FanNoise
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Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans
Can't say we noticed an extraordinary amount of blowing from our XPS 13 Ultrabook review unit, but for those with an optioned Core i7 model, you may want to give the source link a look. Down there, you'll find a download link to the A03 BIOS update, which delivers "an updated thermal table which dictates fan speeds and trigger temperatures." Evidently, these machines have a tendency to kick the fans into high gear prematurely (it's okay Dell, we all get excited sometimes), but thankfully, a 4MB package is all that's required to remedy it. 'Preciate it, technology.
Lenovo S10 and S10e fan noise gets user fix, involves minor surgery
It's admittedly been a while since we heard about some Lenovo S10 users' issues with heat dissipation and increasingly aggressive fan noise. Two years on, and one frustrated owner has taken it upon themselves to get inside the netbook and solve the issue. The result? The removal of a metallic-looking dust filter from within the left side vent, which is apparently enough to pacify the fan on this particular machine. We'd temper this solution with a warning: that cover was there for a reason, presumably a dust-related one. But, if a quieter machine is worth the price of a new netbook in the (not-so) long-run, it may be worth a try. [Thanks Redcode sic]
Lenovo S10 users complaining of endless fan noise
Lenovo's S10 netbook has always had a reputation for being a bit warm to the touch, but it sounds like the little lappy has some more serious issues with heat -- the official Lenovo support forums are flooded with users complaining that the fan endlessly spins up and down. Making matters worse, Lenovo apparently hasn't acknowledged the problem, and some customers report that S10s sent in for repair return in exactly the same condition. That doesn't sound totally awesome -- anyone else having this problem?[Thanks, Denis]
Console showdown: which produces the most noise?
As with some other recent reports concerning the trio of new consoles, we're not asserting that this decibel test is entirely accurate, as the methodology was far from scientific, but the results were interesting -- and a bit unexpected -- to say the least. While users have long since complained that the Xbox 360 kicked out an unusual amount of fan noise courtesy of the overheating problems it's been plagued with, one lucky owner of all three consoles found that Microsoft's unit actually wasn't the biggest racket-maker in the bunch, all things considered. By utilizing a standard handheld decibel meter, he measured the ambient sound output of the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 just after start-up, playing games sans an optical disc, and during disc playback to judge which console is noisiest overall. While results were noticeably mixed, it was concluded that the Xbox 360, on average, was actually the quietest of the bunch, and while the PS3 remained fairly calm initially, an extended period of play threw its fans (and consequently, the noise factor) into overdrive. Interestingly, Nintendo's Wii kept nearly silent during bootup, but after playing a few rounds of Wii Sports, it actually became the loudest of the three, clocking in at 70dB, or nearly 8dB higher than the nearest competitor. Granted, most folks won't notice the background whir when the 5.1s are thumpin' and folks are getting rowdy on the last lap of Excite Truck, but c'mon, this is the stuff we geeks are made to scrutinize, so be sure and hit the read link to make of it all what you will.[Thanks, Alex]
Maxtor's Shared Storage Plus NAS device reviewed
Reg Hardware seems to agree with our own astute pundit Ross Rubin that Maxtor's Shared Storage Plus Network Attached Storage device is a winner as a solid backup solution while doing double-duty as a capacious media server. Testing the 500GB version of the SSP, El Reg found the device easy to setup and share among several users, with software that provides a simple way to set up incremental backups, network printing, or media streaming to compatible uPnP devices. There do seem to be a few downsides here, most notably the irritating fan whine and skimpy one year warranty, and less importantly, the fact that it tags the icons of folders selected for backup with a little tick mark. If tick marks and fan noise don't bother you, though, the $465-as-tested SSP sounds like a pretty good way to backup data for small offices and homes with multiple computers, while giving you a little extra functionality to boot
