Excessively loud fan, constant overheating during idle and light tasks - Microsoft Community
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Excessively loud fan, constant overheating during idle and light tasks (now on my second, third, fourth Surface Pro 3 i7)
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Yea, there's definitely a problem. I'm on my second&third fourth Surface Pro 3 after replacing what I suspected to be a defective unit and this one is exhibiting the same issues as the one returned. Not very happy at
the moment as you can guess. I'm assuming that, with a working unit, .
Right out of the box, before & after all updates and firmware&are installed: the back of the unit becomes uncomfortably hot and its fan spins very loudly on idle and while performing minor tasks such as web browsing (even sites without flash
or heavy ad use).
I was surprised to hear it the first time, as it sounds like white noise coming from the right speaker. Even under its idle state, my Surface Pro 3 is currently the loudest thing in my office (and that's including my PC running 3 video cards SLI). At its
peak (IE: high octane tasks like
and reading OneNote entries), the fan noise is ear-piercing and the heat
produced is&immensely&hot. I mean, it's not something you'd want to hold, immense.
Here are some other notes:
Surface Pro 3 i7 512MBMy Order/replacement sources:
SP3 #1: Pre-ordered on - Lot No/Date: 1429SP3 #2: Replacement from the &on 8/2 - Lot No/Date: 1428
SP3 #3: Replacement from the&&on 8/4 - Lot No/Date: 1429SP3 #4: Advance replacement directly from Surface support on 8/7 - Lot No/Date: 1430&(See 8/16 update below)
Occurrence examples:
Instantly after&resuming from stand-by via pen double-tap.Browsing "light-weight" sites like Watching a Youtube video.Shutting down & rebooting the machine.
The highest I've seen the CPU was around 34%, mainly due to One Drive Sync process.Screen brightness set to about 30%My office room temperature is about 73? FDoesn't matter if keyboard is attached or not. No case used.Doesn't matter if plugged in (surge protector or not).
After dropping over $2k on a product, this isn't what I expect to see after 3 minutes of light web browsing:
Got the temperature warning for the first time with my fourth unit. This time while applying the 8/19/2014 firmware update. A reboot during a firmware flash doesn't seem like a safe thing for a device to do. :(
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8/16 - Yeah...
Just powered up Sudoku. Played it for a bit and left it running
After about 2 mins, the fan is at a volume of what I'd describe low and it's warm but not uncomfortably so.After about 5 mins, the fan is&definitely&louder and while it's considerably less noisier than my first unit (which to me, was&like a very high-pitch whistle), it's hot to the point where I wouldn't want to hold on to it for very long.
This unit has not given me the temperature warning as yet, but I have to admit that it's still quite&discouraging&to hear the fan kick in with game as light as Sudoku. Especially since my previous Surface Pro 2 and Yoga
laptop, which this SP3 should be replacing, runs much cooler and quieter.&
I really want this thing to work like a tablet when doing tablet tasks, and if the fan kicks in once and awhile for doing heavy laptop tasks like&3D gaming or&video encoding then I wouldn't mind much. But I've gone through&four&Surface
Pro 3's and it leaves me to wonder why they get as hot as they do when doing something unsubstantial like web surfing while an iPad can run much heavier duty 3D gaming and not feel like you're baking chocolate chip lava cookies on metal sheet you're holding
with your bare hands.
I'm waiting on MS's public response to these issues, but honestly I can't help but feel a bit duped. Don't get me wrong, I'm in love with the&aesthetics, speed&and weight of the SP3, but &? What happened to not even noticing there's a fan?&?
I hope something can be done. And I hope that that something isn't waiting for the Surface Pro 4.
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8/9 - Fourth one's the charm? Cautiously optimistic...
So I received my advance replacement directly from Surface support. While the fan did come on at a somewhat reasonable volume, I was able to do a full update (37 of them initially) including firmware, install Visual Studio 2013, and Office 2013 without
the unit overheating and displaying the temp warning.&One thing I noticed is that, while the unit was plugged in, the fan stayed on throughout the entire update/firmware process. The fan hasn't gotten as loud as my last few units.
