Hi there,
I am interested in getting one of these laptops. I’m just wondering how loud the fans are? I have a laptop that is going to probably go pretty quickly, a dell xps 9370 … and the fans in it are really, really loud! This is important to me because I am blind and I do lots of audio work, and having a hissing fan is very distracting. So, does anyone have, oh I don’t know, some sort of idea as to how loud this thing will be? Or a video of the sound of it? It’s subjective, I suppose, but I figured I’d ask. I have a business dell computer that’s bigger and not nearly as loud, but still pretty loud, hence why I thought I’d switch to the framework, what with expansion and all that.
Any thoughts are welcome.
Thanks, Dave
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No one knows yet - the only people who have received FW16s so far are reviewers, and no reviews have been released. There should be more new in a few weeks as review start coming out and laptops start shipping to people who preordered.
Even reviewer comments might not be accurate in this regard. Take a look here for why;
lol ironically the one thing they ask about is the one thing that’s left
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For your usecase (silent environment, blind user) isn’t any laptop the wrong comuter? If you can’t make use of the expensive screen, why not ditch it entirely and go for a fan-less mini-PC? The expansion bay is for graphics cards only, and as long as you don’t use them as math accelerators, those wouldn’t do you much good either. Just my thoughts, if you like the FW16, go for it, but it might not be the best solution for the job.
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Well no, the expansion bay is for PCIe cards and extra batteries - you can put any device in there, not just gpus.
I don’t know audio tech, I don’t know what kind of pcie hardware could be involved in audio work, but I can imagine there are plenty of things to install.
As for the screen - You might have seen the Cooler Master case which allows you to avoid paying for a full-featured chassis and display; I don’t know if these have been announced for FW16 laptops, though.
But only if and when such devices become available, as the FW16 expansion bay is not designed to take standard PCI(whatever) cards from your desktop PC. And in case of using the Cooler Master case, why go for the FW16 at all? The FW13 would do the job as well and is already available.
A device can be manufactured; electrically it’s a pcie x8 slot, so I imagine most applications should be possible.
And if not, you should be able to connect something to the usb4 ports which can tunnel pcie x4.
Anyway, I’ll let OP explain their rationale - if they feel that it’s necessary.
Ah, fair question raised about the fw16. The reason I want it is because it has a full keyboard with numbpad. I use what’s called a screen reader, my computer talks to me. So, yes you’re right I don’t technically need a screen, but I use the numbpad to simulate mouse movements and other things. Look up Jaws for Windows if you’re curious. Could I get an external numbpad? Yeah I suppose so, but I use it so much that I’d rather not have it take up the usb port.
Totally fair questions, oh also, even though I can’t see the screen, if I need sighted assistance, they can see the screen. But I understand the question and am not offended, you’re not the first to make that point 
Thanks for letting me know about the reviews coming out. I appreciate it.
Dave
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Hi Dave,
I have taken delivery of my Framework 16 Yesterday.
I must say that the fan noise is very noticeable, i myself am a bit disappointed.
I have a framework 13 as well and that one can quickly increase it’s fan speed which is quite noticeable as well but usually quites down quickly again.
The framework 16 seems to have a more constant fan going on when under a small load, and often jumps up a bit. There is also a slight whistle in it (which measured at 2400Hz, when under small load and around 5400Hz under heavy load).
while idle it is virtually silent.
I have the GPU installed and haven’t tested it with the empty expansion bay yet.
If you want i could check this for you.
Other than the fan noise i’m enjoying the laptop a lot at the moment.
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I just tested it without the GPU installed, just the normal expansion bay.
It seems noticeably quieter when running the same program i was running before.
Especially the whistle seems to bee a lot quieter, almost unnoticeable.
Before the GPU wasn’t even really performing any tasks and yet it was louder.
Temperatures remain similar. i don’t know if the CPU is being throttled or not, I’m not running a benchmark.
So my assumption at the moment is that the fans in the GPU are a bit more restricted in airflow or just louder…
It still is quite a loud laptop under load.
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The noise is killing my ears and giving me headaches. That fan whine/whistle is extremely unpleasant, especially coming from an XPS 9710 which was just a pleasant whooshing of air. Only reason I am trying to find a new machine is due to the vapor chamber failing on mine and not being able to find working replacement parts. I just hope that framework releases new fans or an advised fix to resolve the whine/whistle of the fans.
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Hello, use the economical mode, later I will attach the screenshots of how we have several users configured to lower the fan noise while playing games.
It is true that it is disappointing that the framework has not added a program in Windows / Linux to control the fans or the TDP, which is quite disappointing because it is something highly requested.
Also, I have gone through several laptops and recommend a cooling base (I recommend a klim mistral at 4500rpm, this has given me good results on an Asus laptop)
It’s a shame not to be able to control the fans because at rest it gets very hot because you can’t activate them in the slightest.
For me the fan noise is not loud but the “whining” tone is annoying.
The fans are cooler master iirc and I’m surprised that they sound like that.
Has anyone attempted to replace the fans with higher quality ones like Noctua ?
Framework’s Expansion Bay Modules so far only support the default Cooler Master fans provided. Even if you were able to fit a Noctua fan inside the expansion bay module, you would have two major issues.
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The Noctua fan is pulling air from above and pushing it out the back. Laptop fans require pulling air in from the bottom and the top then blowing it out of the sides (where the heatsink fins are)
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There are zero 3/4pin connectors that you could attach to power those fans. Unless you want to constantly carry around a fan controller, you simply cannot put Noctuas desktop fans inside a laptop.
Maybe if Framework decides to do a partnership with Noctua, but then an empty Expansion Bay Module (w/ Noctua Fans) might cost as much as a dGPU Expansion Bay Module (w/ Cooler Master Fans).
A Framework x Noctua collab would be amazing.
And yes, I dont expect laptops to just work ootb, and indeed blower fans are required
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I have been experimenting with covering the back exhaust outlets with my hands, and it does take away the whine. I don’t think the whine is in the fans but instead comes from blowing through the rear heat sink. I wonder if adding some kind of foam at the back would help. Right now I am doing an insane thing and covering the rear exhaust with electrical tape and that actually takes that high pitch away very well (of course I am also suffocating the computer, but at least it’s not massively overheating). I might try out 3d printing some kind of add-on for the back with foam in it to remove the high pitch, or inserting thin foam between the GPU heat sink and the rear grill.
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Yep, hoping Framework has this on their radar for next hardware iterations. I have never used a true gaming laptop, maybe they are as loud, but coming from XPS line is very jarring for me for sure.
Thankfully, I work from home. Having this amount of noise in an open office could be problematic.
Also really jealous of FW13 owners, as apparently there Framework has figured the noise out.
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I did have success with another workaround posted on reddit. Use a 90W or 100W USB-C charger, dock, or hub and the laptop will throttle itself in firmware for dGPU and fan speed. Then it ramps only when in use, ramping down immediately when load is removed. A good workaround until we get either controllable fan curves and/or whistle resolved. I purchased another XPS (XPS 9730) but realized they took away the Direct Graphics Output, so some games don’t run right and certain applications crash because of it not having a MUX. Returning that and sticking with trying to make the framework 16 work for me, while raising attention at framework so we can hopefully get a resolution.
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I am already using a 100W charger with a pass-through dongle. So you’re saying it could have been much worse 
Oh well!
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