AK3 ECupgrade tools：https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
EC is similar to BIOS and is an abbreviation of Embedded Controller. It is a relatively advanced power management chip of the machine. It mainly controls the fan speed of the machine, keyboard backlight, I/O devices and some switches. The fan can be improved by updating the EC firmware. Speed repair hardware work BUG and implement some new functions and so on.
The fan sounds loud
Re: The fan sounds loud
The fan in my AK1 started making a whining noise and finally died. I'm able to boot, but system is running 80-90C. Heavy use causes it to crash. From reading this thread, looks like it would be hard to replace the fan. Do I have any options other than a new PC? It's been just over a year since my purchase.
Re: The fan sounds loud
Hello,
I have an AK2 and the fan is almost constantly running (and it is noisy indeed).
I've updated the BIOS/EC as described, but it didn't make any difference.
Is there a different update for the AK2?
I have an AK2 and the fan is almost constantly running (and it is noisy indeed).
I've updated the BIOS/EC as described, but it didn't make any difference.
Is there a different update for the AK2?
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admin
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Re: The fan sounds loud
Please take a video and let me analyze whether the sound is normal.
Thanks for joining the forum fans, we will become friends here. Any suggestions about the forum I am open to hearing.
Re: The fan sounds loud
Like many other users, I find that the fan is very noisy.
Most of the time everything is fine, you can't hear the fan unless you are right next to it.
And suddenly for no apparent reason (no CPU overload) the fan runs at full speed for a few seconds, then stops for a few seconds, then restarts, then stops again, and this several times in a row, randomly.
Does it make as much noise as a plane taking off? No.
Is it annoying when the PC is always on and we (try to) sleep in the same room? Yes, it is, it's quite loud in a quiet environment, you really notice it.
You (admin) keep saying that everything is normal but the full speed / low speed "loops" for no reason is strange (it happens even when nothing is running except basic OS processes).
The threshold you set for switching fan speed must be unnecessarily low.
Otherwise the PC is OK but that fan thing is ruining my feeling about the product.
I am thinking of giving it to someone else and buy another Mini PC for my Media Center.
I have just applied the recommended update for the AK1 and the fan "issue" is still there.
I don't get what that update is supposed to do. Does it install and extra tool to control fan settings ? If so how to run it ?
It doesn't seem to change anything in the BIOS (which has very few features, as said by others, where do we enable WOL for example ?).
Most of the time everything is fine, you can't hear the fan unless you are right next to it.
And suddenly for no apparent reason (no CPU overload) the fan runs at full speed for a few seconds, then stops for a few seconds, then restarts, then stops again, and this several times in a row, randomly.
Does it make as much noise as a plane taking off? No.
Is it annoying when the PC is always on and we (try to) sleep in the same room? Yes, it is, it's quite loud in a quiet environment, you really notice it.
You (admin) keep saying that everything is normal but the full speed / low speed "loops" for no reason is strange (it happens even when nothing is running except basic OS processes).
The threshold you set for switching fan speed must be unnecessarily low.
Otherwise the PC is OK but that fan thing is ruining my feeling about the product.
I am thinking of giving it to someone else and buy another Mini PC for my Media Center.
I have just applied the recommended update for the AK1 and the fan "issue" is still there.
I don't get what that update is supposed to do. Does it install and extra tool to control fan settings ? If so how to run it ?
It doesn't seem to change anything in the BIOS (which has very few features, as said by others, where do we enable WOL for example ?).
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admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2030
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Re: The fan sounds loud
The update software cannot control the fan. Everyone has different definitions of noise. You can shoot a video separately and send it to my mailbox. I will first give you the AK1 control fan file.
AK1 EC upgrade: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
AK1 EC upgrade: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
Thanks for joining the forum fans, we will become friends here. Any suggestions about the forum I am open to hearing.
Re: The fan sounds loud
Like I said, I already applied the EC upgrade in your link.
I saw the blue screen and all went well but there wasn't any improvement about the fan speed after.
What exactly is the "AK1 control fan file" you mention ? Is it one specific file in the link ? If so, which one and how do we use it ?
It's not very clear.
You say that there are different definitions of noise. For me it's simple, noise is the opposite of silence, so there is just one definition.
The thing that can differ is the level of noise.
The AK1 is quite quiet most of the time, the level of noise is barely noticeable and it is OK.
The complains people have are about the fan suddenly running at full speed without any good reason (the CPU isn't particularly busy when that happens) very regularly.
And when at full speed, yes, the level of noise is very high for a PC, you can hear it very very clearly (and yet like I said sometimes the AK1 isn't running anything besides basic OS processes).
It's like there are just two possible speeds for the fan, low or high, and nothing between, and the threshold to switch between them is set at a low temperature.
I bought the product on Amazon and I am considering posting a rating to warn others about the fan.
It's not a big problem during the daytime but at night if you live in a small room and you want to keep the PC on, it becomes a real issue.
I know it's your job to minimize the problem and say to people that they are just too sensitive and that the level of noise is perfectly normal but it's not.
I saw complains about the fan noise on other websites while searching for a solution so it's not just in my head.
I hope your company is thinking about doing something about this because it's the only real defect of the product and it's too bad.
I saw the blue screen and all went well but there wasn't any improvement about the fan speed after.
What exactly is the "AK1 control fan file" you mention ? Is it one specific file in the link ? If so, which one and how do we use it ?
It's not very clear.
You say that there are different definitions of noise. For me it's simple, noise is the opposite of silence, so there is just one definition.
The thing that can differ is the level of noise.
The AK1 is quite quiet most of the time, the level of noise is barely noticeable and it is OK.
The complains people have are about the fan suddenly running at full speed without any good reason (the CPU isn't particularly busy when that happens) very regularly.
