ibook fan

for the 1st time since i bought my g4 12" ibook in early september this year, the fan kicked in and made this audible whirring sound. the ibook was not unusually hot and i was just typing an email when the noise started. i was not running any more programs than i usually do.
the noise definitely sounded like a fan although i may be wrong. is this normal? if so why now after all this time?

where you doing anything other than that? was it on a surface where no proper ventalation is (like on a bedsheet, on a couch, basically anyplace that doesnt leave a bit of space at the bottem for the heat to dissipate)?

it was sitting on my lap and i was propped up in bed. there was definitely space between the ibook and my lap though.

even if its been running for a long time, and not performing any amazing things, the fan will kick in, they can become some pretty hott little computers...

Using it on your lap for a while will probably cause the fan to kick in. Its no big deal really, as a rule of thumb you should make sure that there is proper ventilation when the fan is running (take it of your lap and put it on a smooth flat surface). Seen as the fan has to kick in before the iBook overheats you can be sure that the temperature is fine if the fan isn't running.

Because I am a serious gamer, pushing my video card for all its worth, I often find that it overheats quite a bit. So what did I do to fix the problem, well fpr starters, I bought a laptop cooler, and second made sure that it is well ventilated. I would feel happier if the fan was constantly on, but unfortunately it is not.

osvoldk said:

I would feel happier if the fan was constantly on, but unfortunately it is not.

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to this pair of ears it sounded really loud and annoying. it would drive me up the wall if the fan was constantly on!