With the advent of laptops, people now have the freedom to work anywhere they want. They made it easier for people to work on the go and meet their deadlines. However, besides all the benefits of laptops, they can still prove to be quite detrimental if your important data is lost at the hands of an overheated processor.
Now you must be thinking that’s why laptops come with a cooling fan to prevent the system from overheating when used for an extended period. The overheating issue will not impact your CPU performance, but it will also lower the lifespan of your laptop. However, it’s not necessary that fans do their best job at all times.
To cope with the overheating issue, you will need to increase the fan speed on the laptop. By doing so, you will have control over your CPU temperature. Not sure how to begin doing that? Scroll down to find everything you need to know about increasing the fan speed on your laptop.
What type of fan does your laptop have?
Before you start tweaking your laptop’s fan or installing third-party fan controller software, you need to check the type of fan your laptop has. Once you know the type of your laptop’s fan, it will be easy for you to determine the method for increasing the laptop’s fan speed.
Therefore, to check what fan your laptop has, open the right panel and see how the fans are powered. The fan speed can be controlled manually only if they are directly connected to the motherboard. However, in the case of their connectivity with the power supply, it is not possible to manually adjust their speed.
Here are the common types of laptop fan connectors:
- Molex fan connectors: They are connected to the power supply unit. Therefore, they cannot be manually controlled. However, with the help of a resistor cable, you can change the fan speed.
- 3-Pin DC fan connectors: These types of fan connectors are connected to the motherboard, making it possible for you to alter the fan speed by limiting the voltage through BIOS.
- 4-Pin PWM fan connectors: They can be controlled only through third-party fan controller software.
How to increase your laptop fan speed in windows 10?
To increase your laptop fan speed on Windows 10, you can choose any of the below-mentioned methods depending on the type of fan connector your laptop has.
Method #1: Adjust fan speed through the control panel
Since its launch, Windows 10 has been making quite a buzz on the Internet due to its easy-to-use interface, compatibility with various software and systems, and built-in fan control feature. Yes! You heard it right. Using Windows 10 built-in fan control feature, you can change your laptop’s fan speed in no time.
Step-by-step guide
- Open the control panel on your laptop. Click on Hardware and Sound and then select Power Options.
- Choose Change Plan Settings and then click on the Change Advanced Power Settings for the Power Options dialogue box to appear.
- Go to the Advanced Settings Tab and click on the Processor Power Management. This option will appear only when you click on the plus symbol nearby.
- Choose System Cooling Policy from the menu and click the down arrow for a drop-down menu to appear.
- Select Active from the drop-down menu to increase the fan speed of your laptop.
- Click on the Apply and then OK.
Method #2: Change your laptop’s fan speed using BIOS
Another method to change the fan speed on your laptop is using the thermals options in the BIOS menu. Usually, these fan settings options are found on heavy-duty gaming laptops. However, most laptops intended for personal and professional use also have these settings options.
Therefore, open the manufacturer’s website to check whether your laptop has fan settings or not. If yes, you will have to dive into the BIOS to increase the fan speed on your laptop. Not sure how to do that? Here are a few simple steps to enter into the BIOS:
- Restart your laptop and when the black screen appears, press the Delete and F12 keys together.
OR
- Press Windows + I to open Settings. Then select these options in the following sequence: Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart Now > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Fireware Settings > Click Restart.
Step-by-step Guide
- Once you have entered the BIOS, use the arrow keys to find the Fan Speed Control options.
- Click on Monitor and then go to Status and select Fan Speed Control.
- You will find the RPM settings there. Select the fan to increase its speed to your desired limit i-e 400 RPM or 500 RPM, and press Enter.
- Press Esc repeatedly until you find the Exit menu.
- Click on Save Changes & Reset option to confirm the fan speed changes. After that, your laptop will automatically restart.
Note: The keys and the options may be different depending on the laptop model type and manufacturer.
Method #3: Change your laptop’s fan speed through third-party apps
To increase the fan speed of your laptop, you can utilize the services of various third-party apps. Some of the popular fan controller apps are SpeedFan, EasyTune, Argus Monitor, and HWMonitor. You can install any of these third-party fan controller apps on your laptop, and it will give you the freedom to increase your laptop’s fan speed to high RPM.
It is a perfect choice for those who want to increase their laptops’ fan speed without tweaking any fan settings in the control panel or BIOS.
Does increased fan speed damage the fan?
Many people believe that increasing the speed will damage the fan. However, it is not true at all. The cooling system of a laptop is designed to operate at a wide range of speeds. Therefore, increasing the fan speed will not damage the fan.
However, running the fan at its highest speed all the time can shorten its lifespan. Therefore, it is recommended to use the high fan speeds only when your laptop is more likely to overheat, such as gaming, overclocking or when the temperature of the surroundings is high.
Will the noise increase with the increase in fan speed?
Many people don’t increase their laptop’s fan speed because they cannot bear the noise that comes along with speed. However, we have a quick solution to this problem – passive mode.
When adjusting fan speed on your laptop through the control panel, select Passive instead of Active in the last few steps. The passive mode will slow down the processor before increasing the fan speed. Therefore, the fan will run at the highest setting without making much noise.