Unfortunately, the advance shipment didn't come in the original packaging so I don't know its batch/lot number.& &Lot number is 1430 (located on the outside of the return box) But I'm going to do some further testing between the two that I have
to see if there are any obvious differences before sending the 3rd one back.
I was also given word that the Surface team is currently investigating the issue, so keep your fingers crossed.
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8/6 - So far, it seems we have the following scenarios:
There is a manufacturing issue with these particular batches due to a bad CPU yield, heat-sink, or fan. (need more info to validate)There could be a software/firmware issue causing the temps to rise and thus the fans to run blast even during idle/light processes. Although, I'm less certain this is the case, the low CPU usage and high temps seem to suggest otherwise.This could be tied to disk activity. I don't think it's the SSD hardware,&&of the device.& However,
this would also explain the low CPU usage and high temps given in the many cases where software is being installing, there is background indexing, or updates are being applied.If some people in the same batch aren't having issues, then maybe:
They haven't discovered the issue because the temperature hasn't risen to the point of a nuclear reactor and/or&there device hasn't given them the overheat warning.Or there is a problem but they're comfortable with the heat/noise generated and the device hasn't given them an overheat warning.Or they simply have a perfectly running device that never goes above 75-85C and is whisper quiet at all times during normal usage.
If &people in different batches are having issues, then maybe:
The issue isn't tied to the batch/lot at all and the problem may widespread or be due to a general assembly problem (poorly set heat-sink for ex.)All Surfaces manufactured so far could potentially run hot as hot as 90C (highly doubted)
But there's definitely an issue. You're only supposed to get that overheat warning (thermometer symbol) in cases due to external factors like:
You've left the device on inside of your backpack with screen at full brightness for an extended periodYou attempt to use the device after it's been heated from direct sunlight, perhaps from being in your car, etc.The unlikely case that you've modified the way your device performs (overclocking, fan, etc)
In any case, I think we still need a larger sample size to discover & validate the issue and determine how widespread it is. I only expect MS to recognize there is a problem if it proves to be more common than not.
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&8/4&-&Aventura In-Store Replacement
Just got yet another replacement from the&&store. They only had stock from the 1429 batch, but I decided to swap it out anyway. Same issues: Gets piping
hot, loud fan w/minor activity & idle.&&peaks out&.
Temp icon/shutdown while applying windows updates. Going to hold off awhile before replacing. :'(
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If you're lurking, taking the time to help us out by posting your model, batch #, and any notes or comments you have would be quite helpful, whether or not your device is affected.
If you're getting a replacement, save the hassle and point them to this thread to help expedite your exchange.
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Date - User
Has Issue? - Lot #
Yes - 1429
i7-512GB (replacement)
Yes - 1428
i7-512GB (replacement)
Yes - 1429
Peak CPU temp: 92°C
Yes - 1428
Yes - 1429
"When running only chrome and skype, with a 7% CPU usage and 34% RAM usage, it emits very high fan noise thus disturbing my skype call. "
Yes - 1429
"It then wanted to install some updates and while installing the updates it started to get VERY hot.& It eventually shut down with the temperature sign being displayed as you pictured above."
"I experienced some heat and a lot of fan usage on the first day of use after installing programs and files (possibly caused by indexing), however I am not
observing heat or fan operation now."
"I hear the fan plenty but so far no overheat symbol and shutdown"
Yes - 1428
"I was casually browsing on the surface about 10 minutes ago and the fan went on full blast and the surface was HOT."
"I hear the fan plenty but so far no overheat symbol and shutdown."
Yes - 1429
"Just got a temp and shutdown. Averaging between 65-80C."
"I&&have gone through 2 surface pro i7 models so far"
"I bought the i7 512GB version for my wife. No issues whatsoever! "
Yes - 1428
"Before the updates succeeded, my fans blazed at full speeds (louder than my desktop) and everything froze."
"I've had no issues whatsoever"
"The back gets hot but it seems like it is working like it should."
i7-512GB (replacement)
Yes - 1430
"...(my replacement batch) seems to be working just fine!!!!! YES!!!! HAPPY NOW!!!!"
