So I've just been to a friends place and used both a Dell 15?X with an 8600gt and an HP with an ATi card to rival it in performance (don't ask model numbers I really don't know anymore my computer knowledge has way since passed). Both laptops got almost uncomfortably hot while playing games (top and bottom). But still were very quiet. So obviously its in their fans, not being enough or fast enough. But heres my questions

Is there a way to let my Sager get a little hotter and make less noise while in windows doing the usual web browsing, html building, photo resizing etc etc etc? Atm I don't mind it getting loud while in games, but it is kinda annoying when the fans rip it up making a ton of noise while I'm just clicking on a link, or downloading something. Surely if these other brands can run such high temps my Sager would be ok at somewhere in between?

EDIT: oh I should add I have that bios update which slowly increases fan speed instead of the old fan on fan off thing. I also have the Fn 123 thing but all of those settings are louder then when the computer is just at idle at start up.

Well you already mentioned both things I was going recommend. The bios and the Fn + 123 buttons.

I'm not sure forcing your notebook to be hotter would be a good idea.

I just can't see how HP and Dell can get away with hotter yet everyone says Sager's should not run hot.. They are all the same CPUs, only thing is I have a 8800gtx over 8600gt. But surely the 8800gtx would be ok running as how as an 8600gt? I mean, I don't want it as hot, just mid way. My laptop is always very cool around the casing compared to these other laptops.

I sometimes wonder when reading about lowering fanspeeds god forbid they should make any noise yada yada yada......

Would these same people shut the fan down that cools the radiator in their cars? Boy those things make noise..........bad noise bad bad bad......

I've also noticed many of these fan fretters crank the music and gaming on soo loud that super human hearing would be required to discern fan noise at all.

If a little fan noise is such an annoyance..........there are plenty of low powered laptops around......pentium 3's were pretty quiet and rather cheap these days.

Frankly comparing a Sager to a Dell or HP is quite a stretch these days. ( best buy specials come to mind here...)

Yes, I do change fans to slower ones on my car. Really I do. Because it doesn't need all that cooling. I know more about cars then I do about computers, but I've been through the whole overclocking thing back with the old AMD's.

I dson't care how loud my Sager goes while gaming.. Its right now that pisses me off. I've just turned it on, 5 mins later of reading two threads on two different forums the fans kick in and I can hear them above the noise of the TV...

If I had the money for two computers I would buy two computers. Instead I only had enough for one. So I chose the Sager because it can play games and surf the net as well as being portable.

A computer is a computer.. A 8800gtx is just a faster, more ram'ed, more pipelined 8600 gt. So why does it HAVE TO run sooooo much cooler then the 8600gt in the Dell? Its not like ones on Mars and the other is here on earth. They are built on the same processor, using the same type and speed ram. Saying its "quite a stretch" to compare these seems to be a very unknowledgable thing to say.

Maybe next time you read an oldish post you might have the brain cells to think 'maybe because I don't have a clue I shouldn't answer'.

I saw this being done a few times, using an acoustic absorption mat in the bottom casing. One person even cut out the mat to fit the vents and holes. HP and Toshiba (and some other brands) have a better heat sink area design that somehow dissipating the noise levels better.

On my still used old Sager, I ended up boring many 2mm holes along the bottom casing to help it cooling better.

cheers ...

The thing is, mine barely ever gets hot.. Like only right where the fan is and probably not hotter then body temperature. My mates HP got so hot on the side I couldn't hold it, and still runs great. I think that is bad, but surely it shouldn't have to go to full speed fans in windows if it isn't even hot to touch?!
I'll have to have a look under the casing and see if I can play around with anything