Fan always on Acer Chromebook Spin 713 2021 i5 (CP713-3W)

markocsan

I have the new Acer Chromebook Spin 713 2021 i5 (CP713-3W) model and the fan is always on.

Even when CPU is hovering below 5%.

Very light load on the machine - browsing web, watching a couple of Youtube videos.

Also has this unusual behaviour where the fan will spin up to full speed in a very short burst over a second or so and then the fan turns off only to turn on again after a minute.

I have checked the behaviour in Guest Mode too and same behaviour occurs.

Is this normal? Thinking of returning it. Any other Spin 713 owners seen this behaviour?

​//Edited the content to add model name.   ​

quadpixels

(Update: add images)

I have a CP713-2W (the 2020 model with Core i5-10210U) and a CP713-3W (the 2021 model with Core i5-1135G7) side-by-side, with the exact same set of programs installed and registered to my work environment.

A close-up screenshot of Cog showing CPU usage and temperature measurements on idle:

The fan on the 2020 model BARELY turns on.

The fan on the 2021 model is ALWAYS on.

Due to the fan noise the user experience on the 2020 model is way better than that on the 2021 model!

From the screenshot above we can see the fan, or the temperature curves encoded in the embedded controller on the 2021 model appears to be trying to cool the laptop to a lower temperature than the temperature on the 2020 model. The temperature on the 2021 model is a few degrees Celsius lower, due to the fan always running.

My question is: it should be okay and most people may find it desirable to keep the fan off during most of the time, at the cost of a temperature a few centigrade higher on the 2021 model (so its temperature may be in the same ballpark as the 2020 model). The benefits of a mostly-silent fan is worth the cost of a few centigrades. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks!

Chris_35

My 713 same model as you does not have the fan always on but it doe the one second burt thinf you describe.
I saw a youtube video where the reviewer said it did the same to his, so i assume normal behaviour 

markocsan

I have returned the original machine and been provided a brand new replacement.  Same exact issue as the first machine.  CPU usage below 5% and fans constantly on when machine reaches c30 degrees.

Powerwashed and also hard reset and no improvement.  

This is clearly an issue with firmware for the machine and Acer needs to provide an update asap.

Weerpo

I have the same issue, my device also suffers some slowing down with general use. I think that is a problem with OS optimisation, so maybe it is also Google's fault. 

markocsan

Still experiencing the same issues for me.  Even removed the Play store and it seemed to resolve it for a while but then back to the same behaviour as before.

Weerpo

My suggestion is to enable "Help improve Chrome OS feature and performance" in Settings => Security and privacy and to use the "Feedback" feature (keep pressing on the power button and then click on "Feedback" and, in addition to the comment, enable: "Send system and app information, and metrics") when the laptop is slowing down and/or fans go spinning.

Btw Google suggests running a CPU test and to contact the manufacturer if trouble is still present: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/6309225?hl=en#zippy=,chromebook-is-slow. My test didn't show any problem so my CPU seems perfectly fine but I have to contact Acer service anyway.

dirkh

With my cp713-3w, the fan runs all the time. It can't be that such a modern device gets hot so quickly. To the others It affects the 3w not the 2w.

billsey

It's normal for the fan to run all the time, as it works to keep the temperature at an optimum level. Does it get really noisy, as in running at full speed? What temperatures are you seeing under heavy use and at idle?

dirkh

billsey said:

It's normal for the fan to run all the time, as it works to keep the temperature at an optimum level. Does it get really noisy, as in running at full speed? What temperatures are you seeing under heavy use and at idle?

The CPU usage is at 5-10 percent and the fan comes on after about 2 minutes at about 30 degrees. Very quiet yes but all the time. In addition, the fan sometimes goes to 100 percent for a short time. A few seconds. This is also in test reports and therefore everything is standard with the 3w. I'm wondering if there isn't a setting other than letting the fan run all the time when Chrome OS requires so little.

billsey

Not really, the fan is controlled  y the firmware to keep temperature optimal. It uses a fuzzy logic lookup table though, so the increments can be jarring.

quadpixels

I have a CP713-3W (the 2021 model with Core i5-1135G7) and a CP713-2W (the 2020 model with Core i5-10200U) side-by-side, with the exact same set of programs installed (around 40 Chrome tabs open and a Chrome Remote Desktop window always on.)

The fan on the 2020 model BARELY turns on.

The fan on the 2021 model is ALWAYS on.

Due to the fan noise the user experience on the 2020 model is way better than that on the 2021 model! I guess there must be a fix. Is the fan policy on the 2021 model too aggressive? It tries to keep the CPU temperature under 40C which I think is way too low? It should be okay to have the CPU temperature go to 50 or 60C with the fan turned off to deliver a more quiet user experience. Unless the 11th-gen processor has some special requirements or problems that couldn't be overcome?

quadpixels

(Update: add images)

I have a CP713-2W (the 2020 model with Core i5-10210U) and a CP713-3W (the 2021 model with Core i5-1135G7) side-by-side, with the exact same set of programs installed and registered to my work environment.