Update 8/7: &"has the SAME ISSUE! I have already processed a refund and purchased an i5, 256"
Yes - 1423
"got so hot with light browsing I couldn't hold it"
i5-256GB (replacement)
Yes - 1426
"it gets excessively hot as well"
Maybe - 1428
"I don't want to say definitively that I'm having issues, but it does get quite hot and&loud at seemingly simple tasks"
Yes - 1429
"two shutdowns with temp icon, preceded by loud and sustained fan noise during initial Windows Update OOB installs, then another sustained fan period (no shutdown but lower right back got hot) during
install of Visual Studio update 3."
"haven't noticed any issues. it gets warm while charging, but really not very hot at all"
Yes - 1424
"Having the same heating issue with some simple game apps such as MS mahjong and MS treasure hunt (always); web browsing and one note (some times)"
Yes - 1428
"whenever I have my real-time stock trading website up (in explorer or chrome--doesn't matter), the fan kicks in."
"so far everything appears to be normal"
Yes - 1429
"Getting the same issues, can't say how many times I've seen that thermometer symbol after windows crashing, but it's been terrible"
Yes - 1430
"when I was installing windows updates, it cannot turn on!!! After a while, I can turn it on. Then I found it is too noise with its fan running in&a slow speed."
Yes - 1429
"...if i were holding the tablet, it would probably burn my hand if I didn't move it to another side with the amount of heat"
"It hasn't overheated yet but the fan runs extremely loud and the back gets very hot."
Yes - 1429
"While updates were being installed this morning during restart it showed thermometer, then shutdown - &two times."
i7-512GB (replacement)
"1. The new one does not have the sharp fan noise. (At least&until now.)
2. When&the sales&boy&installed windows update on the new one, no high temperature errors."
Yes - 1430
"Fan volume cranked up almost immediately on the i7/256 I pulled out of the box today. Lot 1430. Loud fan and very warm back, but not to the point of the temp alert or shutdown yet"
i7-512GB (replacement)
"My replacement from Surface support has yet to exhibit the issue. Read 8/9 update above."
Maybe&- 1428
"Had high heat/fan issues the first few days but since the recent updates I haven't had those problems."
Yes - 1428
"My new ( just bought it today and spent the day setting it up) cycles from high noise to low noise irrespective of the load I am putting on the CPU. "&
&i7-256GB (replacement)
"at no time did it get even close to the heat that I experienced daily with my original Pro"
"...my&'host task for windows process'&revs up to 25-30% cpu. and the right hand corner get hot to the touch and fans whir
like crazy"
"Has not overheated, but fan frequently runs louder than expected even when experiencing light load.& None of the Surface Pro 3 i5&or Surf Pro 2 i5 machines have comparable fan noise."
"Get loud and hot while running *** scan. Skype hangs. Will try returning it."
"I tried to restore it but it overheated and stop working again, so I put it&near&the air conditioner&and it restored successfully. I installed the updates manually&but I didn't install the update from
07/08/2014 (July) and the new 08/12/2014 (August). Now my SP3 is working as expected and it&doesn't overheat."
Yes -&1428
"After trying to use the unit last night, I decided I'm going to return the unit. It's just way too hot to hold, and way to noisy."
"It's a little warm but that's about it. Streaming movies/TV shows from my NAS work fine without issue. No heat. No noise."
"Fan is quite but it runs hot. Seems design issue . Mine is going back."
"&doing the normal windows updates the fan was going crazy and it got really hot in the upper right where the fan is"
Yes - 1429
The fan comes on and it's seriously the most menacing thing I've ever heard to come out of an electronic device. I can no longer use this in class to take notes since it's so disruptive.
Machine was quite hot after running all of windows updates, and firmware update would not install until machine cooled down. &But haven't had any thermal shutdowns yet, CPU throttling manages the heat
but reduces performance significantly.
i7-512GB (replacement)
As soon as the SP3 starts to get warm ( which is all the time using video conferencing software) the fan comes on the microphones pick up the fan noise. &This makes it very difficult for the other party
on the call to hear me.
