Why Does My Laptop Sound Like a Jet Engine? Easy Fixes

I have an old laptop that I got in grad school, which I still use for certain things. It’s plenty fast enough to do what I need it to do, but sometimes it starts making a loud noise when I’m using it. I had a good chuckle when my son as me why does my laptop sound like a jet engine!

The reason why a laptop is so loud is because of its age, the dust that has built up in it, and the wear and tear of its fans and hard disks. Fixing each one of these issues will help you to quieten the machine and bring back much-needed peace when you are working.

In this post, I will share with you some tips with you to make this loud jet engine noise a thing of the past!

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Reasons and how to stop my laptop from sounding like a jet engine

Age of the computer

A laptop, like other forms of technology, can become obsolete quickly.

Certain components tend to stop working efficiently once this happens.

As a result, it may produce some unwelcome noises.

Screws, gaskets, the motherboard, the fans, and in fact, any other components of the machine can experience wear and tear, which renders them inefficient.

When loose parts start to vibrate or touch other parts it is not supposed to, all sorts of noises can start to happen.

Too many open programs

When you have too many programs open at once, the computer slows down and is forced to work harder.

This is because the CPU, GPU, and hard disk have to run everything that’s open at the same time.

Your computer can only do so much at a time!

Not only will you reduce the noise that it makes, but you also enjoy the benefit of a faster-running computer since there are more resources available for the program you are using.

So make sure it’s not running any unnecessary programs or apps that are just sitting there collecting digital dust in the background.

How can we do this? You can use your computer’s built-in task manager (Windows) or Activity Manager (Mac) to close any programs that are not being used right away.

Air vents are blocked

If you have a laptop and it suddenly starts making a lot of noise, its air vents might be blocked.

And if you leave it like that, it can cause all kinds of problems.

The fan may start working harder to keep everything cool, which will drain your battery more quickly.

The hard drive will have to work harder to access all the data, which could make it slower and more likely to crash. And sometimes all this extra work will even cause a fire!

The first thing to do is to check with the manufacturer if you are covered under warranty.

You do not want to open up your computer and risk ending the warranty.

Now, if your computer has passed its warranty period, you probably want to take things into your own hands, and that means cleaning the vents on your own.

Use compressed air or a vacuum cleaner to get rid of any dust that may have accumulated inside the case (or both!), especially near vents where heat builds up most often during normal use (like around memory chips).

Faulty hard disk

Another possibility is that your hard drive is failing.

If we’re talking about an older laptop, it’s possible that the drive has developed bad sectors, which are areas of magnetic media that have become unreadable due to excessive use or damage.

In this case, the only solution is to replace the hard drive entirely—but don’t worry!

It’s easy enough to do it yourself by checking out videos on YouTube.

Consider changing to a solid-state disk (SSD) too. These are just storage devices like hard disks, but since they do not actually have any disks, there operate very quietly.

Overheating

Overheating is a common problem with laptops, and can be caused by several things.

If your laptop is overheating, it may turn off or restart without warning.

Overheating can also cause the CPU to slow down as well as crash your laptop, which means that you won’t be able to use your computer until you reboot it again.

This can be very frustrating if you need to do an important task on your computer right away!

If you think that your computer is overheating, then there are some things that you should do:

  • Make sure that there aren’t any gaps in the casing where heat could escape; try re-sealing any loose parts with tape or glue (but make sure not too much air gets trapped inside).
  • Move any fans closer together so they all blow inwards towards each other instead of outwards towards other components such as hard drives or power supplies which would cool themselves naturally when operating normally under load conditions but might not do so efficiently enough when cooling directly through such large distances between them due to lower speeds

Placement of your computer

This is related to overheating, and mostly affects laptops rather than desktop computers.

We mostly use laptops on a desk, a pillow, or simply on our laps. That means that the heat has no place to escape, and it builds up very quickly.

You would know this very well if you had a laptop sitting on your lap for an extended period of time.

To overcome this, I strongly recommend that you use a laptop stand instead. They are mostly designed to allow hot air to escape from the bottom.

Some models also have an inbuilt fan that will further cool your device.

You can also get cooling pads as an alternative. These work to absorb not just the heat but also vibrations and sounds.

The key thing to do here is to keep it off a surface that will cover its bottom.

Taking care of your computer

  • Keep the computer clean. Dust causes many problems with computers, so make sure that yours is as dust-free as possible. Use compressed air (not a feather duster) and a small vacuum to remove dust from the vents on your laptop or desktop tower. A can of compressed air is inexpensive, and can be found at most office supply stores; vacuums designed for cleaning electronics are also available online or in specialty electronics shops.
  • Make sure your laptop isn’t overheating by testing its surface temperature with an infrared thermometer (available at hardware stores). If it’s too hot—more than 30°C (86°F)—you may have too many programs running or your cooling fan needs servicing; if it’s too cold—less than 5°C/41°F—your CPU might not be getting enough power to run properly

In conclusion: Why Does My Laptop Sound Like a Jet Engine?

Computers sounding like jet engines are a more common occurrence than you think.

Luckily, you can fix the fan noise on your laptop with the tricks that I have shared above. Most of the time, a simple cleanup will solve the problem.

However, if none of the tips here work, you might need to consult your local repair shop or consider changing to a new device if your current one is too old.

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Bryant
Bryant

Bryant Littlewood is the Chief Editor behind SoundproofingHacks. He shares all the lessons he has learned in turning his home and office into quiet sanctuaries across the blog posts here. Bryant is also a part-time audiophile, and some of the posts here will reflect that passion of his too. Connect with him on LinkedIn or read more on the about page.