PT315-53 Can I get better control over the fans ?

dd4005

With my Predator Triton the fans are not all that loud compared to other laptops but I'd still like to have more control. The PredatorSense application offers some control, but it's more biased to making them run faster rather than slower. There's a Custom option in the fan control section but you aren't allowed to set the fan speed lower than whatever they're currently running at - you can only go higher. Having it set to Auto[matic] or running in Quiet mode they still run faster than they need to. The PS app is showing the CPU temp as in the mid 40s Celsius. I've had machines that were regularly in the 60-70 range generally and peaked in the high 90s.

I'd rather be able to tell the PS application that I'm happy for my CPU to run in the 50 degree range if I get the benefit of the fans running more quietly.

Has anyone uncovered a way to get the PS application to let you have the control it seems to imply it offers but doesn't deliver on? Or perhaps I uninstall it and install something better.

(Thread was edited to add model name to the title)

JackE

Do you  have the latest sense app installed from this link.? Just enter your full model  number, such as PT515-52.

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers

dd4005

JackE said:

Do you  have the latest sense app installed from this link.? Just enter your full model  number, such as PT515-52.

Thanks for responding. Mine's a PT315-53 that I bought in February with Windows 11 pre-installed. That link shows that the newest version was October 2021 and I know that they didn't start offering Windows 11 until late January/early February so it seems unlikely that I've got an older version of Sense. It's possible, but unlikely. I tried to find out the Sense version but it doesn't seem to have a Help->About section (or anything similar) where it would show what version it is. Although ... I just looked in the Program Files folder for it and most of the files are either April or July - nothing newer than that. I'll try over-installing. Actually, just downloaded it and it says Win10x64 on it. I know that it's 99.9% likely to be the same code but I think I'll await further feedback before I take that step.

AnhEZ28

@dd4005 you can only increase the fan speed but cannot reduce it because this can cause the laptop to overheat and might even damage the CPU or GPU.

dd4005

AnhEZ28 said:

@dd4005 you can only increase the fan speed but cannot reduce it because this can cause the laptop to overheat and might even damage the CPU or GPU.

Yeah, I don't want to make it run really hot - just a bit warmer than it currently is. As I mentioned in the original post, I've had machines peak at like 99°C and average 60-70°C so this one using so much fan power to keep it at around 42°C seems a bit too much. I'd like to alter the temp-vs-fanspeed map or change some thresholds a bit. If I can have it running at 50°C and get the fans running 25% slower I'd be happy with that.

Are the fans open to being controlled by other applications or is exclusive to the Sense app?

JackE

Yes, possibly the BIOS firmware. It may or may not be a hidden option which can be revealed by pressing Ctrl+S in each tab. If no hidden option are found, then it probably can only be adjusted by an undocumented firmware mod

dd4005

JackE said:

Yes, possibly the BIOS firmware. It may or may not be a hidden option which can be revealed by pressing Ctrl+S in each tab. If no hidden option are found, then it probably can only be adjusted by an undocumented firmware mod

I don't recall seeing a traditional bios boot screen - you wouldn't know what the key to enter it is do you? It's typically like F2 or F10 or DEL. I imagine with the laptop keyboard I might have to hold down the Fn key also. I won't get to try it until tomorrow though.

JackE

Turn the laptop on and immediately start tapping the F2 key to enter the BIOS menu. The option would likely appear in either the MAIN or ADVANCED tabs. Any hidden options would be revealed by pressing Ctrl+S in each tab.

dd4005

JackE said:

Turn the laptop on and immediately start tapping the F2 key to enter the BIOS menu. The option would likely appear in either the MAIN or ADVANCED tabs. Any hidden options would be revealed by pressing Ctrl+S in each tab.

No hidden options with Ctrl-S I could find 
I've tried the Speedfan app but it never was allowed to control the fans. Perhaps because Predator Sense was locking out access. I'mma try some others and see if Sense has some resource files with maps in them that can be tweaked. #Hackmode

JackE

>>> see if Sense has some resource files with maps in them that can be tweaked. #Hackmode>>>

Might be. Good luck. Any firmware mods that result from changes made outside of the BIOS menu is risky.