (It doesn't say "idiot" next to my experience level for nothing)...as it requires me to disconnect all my cables...but I guess that is unavoidable, so I will indeed do it soon. I do believe it is the case fan though...as the noise seems to be coming from the front.

Also noticed that the 'puter wakes from sleep for no apparent reason (it'd been doing this all along...but I thought it was floor vibrations disturbing the mouse...but it's not)


----------



## Enbee (Nov 9, 2004)

first of all, as far as disconnecting your cables ... just make sure to label them so you know where to put them back when you're done. The kind of noise that you're describing, can also be the hard drive. That "revving up" might be the hard drive starting up. Maybe there are background programs running that shouldn't be. One thing that I've found, as I'm sure others have as well.... is that when you buy a new computer, the factory sets it so that everything is running in the background, which bogs down your computer, and can do what you described. They do that so that your programs will start up faster... but unfortunately, it often slows down your system. Anyway... if that is the case, then you might have to go into your system configuration to adjust what programs open when you start your computer. An FYI ... just because a program is running in the background, doesn't mean that you can see it. Most often, you will have no idea that it is running.. That is why it is in the "Background".  If you need help with System Configuration, then give a yell.... I'm sure that someone here can walk you through it.


----------



## Harvey777 (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks, Enbee (and everyone else who has responded)

Well...first thing I did when I got the new 'puter was to run msconfig and disable all the crapware, and manually turned off others (I'm no eggspurt....but I do try and run a lean, clean machine...I get mad when I see a bunch of icons down by the clock for stuff that I'd never even use)- and the funny thing is, the 'puter wasn't making the noise running as originally configured by the factory...nor after I de=bloated it. It just started doing it out of the blue, a week and a half later for no apparent reason (i.e. I hadn't changed anything or added any new software, etc.)- and weird thing is, so far today it isn't making the noise. If it was still doing it, I'd open it up and look.( -I know where the cables go...it's just that I have them arranged so nice....ya only see one wire when you look under the desk  )

I guess I'm just going to have to wait till it starts doing it again, and look in there and see what exactly is making the noise, and report back.

Sure is nice of you people to do this. The tech support people over at Compaq sound like they're just looking stuff up in a book and reading off of a script...I don't think they know what they are doing- I think this is the last time I will buy from a major manufacturer (between that and all the bloatware...)

If I have to scour the internet for support, I may as well have bought a Rube goldberg or thrown together a bunch of parts myself. (After the rebate, I only ended up paying $370 for the 'puter, so it's hard to complain)

Thanks again, everyone...I'll report back as soon as I can see what is making the noise....


----------



## Enbee (Nov 9, 2004)

btw harvey .... i can see you are no 'idiot' ...... and u know a little more than you originally let on. Hmmmm... an undercover computer nerd in disguise.

um... "Rube Goldberg"?? let me know where I can get one of those! lol


----------



## Harvey777 (Mar 15, 2007)

Enbee said:


> Hmmmm... an undercover computer nerd in disguise.


Well with these thick glasses, people expect me to know alot more! 

Strangers on the street ask me if i can come and fix their computer...


----------



## F150Guy (Nov 16, 2006)

I also have this same PC and the same problem with the fan. I did a little troubleshooting and the fan that is reving is the processor fan. I opened up the case and sure enough the fan started reving up like a jet engine. It does this for no apparent reason as it will happen when the PC is in use or when it is idle.

This has been happening since I opened the box. I don't know if installing a different fan will fix the problem or not. That is my last resort. I checked the BIOS and there is not a way to change the Power Management settings but they are locked out and cannot be changed.

This machine is running Vista Home Basic. If anyone has any other ideas besides replacing the fan, I will definitely give them a shot!


----------



## Harvey777 (Mar 15, 2007)

F150Guy,

I'd say the problem is not the fan itself- but rather what controls the fan- as I have noticed that the problem only exists when the room temperature is over a certain temperature (somewhere around 70*- give or take). In the winter, the problem doesn't occur (I never put my thermostat higher than 60). Hopefully, I'll have the time before the warranty expires to pursue this futher with Compaq. 

Have you noticed the same thing(i.e. only a warm-weather prfoblem)?

I am somewhat disappointed with this computer- as I notice very little difference in performance between this 3Gig MHZ/1Gig RAM machine and my old 500MHZ WIN98 machine.


----------



## MichaelDee (Oct 15, 2007)

F150Guy said:


> I also have this same PC and the same problem with the fan. I did a little troubleshooting and the fan that is reving is the processor fan. I opened up the case and sure enough the fan started reving up like a jet engine. It does this for no apparent reason as it will happen when the PC is in use or when it is idle.
> 
> If anyone has any other ideas besides replacing the fan, I will definitely give them a shot!


Its supposed to do that. When the cpu reaches a certain temperature the fan will speed up to cool it down quicker and then return to normal speed. You can disable this, set the temp a little higher, etc. Its nothing to worry about and changing fans won't help. You just have to know a few details about your pc, google powersaving or something and change the settings.


----------



## MichaelDee (Oct 15, 2007)

Harvey777 said:


> F150Guy,
> 
> I notice very little difference in performance between this 3Gig MHZ/1Gig RAM machine and my old 500MHZ WIN98 machine.


Hopefully you *would* notice a difference. Vista can slow down many computers so many people are switching back to xp (but not as far back as 98). You can always try to optimize vista and get rid of a lot of the "glitz" that makes it look pretty. Much of this just requires that you shut off certain settings which really slow you down.