And when at full speed, yes, the level of noise is very high for a PC, you can hear it very very clearly (and yet like I said sometimes the AK1 isn't running anything besides basic OS processes).
It's like there are just two possible speeds for the fan, low or high, and nothing between, and the threshold to switch between them is set at a low temperature.
I bought the product on Amazon and I am considering posting a rating to warn others about the fan.
It's not a big problem during the daytime but at night if you live in a small room and you want to keep the PC on, it becomes a real issue.
I know it's your job to minimize the problem and say to people that they are just too sensitive and that the level of noise is perfectly normal but it's not.
I saw complains about the fan noise on other websites while searching for a solution so it's not just in my head.
I hope your company is thinking about doing something about this because it's the only real defect of the product and it's too bad.
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admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2030
- Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:11 am
- Has thanked: 77 times
- Been thanked: 42 times
Re: The fan sounds loud
We have updated an installation tutorial for you:
1. The first reason is that the fan is blocked by dust, just clean it up.
2. The internal cable of the fan blocks the fan leaf. It is recommended that the customer disassemble the machine and move the cable position away from the rotation position of the fan leaf.
3. Increase the power consumption when playing games, the temperature will rise. We use smart temperature control. When the temperature is high, the fan will rotate to assist heat dissipation. This is a normal phenomenon. It is recommended to clean up the memory to reduce the load on the machine; reduce the number of open applications The CPU pressure can also be reduced, and the fan speed will decrease when the temperature is low. It is recommended that the machine be placed in a ventilated position, which will help heat dissipation.
1. The first reason is that the fan is blocked by dust, just clean it up.
2. The internal cable of the fan blocks the fan leaf. It is recommended that the customer disassemble the machine and move the cable position away from the rotation position of the fan leaf.
3. Increase the power consumption when playing games, the temperature will rise. We use smart temperature control. When the temperature is high, the fan will rotate to assist heat dissipation. This is a normal phenomenon. It is recommended to clean up the memory to reduce the load on the machine; reduce the number of open applications The CPU pressure can also be reduced, and the fan speed will decrease when the temperature is low. It is recommended that the machine be placed in a ventilated position, which will help heat dissipation.
Thanks for joining the forum fans, we will become friends here. Any suggestions about the forum I am open to hearing.
Re: The fan sounds loud
Hi, I have to say I am quite impressed.
You are very good at not listening what people say or at least pretending so.
I am a program developer so I think I know how to use a computer and I can manage formatting a USB drive and copy downloaded files on it to flash a BIOS.
Like I said twice, I did the upgrade, it was "successful" but it didn't change anything about the fan.
The computer is too new to be dusty, plus I already opened it to unplug the LED wire because I sleep in the same room and the light was disturbing.
I saw nothing inside that could make an abnormal noise.
The computer is clean, the wires are not in the fan's way, and if they were the sound wouldn't be the same.
It is making a normal fan noise, when that fan is running at full speed.
It would be perfectly normal that the fan speed increase when the computer is heating to cool it, this is precisely its job, I won't argue with that.
But like I already said TWICE, it also happens when the computer is doing absolutely nothing and that is what I am complaining for.
I installed Linux the day I received the computer because I hate Windows 10.
I use at lightweight distro of Linux and the fan speed increase even when no program is running except the basic ones needed by the OS.
It's not like I am running some fancy games on it, in which case I wouldn't complain because I know it would be normal for the fan to have more work to do to keep the computer cool. There is no reason for the computer to overheat and so no reason for the fan to speed up.
I think that this topic is the one with the most posts on this forum, and only three of them are from me.
Like I said there are other sites that mention the fan noise (I should have checked before buying).
Like here : https://www.techradar.com/reviews/acepc-ak1-mini-pc
It is not dust, it is not a misplaced wire, it seems like it has to do with the computer conception itself.
It would be nice to do something about it.
For me, I am tired of trying to explain the problem as it doesn't seem you taking it seriously.
I think it's time I go on Amazon to add a review, to warn other people about this product.
I won't say don't buy it, since it's not a bad product in general, but people that would mind the noise should know.
You are very good at not listening what people say or at least pretending so.
I am a program developer so I think I know how to use a computer and I can manage formatting a USB drive and copy downloaded files on it to flash a BIOS.
Like I said twice, I did the upgrade, it was "successful" but it didn't change anything about the fan.
The computer is too new to be dusty, plus I already opened it to unplug the LED wire because I sleep in the same room and the light was disturbing.
I saw nothing inside that could make an abnormal noise.
The computer is clean, the wires are not in the fan's way, and if they were the sound wouldn't be the same.
It is making a normal fan noise, when that fan is running at full speed.
It would be perfectly normal that the fan speed increase when the computer is heating to cool it, this is precisely its job, I won't argue with that.
But like I already said TWICE, it also happens when the computer is doing absolutely nothing and that is what I am complaining for.
I installed Linux the day I received the computer because I hate Windows 10.
I use at lightweight distro of Linux and the fan speed increase even when no program is running except the basic ones needed by the OS.
It's not like I am running some fancy games on it, in which case I wouldn't complain because I know it would be normal for the fan to have more work to do to keep the computer cool. There is no reason for the computer to overheat and so no reason for the fan to speed up.
I think that this topic is the one with the most posts on this forum, and only three of them are from me.
Like I said there are other sites that mention the fan noise (I should have checked before buying).
Like here : https://www.techradar.com/reviews/acepc-ak1-mini-pc
It is not dust, it is not a misplaced wire, it seems like it has to do with the computer conception itself.
It would be nice to do something about it.
For me, I am tired of trying to explain the problem as it doesn't seem you taking it seriously.
I think it's time I go on Amazon to add a review, to warn other people about this product.
I won't say don't buy it, since it's not a bad product in general, but people that would mind the noise should know.