Studio XPS 435MT - problem with fan

hi,

has anyone installed the latest BIOS update yet?

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R213831&SystemID=STUDIOXPS435MT&servicetag=&os=WV64&osl=en&deviceid=19570&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=4&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=1&fileid=302521

Fixes/Enhancements:

1.Fan Control Enhancement.
2.Fixed system can not return to last state from power lose when AC Recovery is set to "Last" in BIOS Setup.
3.Change the default boot sequences to Hard Disk, Optical Drive, floppy and Onboard NIC.

I'm just curious to know if this update might fix the fan problems for those of you experiencing it...

I didn't know about the BIOS update. I did replace the Nexus fan (27 CFM) with a Silenx Ixtrema fan that is14 dBA at 42 CFM. It's very quiet 99.5% of the time, but ramps up for very brief periods at random intervals. When I check it with software that's measuring the heat of various components, I can't see anything that has spiked in temp and could have kicked the fan on, nor does it seem like the fan's running for 15 seconds at high speed really cools anything down. Oddly enough, I don't really find it annoying for the short periods it ramps up, so I haven't done anything yet. Come summer?

I haven't tried the BIOS update yet, but from what i've read it doesn't do much.

Also, as well as the fan ramping up in Vista, my mouse movement also pauses for a few seconds at a time under normal use (with no games or anything intensive)

Has anyone else had this mouse hanging for a few seconds at a time issue????

sharpsharp, from what i've read it seems to be working pretty good... look at this thread :

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19249463.aspx?PageIndex=7

my only question is : if i install this update, should i put back the stock 70 CFM case fan back in, instead of the 37 CFM (but much quieter) one i've installed? i'm curious to hear about other people in this matter...

Just wanted to let everyone know I just purchased a studio 435MT and it is really quiet.  I guess Dell heard the complaints and resolved the issue.

Is it possible to place two noctua 92mm chase fans on top of each other to compensate?

I think 2 noctuas will be more silent than the stock chase fan.

I think you need to give up this quest, friend. The stock case fan moves more air than any of the other available fans, and the noise issue, which was very significant months ago, has been solved for virtually all 435MT users by BIOS updates. Check and make sure that you have BIOS 1.1.2. This has quieted my case fan to the point that I cannot hear it at all in normal use.

Your idea of two Noctua fans , one on top of the other, is a non-starter. First of all, how were you planning to plug  the second one into the motherboard? Second, there is no reason to believe it would cool better even if you could do it. Additionally, problems with resonance might make it noisier than one fan.

Bob N.

I have latest bios, installed it when it came out, it helped little, but still, its to noisy.

robnich:

Your idea of two Noctua fans , one on top of the other, is a non-starter.

Get-Away:

I have latest bios, installed it when it came out, it helped little, but still, its to noisy.

robnich:

Your idea of two Noctua fans , one on top of the other, is a non-starter.

What do you mean?

Non-starter = Won't work

There is only one fan connector on the motherboard, you would need a Y-connector and then hope the motherboard will properly handle two case fans when it was designed for only one. Also, there is a strong possibility that (a) less air would be moved by two fans one on top of the other, and (b) they would be noisier than one fan.

Bob N.

Personally, my favorite idea in this exchange was the two fans blowing in opposite directions. It almost makes me want to epoxy two fans together, apply power and see what happens as they each fight to draw air from each other. May the strongest fan win.

Thinking of buying a xilence fan adapter, so I can change the stock case fan with a 120mm fan.

Take a look at this review --> http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/120-140-fans-roundup.html

And take a look at this list --> http://www.xbitlabs.com/misc/picture/?src=/images/coolers/120-140-fans-roundup/11_diagr_dba-cfm_big.png&1=1

According to the list, Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E (1170RPM) has more airflow and less noise than Noctua NF-S12B FLX (1230RPM)

On the other hand, the offical specs says the opposite.

Official specs:

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E - 49 CFM - 20.1 dB

Noctua NF-S12B FLX - 59.2 CFM - 18.1 dB

Which is true?????

I can tell you that months ago I tried both of these fans, and neither one cooled as well as the stock Dell fan, which is rated at 70cfm. Core temperatures, as reported by RealTemp and HWMonitor, were several degrees higher, as was TMPIN0. It appears, hard as it might seem to accept, that Dell's engineers knew what they were doing when they selected the case fan. As I mentioned in earlier posts, the BIOS upgrades (currently 1.1.2) have solved the noise problem for most users, as this poll shows:

http://www.boilr.net/2009/06/19/435mt-bios-1-1-2-is-near-silence-to-my-ears/comment-page-1/#comment-316

Bob N.

Did you test thoose 120mm fans on full speed?

Which had best temps and which had less noise?

Get-Away:

Did you test thoose 120mm fans on full speed?

Which had best temps and which had less noise?

It was months ago and I do not remember. The bottom line is that you cannot get better, or even equal, cooling from changing case fans. Any change in noise level would be negligible, in my opinion. My advice, once again, is to forget about this issue and get on with using your computer.

Bob N.

Is there any fan settings in bios? Couldn't find it.