Yes - 1429
Didn't really have these issues until I installed the August firmwares/patches. Last night was my first overheat and temp warning shutdown, while I was re-applying patches after doing a system reset
in an attempt to troubleshoot a battery drain.
i7-512GB x 3
Yes - 1459
I have four 512GB Core i7 SP3 from lot 1459. Three of the four have the issue. All four were purchased on launch day (08/01/2014) from the Houston Galleria store.
i7-512GB (replacement)
I have one 512GB Core i7 SP3 from lot 1522, and it has the issue. It was a unit swap at the Houston Galleria store yesterday, 08/19/2014.
&i7-256GB (replacement)
Yes -&1429
"Loud Fan noise, Overheating and battery lasting 3-4 hours."..."I called Microsoft support, I referred them to this thread and they told me
we are a minority."
"If I download something (anything) the fan kicks into overdrive and the back of the device gets&hot to the touch. If I play a 3D game&it&shuts down&and while it's&off I get the thermometer until it&cools
down enough to restart..."
"Me too, excessive heat, (too hot to touch, and too hot to leave on lap) and the noise of the fan is unbelievable..."
Yes - 1430
"same issue for me: with light internet browsing (e.g. youtube videos) unit gets smokin' hot just behind the windows logo, and the fan comes on full blast"
Yes - 1429
"I have similar issues Surface Pro 3"
Yes - 1430
"Sh*t burns really bad whenever I play games and it goes completely volcanic when I play Project Spark."
Yes - 1429
"has heat issues"..."just got it out of box. Might be charging issue"
Yes - 1429
"After installing all updates on , it currently runs very hot in spite of loudly operating fan even when working on simple tasks&(Internet Explorer, OneNote, file transfers).& Battery draining
faster than expected."
i7-256GB (replacement)
Yes - 1431
"First I7 256 1428 overheating and fan noise, I returned it and bought the i7 256 1431 online ( replacement) the&overheating problem&is worse, i am thinking in return it and forget about the surface
and Microsoft"
Yes - 1429
"My system fan loudly and furiously spins up it then overheats and I get the same thermometer icon right before it shuts down."
i7-512GB (replacement)
Yes - 1433
"As soon as I had it up and running, the back got extremely hot, and the fan was going nuts. &What was I doing? &Running a YouTube video as a test. &Same issues as my current unit. &I already called
support and am shipping the replacement back."
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Edit 8/3: Added purchase sourcesEdit 8/3: Added date/lot number for initial orderEdit 8/4: Added user lot number tableEdit 8/4: Added notes to table / formatting. Updated w/third SP3Edit 8/6: Added yes/no issues to table, more entriesEdit 8/7: more entries, removed model numbers.Edit 8/8: more entriesEdit 8/9: Added update on 4th Sp3Edit 8/10: more entries&Edit 8/12: more entriesEdit 8/14: more entriesEdit 8/16: Update on fourth unit added. more entriesEidt 8/19: more entriesEdit 8/20: Update on fourth unit :(, more entriesEdit 8/22: more entries (not looking too good)Edit 12/12: ReAdded table showing users with similar heating/noise issues that was removed.
@unt1tled
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Hi so overall my SP3 is very good so far. However, when trying to play games. My SP3 gets really hot right behind the windows logo on the backside and the fan gets really loud... Don't know if this is normal or not but it was concerning to me. Also just
installed latest update and during the wait my fan got really really loud for about 10 seconds then everything turned off and restarted. Again just making sure if this is normal. Has anyone else been experiencing things like this. As far as Netflix and stuff
it stays cool. But when I run WSOP on here it gets super loud and hot.
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Thanks for reaching out to u.& Sorry to hear you are having concerns about heat with your Surface Pro 3, let's see what we can find out.&
Are you using any sort of case or cover with Surface?& If anything blocks the vent, heat can more easily build up.& If Surface is lying flat on a surface, (versus with the kickstand deployed) this can also cause heat to build up.& Remember that the chassis
is part of the cooling system.