----------



## F150Guy (Nov 16, 2006)

Thanks for the suggestions. I have searched for the power settings to see if I could change them and as I mentioned, they are locked out for changing them in the BIOS and I cannot find anything online where there is a work-around for that. I have only had the PC in question since this summer so there has not been a cool period yet to test the theory. I did remove the side panel in hopes that it would keep the inside cooler but it doesn't seem to have helped. I imagine that this is common with some Compaqs because I found a review on Cnet that talked about the same problem with a Compaq laptop.


----------



## MichaelDee (Oct 15, 2007)

Harvey777 said:


> F150Guy,
> 
> I have noticed that the problem only exists when the room temperature is over a certain temperature (somewhere around 70*- give or take). In the winter, the problem doesn't occur (I never put my thermostat higher than 60). Hopefully, I'll have the time before the warranty expires to pursue this futher with Compaq.
> 
> Have you noticed the same thing(i.e. only a warm-weather prfoblem)?


The warmer your room, the longer the fan will run. If you are in Texas, with no a/c and your house is about 90 degrees, then the fan will likely run at high speed constantly because the ambient room temperature is so high. If you put an a/c in that room, cooled it to 40 degrees, then the fan would hardly need to run. The fan is trying to keep the cpu below a certain temperature, but if the air temperature around the pc is too high, then the fan can't do its job.


----------



## Harvey777 (Mar 15, 2007)

MichaelDee:

Yes...I expect the fan to kick in to cool the CPU- but in the case of these computers, it does it so erractically and so loudly at times, that it just doesn't seem right. Sometimes it'll strain like a 747 jet engine while the 'puter is idle...and yet be quiet or quieter while the 'puter is in heavey use. I'm no computer expert...but it just doesn't seem right. (And then when the ambient temp drops just a bit, you'll never hear the fan at all).

F150Guy:

I do have my Vista optomized- and it is the Vista Basic...i.e. no "Aero" effects or anything that should be draining such significant resources. I run a pretty bare-bones machine (Don't even run any anti-virus) and my HD is barely at a tenth of capaciy. System resources always show 85-95% free.


----------



## MichaelDee (Oct 15, 2007)

F150Guy said:


> I did remove the side panel in hopes that it would keep the inside cooler but it doesn't seem to have helped.


That shouldn't be necessary. How does the inside look? Are there wires and cables strung out all over or does it look fairly neat? I assume its pretty neat since there is likely very little hardware in there. What you want is to have a nice clear path for the air to come in from the front, blow over the hardware and exit out the back. Sitting a pc on a plush carpet is not a good idea because of static and the air inlets are usually around the front bottom of the pc, which would be blocked by the carpet. You can use cable ties to tie wires out of the way (ie. towards the side of the pc the mobo is attached to). You can also attach a second fan to the back of the pc, there should be a spot for one above your cards, to help exhaust more hot air.


----------



## F150Guy (Nov 16, 2006)

I understand the temperature issue and it would be ideal if I could cool this one room down to a lower temperature but that is not possible. I will keep playing around with some of the settings to see if I can minimize the reving... for now I am just chalking it up to a design flaw; no home PC should be this loud! Ha! Now that Compaq and HP have merged, maybe they will make a better product. You get what you pay for! Thanks Guys!


----------



## MichaelDee (Oct 15, 2007)

Harvey777 said:


> MichaelDee:
> 
> Sometimes it'll strain like a 747 jet engine while the 'puter is idle...and yet be quiet or quieter while the 'puter is in heavey use. I'm no computer expert...but it just doesn't seem right. (And then when the ambient temp drops just a bit, you'll never hear the fan at all).


Next time, take the side off, when you hear it can you see the fan speed up? Are you sure its not a drive? I've had a couple optical drives that became very loud after a while and you would swear that the pc would vibrate apart everytime info was accessed.
Does your fan have screws or pins? Can you see if you can tighten them or move the fan housing with your fingers to see if anything is loose?


----------



## juliet3930 (Mar 14, 2008)

My computer is making those funny revving noises too. It is only 15 months old and not a compaq. The processor is an Intel core 2 duo E6300 which is supposed to run very cool. The weather has been hot lately so I am hoping it is that. On the other hand it could be the hd thrashing a bit even though it has nothing to thrash about. Should I be worried?


----------



## Harvey777 (Mar 15, 2007)

Well, Juliet- My computer has been doing this for aboput a year now....and it's still working O-K...so I'm beginning to think that whatever the problem is...may not be a problem...just an annoyance.


----------



## Zeus.:God (Dec 28, 2006)

This probably sounds like a dumb idea, and I'm sure it would be frowned upon by most other members, but whenever I get a noise like that, I stop the fan with my finger for a few seconds to see if it continues.

If you do open your case while the PC is on do not, DO NOT touch any of the boards. If you're going to do this, ONLY touch the fans and make sure you know what direction they're going in to avoid pinching and cuts.

Since you bought a brand name computer, I would say don't open it up. Chances are it has a seal (silver sticker that falls apart when you remove it to show it's been tampered with) that would void your warranty or any chances of returning it if broken. If there is no seal, then go for it, I guess...


----------



## Mcbee (Feb 19, 2007)

I had an HP computer in for repair that had been brought from the USA. The CPU fan was running at high speed too often even though the stock HSF was larger than UK issue. On removal of the HSF I discovered that the thermal compound was not completely spread over the base of the heatsink. Putting on an even spread of new thermal compound cured the problem.


----------



## juliet3930 (Mar 14, 2008)

I would never try to interrupt the fan, it only revs for a a second anyway. I have vacuumed away potential dust. The thing that worries me is that it is a recent "problem", I have also had a couple of microsoft "fatal error" messages which seem totally unrelated. Probably more related to another user on this computer (who doesnt have admin rights) . I also have an old HP omnibook which has overheating "issues", it doesnt rev, it just dies. I think I might give it to the beforementioned user to perhaps avoid more angst.


----------

