Swift X SFX16-51G very loud idle on Linux

guk · April 2023

Hi,

i have a problem with SFX16-51G. It is loud on idle.

My temperatures are lower than on Windows and yet it is noisier on Linux.

The operation of the laptop as at idle is very noisy.
I suppose the fans are running at about 40%.

Here's the CPU temps:

[beaver@fedora ~]$ sensors
coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0: +35.0°C (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 0: +31.0°C (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 1: +35.0°C (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 2: +29.0°C (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 3: +33.0°C (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)

And GPU temps:

As you can see, temperatures are super low.

I suspect that it is the fault of the firmware of this laptop. On windows this laptop is quiet only after installing Acer Quick Access software. Unfortunately on Linux there is no such thing. I change power profile to "Power Saver" and nothing changed.

I am using the newest Fedora with 6.2.10-300 kernel and 530.41.03 nvidia driver. For me it's not the case - the behavior of these fans is sewn into the firmware, bios and operating system will not change anything here. I know that laptop uses ENE_KB9052Q embedded controler. Could anyone tell me which register value is responsible for controlling the fans and which is responsible for reading the speed of the fans? It would help to create a configuration for the fan speed management program (NBFC: https://github.com/hirschmann/nbfc/wiki/How-to-create-a-NBFC-config).

JackE · April 2023

»»Could anyone tell me which register value is responsible for controlling the fans and which is responsible for reading the speed of the fans?»»

Sorry, probably not. The proprietary AcerQuickAcccess app does indeed sometimes access advanced BIOS options that are usually unavailable to—-or able to be unhidden by —-the user. Unfortunately, laptop power management in general is still a weak point for Linux.relative to the Windows environment. You might be able to get better guidance on this by making a request on the bios mods forums since Acer usually only specifies user-controlled firmware features to the 3rd parties like Insyde or AMI who actually do the coding. Most if not all of us folks on these users forums have no access to this coding since we're not Acer employees, customer service reps or tech contractors.

guk · April 2023

In fact, power profile management does not work natively in Windows either. Changing the profile does nothing. Only installing the proprietary QuickAccess application changes this. I've never dealt with a worse laptop. To not be able to use the black screen and console in silence is a scandal - 0/10.

JackE · April 2023

In fact, power profile management does not work natively in Windows
either. Changing the profile does nothing. Only installing the
proprietary QuickAccess application changes this.

Heh-heh. But access to low level hardware control outside the operating system environment is only possible with proprietary bridges (eg. QuickAccess, CareCenter, NitroSense, PredatorSense, etc) from the native Windows environment, not native Linux environment nor with its WINE overlay. So my recommendation still holds. You should make a request on the bios mods forums