GL502VT fan nightmare

[Venumz]

Hello everybody,
I own a GL502VT model, and what a nightmare, the cooling fan goes crazy many times even though the CPU is below 42 C.
No matter the OS, both linux and windows behave the same.

Under linux, the operating system I work with, I can't use the nvidia graphic card unless I wanted everybody around me complaining all the time.
Using the intel graphics make things better, but not much.

I have updated my bios to the last available one but this has changed nothing, I tried everything (I mean everything) to solve the issue without success.
Indeed I wasted so much time trying to figure out how to solve my problem, I'm so disappointed and I do not know what else to do.
In conclusion, I have spent very good money in a laptop that I actually despise deeply.

I need help, but please don't make me waste my time asking for feedback about my operating system, logs or anything like that. The software I have installed is not the issue, the firmware is, so please produce a bios update with a solution for this nightmare I'm typing in.

I have also a question for you, how come the bios settings are so limited in a laptop that is supposed to be used by gamers?

Well, I suppose this post is going to be a waste of my time, but just in case....

Regards

[Zs0l1]

I have a GL502VM and i have the same issue from time to time, not sure what combination of things makes it trigger but, resetting the bios seems to fix it for a longer period of time. And this method isn't even complicated or dangerous.

[msymeonides]

I have a GL502VS with this same recurring/unpredictable 100% fan issue. The solution I have found (which is really not convenient at all):

- Install NoteBook FanControl (NBFC)
- Load up the Asus ROG GL702ZC configuration
- Leave NBFC on Read Only mode but move both fan speed sliders down to zero

If your fan starts running at 100% for no reason, switch NBFC to Enable and it will temporarily turn the fan off completely since you set it to zero. What you want now is to let the temperatures rise up to where 100% fan speed would be justified, this will "reset" the alignment of the temps and fan speed. However, with NBFC set to zero and the motherboard seemingly wanting the fan always on 100%, it will then do this annoying thing of trying to circumvent NBFC and start back up, so you will hear it come on for a second or two at 100% and then go back off completely. This is very annoying. So you can try to speed up the process of getting to a higher temp by running a light benchmark or something, or just open up youtube and play a video at max resolution for a while.

Once NBFC says that you have hit 65-70C, switch it back to Read Only. The fan will then start going full blast. At this point, shut down your laptop completely, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on, and don't re-enable NBFC. What you have done is shut down the laptop while it is in a state where the temp and fan speed are appropriate for each other, and this seems to reset things. It should now function normally for a few days before screwing up again and you have to repeat this stupid process.

Good luck! I'm never buying an ASUS laptop again.

[haihane]

(makes a mental revision: you're not a bad dude after all)
i issue my apology to you for jumping the gun based on your initial post.

i feel obligated to help, but don't know how yet. i'll keep a lookout for you on other threads i read for a possible fix.

[Venumz]

Thanks haihane!

[Eleiyas]

Like I said previously,

I don't think the BIOS or anything is the problem here - simply because this is the first I've heard of this model of unit having such a bizarre fan issue. If it was a BIOS issue, then it can only be user-induced, because otherwise everyone would have this issue.

I honestly believe you have a faulty temperature sensor or fan controller on your mainboard.


However, I am still glad you found a work-around, which will hopefully work-out for you.

P.S: I'd still recommend RMA''ing the laptop if and when you can.

[Venumz]

Eleiyas@ASUS wrote:
Like I said previously,

I don't think the BIOS or anything is the problem here - simply because this is the first I've heard of this model of unit having such a bizarre fan issue. If it was a BIOS issue, then it can only be user-induced, because otherwise everyone would have this issue.

I honestly believe you have a faulty temperature sensor or fan controller on your mainboard.


However, I am still glad you found a work-around, which will hopefully work-out for you.

P.S: I'd still recommend RMA''ing the laptop if and when you can.

Yeah, it is possible that there's something faulty with my laptop, but RMA is not something I can even consider.
The workaround is good enough for me because I use windows just to play games and I don't mind the noise in that case (any laptop is going to have the fan at max speed while playing games) and Linux is working well at the moment so I am able to do my job without disturbing others as well.

Thanks!

[Venumz]

Hi again,
I have found a thread with very good information related to this issue:
https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/bbswitch/issues/134

I'm not alone with my problem as I have found many people that have similar issues, many of them even posted in the Asus forums, you can check it out just by searching "asus fan loudness" on google.

Out of the box and using linux, in some models of Asus the loudness of the fan is likely to happen. You can solve the issue, but is not easy to find how, and you can do it without RMA your laptop. So this is something that can be bypassed using software.

I really hope that the information provided by the link above is going to help addressing the problem for future versions of the bios/hardware, etc.

[Venumz]

It seems that nobody gives a crap about the issue since I haven't got any answers to my last reply and the bios hasn't been updated since a long long time ago.

This issue with the fans is kind of random and when you figure that the issue is solved, it starts happening again.
Recently I had lost any hope and I decided that the issue was going to be fixed no matter the cost, I didn't care anymore if the computer bricks since by now I hate it so much that breaking the laptop has become an acceptable solution for me.

This is what I have tried:

- unlock the bios to show all the hidden options and change the thermal settings, but there wasn't a single combination that actually could solve the issue
- remove the Intel management engine using me_cleaner and an external programmer. I downloaded the firmware and after applying me_cleaner, I flashed the modified firmware into the chip. Even though the system started and I could boot both windows and linux, the system became unstable, so I flashed againg the original firmware. To my surprise, since I did this, a week have passed and I haven't got anymore issues with the fans.

So after trying everything I could find in the Internet for several months, the only thing that have worked is reflashing the ME firmware. This sound very suspicious to me, like there was some settings cached that do not work anymore after reflashing the chip (were you mining bitcoins with my laptop guys?)

3 of my last 4 laptops have been asus, my wife's laptop is Asus and the motherboard of one of the computers in my home is Asus so I've been a loyal and happy customer since many years ago, but I'm feed up. No solution but to RMA the computer has been given to me and frankly RMA is NOT a solution, it could take almost 1.5 months if you are lucky...

Good bye forever Asus.

[Nospheratus]

I have the same issue.

I have updated all drivers and the BIOS to the latest available version.

I have this laptop for a year now but this issue only started happening recently (1 month or so) and for that reason it seems unlikely to be a hardward problem - at least it wasn't.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


EDIT:
Right after I wrote this reply I went back to the Asus drivers page and checked if there was something I missed before. I updated one last driver "Intel INF Driver" and that seems to have solved it... At least it's quiet at the moment...

[Venumz]

Nospheratus wrote:
I have the same issue.

I have updated all drivers and the BIOS to the latest available version.

I have this laptop for a year now but this issue only started happening recently (1 month or so) and for that reason it seems unlikely to be a hardward problem - at least it wasn't.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


EDIT:
Right after I wrote this reply I went back to the Asus drivers page and checked if there was something I missed before. I updated one last driver "Intel INF Driver" and that seems to have solved it... At least it's quiet at the moment...

I hope this would solve the problem for you. In my case it is not dependent of the operating system and I use much more Linux than Windows so a windows driver is not a solution for me. A new firmware to remove the Intel management engine backdoor is the real solution for me, but in the mean time I will flash back the IME chip as soon as it happen again.