oryp6,oryp7: Fan buzzing, clicking

[bartlebee13]

I upgraded my oryx pro firmware to the 2021-07-20_93c2809 version today.

Now the fans start randomly humming and every so often make kind of a low frequency weird chugging click sound.

I have slack, discord, chrome, postman, sublime, and a single terminal window open with two external monitors plugged in on Nvidia Graphics + High Performance Mode.

comp info:

NAME="Pop!_OS"
VERSION="21.04"
ID=pop
ID_LIKE="ubuntu debian"
PRETTY_NAME="Pop!_OS 21.04"
VERSION_ID="21.04"
HOME_URL="https://pop.system76.com"
SUPPORT_URL="https://support.system76.com"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://github.com/pop-os/pop/issues"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://system76.com/privacy"
VERSION_CODENAME=hirsute
UBUNTU_CODENAME=hirsute
LOGO=distributor-logo-pop-os

sensors output:

iwlwifi_1-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:            N/A  

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +55.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 0:        +54.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 1:        +54.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 2:        +53.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 3:        +53.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 4:        +52.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 5:        +55.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 6:        +54.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 7:        +56.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)

nvme-pci-2700
Adapter: PCI adapter
Composite:    +36.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +84.8°C)
                       (crit = +84.8°C)
Sensor 1:     +36.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)
Sensor 2:     +35.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)

pch_cometlake-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +50.0°C  

system76_acpi-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
CPU fan:     1509 RPM
GPU fan:     1953 RPM
CPU temp:     +54.0°C  
GPU temp:     +54.0°C  

BAT0-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
in0:          12.83 V  
curr1:         0.00 A  

[bartlebee13]

Also the zoom problem that I described in a previous issue where zoom would cause fans to go crazy seems to be back with this firmware update

#163

[bartlebee13]

iwlwifi_1-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:            N/A  

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +75.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 0:        +75.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 1:        +60.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 2:        +60.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 3:        +59.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 4:        +58.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 5:        +61.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 6:        +58.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 7:        +59.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)

nvme-pci-2700
Adapter: PCI adapter
Composite:    +39.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +84.8°C)
                       (crit = +84.8°C)
Sensor 1:     +39.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)
Sensor 2:     +42.9°C  (low  = -273.1°C, high = +65261.8°C)

pch_cometlake-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +54.0°C  

system76_acpi-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
CPU fan:     3546 RPM
GPU fan:     3809 RPM
CPU temp:     +72.0°C  
GPU temp:     +53.0°C  

BAT0-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
in0:          12.87 V  
curr1:         0.00 A  

starting up vscode made the fans lift off into space 😄

[jackpot51]

Thanks for the information, and the sensors data. We'll take a look.

[sed-i]

Another regression in this update is stop-start behavior of the fans: at <10% load avg, the fans start (low speed) for a sew seconds, then stop, and then start again within 1-2 seconds. In terms of duty cycle, it is almost 100%. I suspect that long-term maintenance-wise it would be better to keep them running for longer at lower speed or something of that sort.

[curiousercreative]

Someone comfortable flashing the EC could experiment with setting this line to 0: https://github.com/system76/ec/blob/master/src/board/system76/oryp7/board.mk#L32

[curiousercreative]

∆You can also try setting CFLAGS+=-DBOARD_HEATUP=20 which samples temperature over approximately 5 seconds rather than 1 (divide value by 4 for seconds)

[MilesBHuff]

fwiw, this config has been working well for me since June on an oryp7: https://github.com/MilesBHuff/ec/blob/patch-1/src/board/system76/oryp7/board.mk#L31-L94.
(I've been running @curiousercreative's smoothing code etc from before it was officially released.)

It has the clicking issue when fans start up / stop, but it does a good job of not being extremely jarring during light, medium, and heavy loads. I'll give @curiousercreative's recommendations above a try at some point; but @curiousercreative: wasn't https://github.com/system76/ec/blob/master/src/board/system76/oryp7/board.mk#L32 added to mitigate the buzzing issue in the first place?

[bartlebee13]

the fans seem to start and stop a lot more lately.. any updates on this?

[Cadjoe]

@MilesBHuff, if you have a clicking fun issue, you might have to replace them or at least one of them. I had to do that with one of them in my oryp4, the clicking stopped.

Now, I'm dealing with the 1172 issue. Unfortunately, I haven't yet found a concrete solution to it.

[MilesBHuff]

@Cadjoe

if you have a clicking fun issue, you might have to replace them or at least one of them.

The problem is, everyone who owns an oryp7 has the same clicking issue -- it's not feasible to tell every oryp7 owner to buy new fans if they don't want them to click. Hence, the software workaround.

[jacobgkau]

The problem is, everyone who owns an oryp7 has the same clicking issue

Our lab oryp7 is not clicking, which means there is at least one unit that is not affected (and almost certainly more.) Please do not make generalized statements without data to back them up.

[bartlebee13]

I think I've pinpointed the issue on my machine down to this scenario:

• Oryx Pro with latest firmware and Pop!_OS 21.04
• Nvidia Graphics Mode (w/ latest nvidia driver 470.86)
• Two external displays: one via HDMI, one via USB-C

Basically if I unplug one of the monitors, the random spinning up and down of the fans every 10 seconds stops happening.

Otherwise this is the fan speed and it starts up and down every 5-10 seconds.

[curiousercreative]

@barthvader13 do you have fractional scaling enabled? My Galago Pro will behave similarly whenever I scroll a webpage or really do anything when fractional scaling is enabled.

[MilesBHuff]

@jacobgkau

Our lab oryp7 is not clicking, which means there is at least one unit that is not affected (and almost certainly more.) Please do not make generalized statements without data to back them up.

Oh! Sorry, I was under the impression this whole time that it was every oryp7 that clicked, and that was why the fan minimum was set to 20% (later 25%). Mine's clicked since I first got it.