I have an ROG Flow 16 whose fans sometimes become extremely loud and vibrate enough to shake the entire laptop. The noise comes and goes, and performance doesn't seem to be affected, but it's very annoying. I inspected the inside and didn't notice anything obviously obstructing the fans. Could this be caused by dust, a worn bearing, or something else?
2 Answers
The fan bearing may need lubrication, although opening or servicing the fan can be tricky. Start by cleaning out any dust and checking that nothing is brushing against the blades. If the noise keeps returning, replacing the fan is safer and more reliable than trying to keep lubricating it.
Cleaning the dust out is worth trying first. If the fan is still vibrating afterward, replacing it is usually preferable to taking apart the sealed bearing.
This sounds more like a worn fan bearing or an unbalanced fan than a software problem. If it happens only at certain fan speeds, the vibration may be caused by the bearing or blades resonating at that RPM. Check carefully for dust or anything touching the blades, but if everything looks clear, replacing the affected fan is probably the best fix before it gets worse.
How would I go about lubricating the fan without damaging it?