You say that Surface gets really hot when playing games.& Has your device ever shut down due to heat?& Can you compare this with Surface plugged in and unplugged?& Is this consistent with particular games or functions?&
Please manually ensure you have all available updates installed.
Desktop& Swipe for Charms& Settings& Control panel& Windows update& Check for updates& install
Be sure to restart between layers of updates, and restart twice after the last update installs.
To confirm, it is normal for Surface to have restarted due to an update, you will usually see a notification that this is happening.& The fan spinning up during this is also fairly common.
Let us know what is happening.
Best regards
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Ok yes the surface gets super hot while playing world series of poker so I deleted the game. No it has never shut down due to heating. Also, I understand its suppose to say its restarting however it had already restarted and this was the rebooting stage
as it said &please wait while we install update& and had Surface written just like a normal reboot. That's when it restarted and the fan got really loud and the system was hot again. I don't know how hot these things can get&and maybe its a safe level of heat
but it was concerning how it was just one spot that was hot while the rest of the device was cool. I do have the latest update too. And yes, I always use the kickstand. So that's not the issue. Again just not sure if I should be worried or not. Besides the
gaming, this device is super quiet and runs brilliantly. No problem with Netflix, browsing, or anything else. Just once I start playing that one game the fan starts to kick out at a noticeable frequency.
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I also have overheating issues. It happens infrequently and I first begin to notice it because I heard a noise, and then realized it was the fan. This occurred only while internet browsing, I do not play games on it. I just installed the upgrades, lets see
what happens.
Other than that issue, so far I'm loving my SP3
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Thanks for bringing this to our attention.& Have you looked over the information I had for
?& I'm looking for any common ground here that could help explain the overheating.
Let us know what is happening.
Best regards
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My SP3 also gets hot while doing anything other than browsing the internet, word processing type stuff. Seems anytime that I do anything that requires more processing power than simple tasks or I am multitasking 2-3 browsers, e-mail, word, and SMSS 2012
it will be hot. And doing all those things is exactly why I got this. Heat level when playing casual games or compiling a video is eggs cooking hot.
I can't touch it with my hands w/o burning the **** out of myself. Done it a few times already I have to let it sit for a couple minutes and it cools down fairly quick.(upper right corner) while rest of machine is warm or cool. Has shut down several times
on me I am assuming for heat reasons. I use it as a laptop mostly so I don't have to touch it, but when I get up and go I get my fingers bit by the heat. It is hot enough to cause pain.
I don't use any case just surface keyboard its hotter quicker when being charged. Stand is propped up like laptop mode.
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Can you confirm that you have all available updates installed?& When did this start happening for you?& Is this consistent when using wifi, Bluetooth, specific apps, charging ect?
Try restarting Surface and see if this helps.& There may be background tasks that are adding to the heat build up.
Best regards
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Thanks for bringing this to our attention.& Have you looked over the information I had for
?& I'm looking for any common ground here that could help explain the overheating.
Let us know what is happening.
Best regards
I have all updates. i use no cover other than the keypad.
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Thanks for bringing this to our attention.& Have you looked over the information I had for
?& I'm looking for any common ground here that could help explain the overheating.
Let us know what is happening.
Best regards
I have all updates. i use no cover other than the keypad.
UPDATE!!!!
After awhile now. I've installed all updates and Drivers and noticed that the surface is performing better with heat. Im now able to play WSOP on my surface with the fan kicking on at a safe level in my opinion. Really the only time my fan ever kicks on
is when i have some free time to play some games on my surface and thats it! Web browsing, netflix, twitter, facebook, office, all that has no issue. So with that said, for now I am happy with heat performance in my surface. I love this thing to death and
literally use it everyday. Even to control my xbox one! Will keep updating this if anymore problems occur.
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Split from
We just got the SP3 last week and this morning my wife is watching facebook and the thing heats up makes a wicked noise, sends out a waft of magic smoke smell and shuts down. Same thing as others extreme heat on the upper right side.
I will check if all of the updates are installed but i am pretty sure it is current.
anybody else have the updates fix this issue?
let me know-
my wife starts law school in a few weeks and we have to punt this thing, now would sure be better than later.
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