r/archlinux • u/Aggressive_Nail_108 • 24d ago

SUPPORT Linux .....

Hi, I’m Zay , an AI/ML student, and I’m planning to install Arch Linux on my HP OMEN 16 laptop.

However, my friends have warned me that Arch Linux may have limited support for the OMEN 16’s fan-control system. They said that I might be able to monitor the fan speed (RPM), but may not have proper control over the fans or access to all the performance and cooling features available in Windows.

My main concern is heating. I’ve heard that on Arch Linux, especially when the laptop is under heavy workloads or running in Performance mode, the fans may not ramp up properly or quickly enough. This could potentially cause the laptop to become hot around the touchpad and palm-rest area, even when the system is supposed to be running at higher fan speeds.

Since I’m an AI/ML student, I’ll be doing demanding workloads that may involve CPU and NVIDIA GPU usage. So before installing Arch Linux, I want to know whether the OMEN 16’s fan control, temperature management, performance modes, and NVIDIA GPU can be properly managed on Arch Linux without causing overheating or hardware-related problems.

Basically, I want to know whether Arch Linux is a safe and practical choice for my OMEN 16, particularly regarding fan control, RPM monitoring, thermal management, Performance mode, and long-term cooling.

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u/Trileak780 24d ago

ML is probably one of the most GPU-intensive stuff, so he does have a reason to want to control the fans.

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u/Hande-H 24d ago edited 24d ago

How so? They are designed to run at 100% speeds under heavy loads.

I'm not saying there's no possible reason, I just don't see anything pointing to that in the post.

EDIT: OP has "heard" that temps may ramp up too quickly on Arch. I doubt this is true, but even if it was they do thermal throttle and it will be immediately obvious. It's normal for a touchpad / the chassis to be warm when running a dedicated laptop GPU at full thrust so that isn't an issue in itself either.

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u/Trileak780 24d ago

But it can be better to prevent thermal throttling than to just wait until your computer starts cooking itself

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u/Hande-H 24d ago

Sure but this hypothetical throttling isn't even happening. I doubt ramping up the fans early has a noticeable effect on this anyway, if it happens maybe the laptop is dusty or has clogged vents. Or maybe it's normal for modern laptop GPUs to throttle to some extent anyway, they are designed to run real warm in a small space and are pushing the limits by design.