Topic: Question

So last saturday night I was about to play on my Nintendo Switch and, on the main menu, i heard a noise and when i pressed the console against my ear, I heard a small noise in the fan vent. Since then, when I turn on my switch, the fan starts running on the main menu, then it turns off and then it activates during the game with no sound at all. Again the sound on the main menu is really low and in order to hear it, you either must be in a silent room or press it against your ear otherwise you wont hear it. I just wanted to know if that is normal. Thank you

@StoJ92 normal

Answer.

Yes.

Does anyone else think Nintendo may turbo the fan after booting up to flush out dust, trying to keep internals clean?

@1UP_MARIO @gcunit

Eh, I don't usually notice it, particularly but unless it's loud, I wouldn't worry ....

"Question" ah such a precise thread title

@StoJ92 Absolutely normal. It is loud but just for 20-30 seconds then it goes on normal mode.

@mariomaster96 This is an opportunity to help someone new to nintendo life. Let them know that more details in the title can get them better attention And vague titles may get ignored. This is the first forum Ive ever joined, and some cool people here helped me when I was a forum newb. @StoJ92

Striking. I think a week ago a similar question was raised in another thread.. and what do you know.. Last weekend I also got caught by surprise with how loud my internal fan was running.

Perhaps a combination of age (dusty) + summer (warm weather) is the reason that more users start noticing?

Yeah & if you're inclined to worry about such things, you start listening for it rather more....

@Bankaj That loud turbo fan mode seems to start after you've had your Switch a while. I dont know how long that is, though... months? 6 months? I cant recall when I first noticed it either. How old is your Switch now?

Bought my Switch in January 2018. Play most of the time in Handheld-mode, so it is logical that I notice it, since the distance is less than a meter.
Still this was the first time I really got bothered by it. It started in the middle of an intense cutscene and it is pretty loud. It definitely disturbed the suspense of the scene.

Agree with BruceCM though, probably now more attention to it, so I'm on the alert for it lately.

Answer

This seems to be the exact cause, I noticed mine doing this a couple of months ago and just blew some compressed air into the vents. Was shocked how much dust came out! But almost immediately I could tell the difference in how hard and how soon the fan kicked in.

@Mondos guess it is worth a shot, thanks for sharing the experience.
Yesterday during a run of Trials of Mana, I had to increase my volume to nearly 75% of max in order to enjoy the cutscenes. This fan is loud I tell you, haha!

When was the last time you stuck a fan on the top vent to vacuum the dust bunnies out? That could be also a issue if it's in a dusty environment dust can build up just like a fan on computer or laptop that needs cleaning each year to remove dust bunnies. If you hear more then just a whirring fan then you have issues that need to be looked at by a repair shop or Nintendo if in warranty.