A close-up screenshot of Cog showing CPU usage and temperature measurements on idle:

The fan on the 2020 model BARELY turns on.

The fan on the 2021 model is ALWAYS on.

Due to the fan noise the user experience on the 2020 model is way better than that on the 2021 model!

From the screenshot above we can see the fan, or the temperature curves encoded in the embedded controller on the 2021 model appears to be trying to cool the laptop to a lower temperature than the temperature on the 2020 model. The temperature on the 2021 model is a few degrees Celsius lower, due to the fan always running.

My question is: it should be okay and most people may find it desirable to keep the fan off during most of the time, at the cost of a temperature a few centigrade higher on the 2021 model (so its temperature may be in the same ballpark as the 2020 model). The benefits of a mostly-silent fan is worth the cost of a few centigrades. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks!

markocsan

Finally Quadpixels solved this question for me!!!! I raised this question and after 3 units of the 3W model I gave up and got my money back. It's awful CPU management on the 3W and Quadpixels clearly shows that. And even after nearly a year Acer still have done nothing about it. 

billsey

I was under the impression that since Chromebooks don't have a BIOS interface per se that the fan control was handled by the OS. If that's the case it's Google who chooses the fan curve for each model. Maybe the 11th gen specs are tighter from Intel and that's why they are working it harder?

carlg009

I also have the Spin (CP713-3W), since 3-5-22. I have noticed the fan running often (at low speed), even with temps ranging from 28 to 32. Today (3-13), I noticed for the first time, a short burst at high speed. 

carlg009

Follow up. My other Chromebook, also an Acer (CP5-471), fan does not run nearly as much (turn on mid 40s, turn off mid 30s). Had a PC laptop where it kept shutting down. Turns out that dust had accumulated in the cooling area. This is what happens over time when the fan runs a lot, unless measures are taken to filter the dust. I can still return this one, something I am considering. I do like the display and its speed.

billsey

Since the CP5-471 is a 6th gen Intel chipset and the CP713-3W is an 11th gen, there should be no correlation between the two as to a fan speed table.

carlg009

Yes, different. But the same ultimate spec: Turn fan on when too warm, turn off when cool enough. By this measure, it seems the CP5-471 (or even CP713-2W - above) are more heat tolerant. I took some CPU readings using the COG app.
Started computer, let sit idle for 15 minutes. CPU readings top down:  26-31-30-34-30-29.  Fan off.
  1) Did some document work, no videos. After several minutes, fan came on:  30-30-30-33-29-29
  2) Let sit idle for several minutes:  28-28-29-31-29-27.  Fan still on
  3) 5 more minutes idle:  28-28-29-31-28-28.  Fan turned off
  4) With fan off, moved mouse pointer on COG screen until fan came on (less than 1 minute). 28-34-32-35-31-30
With high fan usage, dust accumulation I noted is a concern.

billsey

Usually they do more than just use off/on. They set fan speed as well, ramping it up as temperatures rise. Your numbers look really good. My laptop runs in the 40-60C range with normal use and up into the 80s when playing games.

carlg009

The numbers do look good; cool is good. But the on/off points seem too low for what I'm doing. Typing/scrolling on a Google document should not turn on the fan. I understand if watching a video. I've read the Spin 514-2H is a fanless design. I don't see how that is possible when the desired temperature (fan off) is 30 or less for the 713-3W. 30C (86F) is not that much above ambient. Here are some specs:
   CP713-2W (i3 Gen 10) is 2.10GHz @15W
   CP713-3W (i5 Gen 11) is 2.40GHz @28W.
   CP514-2H (i5 Gen 11) is 1.80GHz @15W.
So, why run the 713-3W only at 28W? 

jasesun

I have the i5 713-2W model. My fan turns on based on processor temps. If its above 105 F the fan goes on real low. If it just above 115 F its goes to a low-medium, above 125 its more medium, and above 145-150 is high and loud. 
My problem is the play store. As soon as I open a single android app it begins stressing the processor my temps go to 160 F. If no apps are open I can have 5 youtube videos playing at 4k 60 fps and it won't go over 110 degrees. I can open linux on it and run firefox and a couple youtube videos on that and there is no problem. But as soon as a single Android app is opened its 100% processing power and fan kicks on into turbo mode. 
The 713 has a problem with working with android. And honestly it worked fine with android apps in the beginning. If I had to guess it starting having an issue when android 11 became the standard on this model. Around Chrome OS95.  I can't say for sure but I believe its that. If I'm remembering right it worked fine when it was Android 9.  Also there are apps that don't work as well now that its Android 11. 
Lastly this issue which has been happening over a year has really done a job on my battery health. I have something like 500 discharges now due to the play store pushing the processor and fan so hard. I think this is a Acer problem more than a google issue