Studio XPS 435MT - problem with fan

This is very disturbing news...

Have you contacted Dell support about those issues?

I'd just like to know what is their official stance on this problem... or if they acknowledge it at all.

Interesting - I've had my system now for a few days and the ONLY time I've heard the fans rev up to full is immediately after turning on the power, for about 1-2 seconds.  I assume this is a normal part of bootup.  Other than that, it's perfectly fine - no problems with fan noise.  Sitting at idle, playing a game like TF2, or even after running Prime95 for 5-10 minutes at full blast I cannot get the fans to spin up to full speed.  Temperature at the CPU is reported at 41C at full load.

I wonder if maybe it's a problem with only certain systems?  Perhaps a bad connection between the CPU heatsink and the CPU?  If it helps, here's the info I got from my system using CPU-Z:

Chris, with this new forum software (new to me!), I didn't see how to do a PM, so I chose "start a conversation"...is that right, and did you get it? 

Thanks.

kcool70,
Please send me those service tags in a private message.

bryanwxup,
After installing some apps, a few Windows updates and a few reboots, now the fans are relatively quiet (but still noisy overall).
* What apps?

The apps were: McAfee Virusscan, Office 2007, iTunes, Adove PS/DW/AI and more.

Hi Chris,

I sent the info to you via the send message button when after clicking on your name.

I haven't tried replacing the fans so I hope you can help figure out what the problem is.

Thanks! 

polarys,

How did you find your CPU temp?  I tried Everest, but only got the hdd temp (and can only see that right after installing the software).  I also tried speedfan, but I was seeing crazy temperatures like 80C and -50C, neither which I believe.

Also, has anyone had any luck replacing the case fan while keeping the computer as cool or cooler?  I too have a hard time believing the stock fan pushes out 70 CFM, but it does make you wonder...

Try CoreTemp for measuring temperature. Download the 64-bit version from this site: http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

Has anyone actually heard from Chris after answering him through a private message? I did not. I'm not sure what the point was of providing the service tag info, etc. Perhaps he's just tracking which machines reported problems with noise. I was wondering if we were going to be sent quieter fans.

I used SIW (System Information for Windows) for monitoring temperatures but if you want something that runs in the background and/or system tray then you may need to look at alternatives (such as Core Temp).  SIW also shows you fan speeds which can be handy, too.

I've now updated my power supply to a Silencer 500 Dell (which BTW doesn't seem any quieter than the stock power supply) but now I have the juice to run top end video cards which is nice.  It's also more energy efficient, too.  Using a Kill-a-Watt meter to measure power consumption from the power outlet, I measured 121W with the stock power supply when idle in Vista, 235W with Prime95 maxing out the CPU, and 245W with Prime95 and 3DMark06 running (with a Power Factor of 0.58 in all cases).  After putting in the new power supply, the numbers dropped to 111W, 216W, and 225W respectively, with a PF of 0.98.  After replacing the video card with a GeForce 8800GTS the numbers were 167W, 278W, and 322W.

One other note - I tried to replace the case fan with a variable speed fan (the Arctic Cooling AF9225) but it didn't work very well.  Since the Dell motherboard only has a 3-pin fan connector and not a 4-pin PWM (or even software-controlled fan control), I had to hook it up to the 4-pin CPU fan connector (linking in the actual CPU fan of course).  However I don't think it spun fast enough as the temperature of the CPU at idle went from about 47C (before) to 50C.  I tried hooking it up to the 3-pin connector on the motherboard but it didn't even spin.  So back in goes the stock fan.  Just something to consider if you're going to switch out the case fan.  It would be nice if there were a case fan in the front of the case, as I'm sure that would increase air flow.

In running the Nexus fan, which comes with both 3-pin and 4-pin connectors, cores are always 44C or less at idle. I used the 3-pin connection like the original fan.

I ran the Dell diagnostics, which tests the fan, and it was able to crank it up to max speed, though I'm not sure what that is. The fan was cranking and making a strong whoosh sound. That tells me that the 3-pin connector does vary fan speed according to cooling needs. The diagnostics identified that the fan was not OEM.

hi polarys,

i've changed the stock fan with the AC AF9225 one using the CPU 4-pin connector and it work just fine, when blowing at full 2000 rpm it's still in a reasonable sound level; the stock fan pushes more air (70 CFM instead of 38.5 for the AC) but is *so* noisy it's just not an option. the Core i7 are designed to run quite hot. my cores run at 50 idle and 70-75 when under full load. likewise, the 4800 series of video card can operate safely at crazy high temperatures (100+ celsius) without damage.

unless you plan on overclocking your hardware, i wouldn't worry too much about those temp.

Yeah I'm not worried about reaching maximum temperatures or anything, it's just that the lower the temperature, the slower the fans will run and the quieter the system will be! 

After reading through my first post in this thread, I noted that my idle temp was 41C and now it's about 47-48C with the new power supply and video card.  I suppose the Geforce video card is probably adding more heat to the case (maybe even the power supply too).  Still all within acceptable limits.

I don't think I'll replace my stock case fan, because it's actually quieter than the power supply fan.  I think those of you with loud case fans must have a defective part because it really should be barely audible at slower RPMs (mine's currently running at about 1400 RPM).

maybe you're right about getting a defective fan... well, my stock fan was honestly scaring me. the first time it started spinning at (what i thought was) full power, i just jumped. my girlfriend was in the other room and came in to check out what was making that loud noise. then a few minutes later, it just went to 100% power and it was like having a leaf blower in my room. when playing games it was just unbearable.

now with the new AC fan it's barely audible when idle, and when gaming (Fallout 3 @ ultra high details) it's humming along not too loudly and at a constant noise level, which blends in the background noise. oh and by the way, Dell might have been busy with this issue :  my friend ordered one two weeks ago and his order was delayed, when he called to inquire about the problem, they told him they were waiting for case fans.

I have the same problem, every 5-6 minutes, fans starts spinning at max speed for 3-5 seconds, then it slows down, and it's annoying :(

i've also updated BIOS, and no chnage. Is it possible to solve this problem with software update or sth else?

edit: i've realized that when i change computer mode to sleep, and then chage it to normal, my pc does not spin at max speed randomly anymore. but do i have to change my computer mode to sleep temporarily on startup to prevent this fan problem?