HP Spectre 13 Loud Fans under low CPU usage

[EddyK]

Hi I've bought the HP Spectre 13-v018ca a few months ago. Upon reading the reviews for this product, I found that some of the critics reviewing this laptop have stated that the fans were annoying at times. Once I bought the laptop, it became a really apparent issue. The fans would spin at high speeds under low cpu usage. Usually they would spin when using Chrome or using the laptop with cpu usage higher than 30% for a sustained amount of time. I've read other forums regarding the HP Spectre x360 but not the HP Spectre 13 so I wanted to know if other people with the HP Spectre 13 also had the same issue. I expect a lot from this because this is a business laptop at a high, high, high price. I hope that HP can acknowledge this issue and try to, at least, release a software update through HP Support Assistant. 

[Dvortex]

Hello, @EddyK - Hope you are well 🙂
 

Allow me to welcome to HP Support Forums! It is a great platform to get help from the community, get suggestions and find what has worked for others!

 
I understand that the fan in your HP Spectre is noisy. Do not worry, I’m here to help 🙂

Did you try updating the notebook BIOS? I have seen this issue getting fixed after updating the BIOS. Go to http://hp.care/2mMJ7bU to update the BIOS on your notebook.

Alternatively, check http://hp.care/2mMMdNb for additional steps that could help you tackle the issue.

That should do the trick, let me know the outcome!

Good luck 🙂

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[EddyK]

Hi Dvortex, I appreciate your help. I have in fact updated all drivers from HP's website and used HP Support Assistant to update the BIOS. But I  haven't tried the exact update you introduced.

However, I really can't feel a difference after updating. The fans are still very sensitive to sudden changes in CPU usage. Did other HP Spectre users find a substantial difference after the update?

I have read the article regarding fan noise but I don't think that cleaning vents/fans would do the trick because, for me, loud fan noise usually occurs because of web browsing or moderate cpu usage, not because of heat and blockage. Furthermore, I have increased efficiency to the best I can. I don't know where I can improve further on. And finally, I don't believe I have corrupt processes because most of the time, it is Google Chrome, Syncaptics Touchpad, or some other system or basic process that uses up ~15% of CPU.

Is there any other method?

Thank you,

kem579

[EddyK]

And just 1 thing to add-I find it very ironic that Intel's Hyperbaric Cooling (the method of cooling incorporated inside the HP Spectre) is deemed to provide more efficient and quieter cooling for laptops when in reality, it drives the user insane because of the noise level. 

-kem579

[Dvortex]

Hello, @EddyK

Thanks for the update!

If compatible, check this feature if interested: http://hp.care/2fDMvCj

If the issue persists, I would suggest contacting the HP phone support for further assistance. 

You can visit http://www.support.hp.com/contact-hp and fill in your product details to get the tech support number.

(1) Once the support page opens please select the country in which you're located. Next, enter your HP model number on the right.

(2) Next, choose the 'Contact Support' tab at the top and scroll down to the bottom of the 'HP Support- Contact' page to fill out the form provided with your contact information.

(3) Once completed click the 'Show Options' icon on the bottom right.

(4) Lastly, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select 'Get phone number.' A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

If you have any troubles, let me know and I will do my best to help.

Cheers 🙂

Please click "Accepted as Solution" on the post that solves your issue to help others find the solution. To show appreciation for my help, please click the "Thumbs Up Icon" below!

[EddyK]

Hi, I decided to investigate further into which programs cause very high cpu usage and found that WMI Provider Host shoots all the way up to 100% cpu usage in a matter of seconds.

When I got into Windows Event Viewer and into

Applications and Services>

Microsoft>

Windows>

WMI-Activity>

Operational>

I found 852 errors in the span of 1 month! I'm not sure if this is normal though. 

The most recent sevices I found that were causing errors by referring to the error's ClientProcessId was HP Software Framework Service. Would the errors cause WMI Provider Host to use so much cpu and would it be okay to disable some of these services? 

-kem579

[Dvortex]

Hello, @EddyK

Thanks for the reply!

To diagnose and resolve this issue, try the following methods.

Method 1: Run the System File Checker tool (SFC.exe)

System File Checker is a utility in Windows that allows users to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore corrupted files. It will scan your system files and to repair missing or corrupted system files in Windows. To run the SFC scan, refer to the Microsoft article below.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

Method 2:

Let’s place your computer in clean boot state and check if the issue appears in in clean boot state as well.

Clean boot is a process of starting your computer by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your computer performance.

Please refer the Microsoft article below to get more information on this.

How to perform a clean boot in Windows: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Let me know if that works!

Good luck 🙂

Please click "Accepted as Solution" on the post that solves your issue to help others find the solution. To show appreciation for my help, please click the "Thumbs Up Icon" below!

[EddyK]

Thanks, I tried the System File Checker but didn't find any corrupted files. I haven't tried Method 2 yet.

However, I concluded that the loud fans may have been the result of HP Cool Control. I downloaded HP Cool Control when I first got the laptop and turned it on ever since. Upon turning it off for the first time, the RPM/noise level of the fans significantly dropped. However, I did notice that the system defaults for cooling did not make the fans spin a lot even under somewhat high CPU temperatures around 60 degrees Celsius.

I might as well just monitor my laptop and turn on HP Cool Control only when necessary. 

Thank you Dvortex

-kem579

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @EddyK, I am the MrRobot. It looks like you were interacting with @Dvortex, but he is out of the office today so I'll take over from here.

Kudos to you for trying out the steps.

As you mentioned the issue still persists after trying out the steps.

Please try updating HP Cool Control Technology to the latest version and check if it helps.

Link to update HP cool control technology.

If the issue still persists, try running system diagnostics on your PC and let me know the results.

Refer this article to know how to run system diagnostics.

I'll watch your reply!

Have a great day ahead! 🙂

[EddyK · Accepted solution]

Hi MrRobot, I have in fact updated HP Cool Control to the most recent version. Doesn't seem to be a difference.

I haven't tried running system diagnostics yet though.

I think that the loud fans are just an unfortunate consequence of having a laptop with really thin profile so I may as well just bear with it. 

-kem579