Studio XPS 435MT - problem with fan

My Studio XPS 435MT did the same thing on the first startup. After installing some apps, a few Windows updates and a few reboots, now the fans are relatively quiet (but still noisy overall). Only on one occaision recently did I hear the fan crank up to leafblower noise level, when i ran SyncToy to merge about 30,000 mp3 files all at once.

Overall the noise from the one rear case fan is unacceptable. I have a new one on order. I'll post a review if the noise level is any better. Here it is: http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/92mmfans/x-rw-92r

I found the idea from this guy's post: http://www.voidware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=2.

Good luck!

Thanks for the information on upgrading the psu and fan. I may consider it if I'm unable to get this resolved with Dell support.

Do you know if there is a heat / fan speed monitoring software that comes with the pc?

It's software that usually comes with the motherboard (that's if I put one together myself).

I have an XPS 435MT as well that has a loud fan. Very disappointing. All my Dells until now have been very quiet--which is why I chose to buy another Dell. I decided though that it's not worth messing with Dell support over this issue and instead have purchased a quieter fan. Hopefully it will come soon and I can quiet the beast. Here's what I ordered: http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=nexus92mm.html based on the size info on this thread.

hey Brian, how did that Xilence fan worked out for you. I ordered one, I was hoping it's the magic solution to the noise problem. 

Hi, actually 2 problems:

- The Xilence fan moves 27 CFM and the rating on the dell installed fan is 75. I didn't care to look until I plugged in the Xilence and noticed almost no airflow at the same RPM.

-The CASE is the bigger problem. I noticed that with the Xilence fan installed some of the noise was still there. The constant humm is from the case mount.

So, I ordered some gummi case mounts of of ebay for $1. I'll let you know how they work out:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=310089510458

Looking to replace the fan as well. Please let me know how it works out.

Should I go with the Xilence or this Nexus one?

I got the Nexus fan from endpcnoise.com in Vancouver, Washington. It's rated 27 CFM. The fan that I took out of my 435MT is rated 70 CFM. But I don't think it was running that fast. Based on a very subjective feel of the flow of air on my hand, the Nexus fan right now is putting out about the same flow.

I was a little worried about installing it, but called endpcnoise and talked to someone there. He was extremely nice and helpful and said to see if the CPU has its own fan (it does) and if it does, go ahead and install the Nexus and see if the computer ever really needs to crank up its flow.

The good news the computer is now silent. At least very reasonably quiet. I used to be able to hear it outside the room. Now I can't. It's just a very low hum now when it's at my feet. I'm completely satisfied.

That said, I should point out that I haven't really put the computer to any hard work yet. I'm mostly running Office applications--I work at home. The real test will be when I work on a video or when summer rolls around and my office heats up into the 80s (I don't have air conditioning). I'll report back if I notice any problems. I'm definitely keeping the original fan ...

I bought these little plastic pins called NB SLICS that dampen out the sound transferred into the case. I would say with the stock fan it is about half as noisy at the low fan speed.

I still have not yet installed the Xilence because of the lower CFM rate. I am concerned that it may get too hot inside the case, however I am goign to try and install two Xilence fans, one in the front and one in the back when I have some free time (not soon).

My main concern is when the fan really speeds up, like when I'm doing any HD video editing, or when I have multiple resource-hungry apps open simultaneously for graphics (Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, PLUs the usual Outlook/Firefox/iTunes that are always on). I don't want to have the little fan pumping the heat out when I have no idea whether the fan speed is physically temperature controlled or controlled by CPU clocks.

With my old ASUS machine, I could tell the fans when to rev up, by temp or by CPU clocks. I have yet to find that spec in the Dell machine's BIOS or manual(s). Anybody know?

I've been running my Dell 435MT now for a week with the Nexus fan. I've installed a software application that gives me the temperatures of the cores. They're all running from 39 to 44 degrees Celsius, which I understand is normal. So far though, I haven't really done anything like video rendering that really puts a load on the processors. When I get around to that it will be interesting to see how well the Nexus fan does in keeping the case cool.

Hi oc1,

Have you tried pushing the load on the processors? How's the temperature and the noise? Keep us updated...

I'm looking for a solution to quiet down the 435MT, and the Nexus fan seems like a good solution, if it can keep the cores cool.

Thanks.

It's also the middle of winter (Northern Hemisphere anyway), so what's it going to be like at the height of summer ?

Has anyone determined yet what is actually causing the noise in the system?  It seems to me that if the system is quiet at idle and noisy under load, that it's more likely either a loud power supply or a loud CPU fan (or maybe even video card), because those fans are typically variable speed based on temperature.  Case fans are usually single-speed so if they were noisy, then the system would always be loud - not just under load.

I've ordered this system and since I'd like to use an existing Geforce 8800GTS I'm going to put in a beefier power supply (the Antec Earthwatts 500W).  It would be nice to know if I should also be ordering a quieter CPU fan and/or case fans, too.

For me, it was the case fan, plain and simple. I could tell that just by looking at the back of the case and putting my ear close to it. Now whether the noise was the mounting or the fan, I'm not sure. The Nexus fan I installed came with a rubbery mounting system that could also attribute to how quiet the system now is. I didn't have any problems with the original fan changing its speed at times and getting louder. It was loud from the moment you turned on the PC to the time you turned it off. The noise was consistent and very even.

I have two separate fan problems.  One, the rear case fan makes a continuous noise.  I verified it was the rear case fan by stopping the fan.   The noise is constant and would require replacing the fan.

Second, I have the problem with the fan(s) going full blast for no reason.  To watch what is going on, I installed HWMONITOR and watched the fan speeds, core temps, and other monitors.

At least once every five minutes, for no reason, BOTH fan 0 and fan 1 (CPU and REAR CASE) go from about 1300-1500RPM to almost 4000RPM.

Very disturbing.  CPU utilization is not a factor, nor is core temps.  Nothing seems to trigger it.  It happens duriing idle, or when web browsing, etc.

It will stay at the high fan speed for anywhere from 3-10 seconds, then slow back down to normal.

I obviously cannot live with that noise.  I've updated the BIOS, and no change.  Back to Dell, I'm afraid.