Aurora-R7, top fan, noise between 1670 to 1770 RPM

Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth a million.

I recorded it and posted to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcJWoKsRlp0

Hard to tell. That's like listening to the engine of a car making a funny noise ... with the hood closed. :TongueTied:

Sounds like a fan. Maybe the low-rpm "Top Fan" ... maybe. You will have to fix it to know for sure.

If you have a warranty, I suggest you call Dell. Technicians are trained to learn how to fix computers.

It is the top fan.  The noise; think of that ratcheting sound a noisy hard drive makes.  That's the best I can describe the sound except it only happens at a certain RPM. 

The fan works just fine apart from that.  This is more of an annoyance rather than something that affects the computer's ability to function.

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@amstel78 wrote:

It is the top fan. 

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If you are sure then replace it (or have it replaced). Dell Fans are like $20. 

Sounds like you have a Liquid-Cooler, so they will likely replace the whole Liquid-Cooler assembly. 

I submitted a ticket.  Waiting for them to get back to me.

Oddly enough, the noise goes away completely when the computer is laid on its side.  Out of curiosity, I also ran ePSA.  No problems detected with either fan or coolant pump.  All screws are tight as well.  Might just be one of those things I guess.

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@amstel78 wrote:

Oddly enough, the noise goes away completely when the computer is laid on its side.  

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Like you said ... un-balanced blades or bad bearing (sometimes it just has a cheap sleeved-bushing). Sometimes it's just a wire rubbing on blades, but I'm assuming you checked for that already.

These fans are made by the thousands, and not every one is perfect. And yes, sometimes that cheap fan ends-up in your expensive Liquid-Cooler, high-end power-supply, computer case, or whatever. 

Some companies make high-end fans, most with stricter quality control. 

You can replace the fan inside the water cooling assembly with a more quality one, but it's some work...

You would have to remove the water cooler from your pc, obviously requiring a re-paste and install.

I notice mine has a bit of a "grindy noise" when cpu is at a low load, but I have a heavy fan profile under my OC, so most of the time it is spinning fast and the "grindy noise" disappears due to the high rpm and louder sound.

The fans aren't quality ones (as far as noise goes), but the aio system is actually very good. I just leave it be. Performance computers are always loud and it's just the way it is unless COMPLETELY water cooled.

If I was you, I would just learn to accept it (as the replacement would likely be irritable as well). Or look into replacing the fan in your existing water cooler yourself. 

I honestly feel like the fan was meant to be run at higher rpm than it is under default settings and low load. It moves a TON of air, and it is seemingly reliable.

Not sure buddy. 

I just know it has been done and there is plenty of info out there to help get it done.

In my opinion, the whole ordeal...still not worth bothering with. Maybe crank up your fan profile a bit just enough to get the rpm at a level where the distracting noise is gone?

I would surely replace my fan if I felt it really necessary though, no matter the headcahe ahead in getting it done. I would rather DIY the fan than have Dell replace with another oem chunk of dung. Of course, you could probably have them come out, but pick up the 3rd party fan in the time being, wait for them to remove and replace, surely they will assist you with installing the new fan into the cooler system before re-pasting and re-seating.

It's not Dell that comes out, it's a contracted hire.

Here is a link for info and a couple of amazon links to the fans commonly used as upgrades.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Alienware/comments/8h21o0/aurora_r7_cooling_upgrade_drops_temps_under_load/

Thanks for your reply.  Dell has offered to replace the AIO but like you mentioned, I do have concerns that the replacement will be just as bad or perhaps worse.  In addition, if the tech does a bad job replacing parts or reseating the cooler onto the CPU, it could lead to more problems down the road.

Perhaps I'll leave it be and wait until the last month of warranty coverage to have Dell check it out.

As for replacement fans, is the power header going to the motherboard a standard connector or proprietary?  

I'll have Dell replace the AIO one or two months before my warranty ends.  After that, I'll run with it for as long as I can tolerate the noise.

Yeah, I know performance machines are loud.  I've built quite a few high speed, low drag PC's in my day.  This Dell is the first one I bought "off the shelf" so to speak.  Unfortunately I didn't have the time nor patience to build a new one from scratch after my last workstation bit the dust.

It was for the most part quiet as a mouse when it was brand new.  Only recently did the top fan start making the noise I described earlier along with the AIO's water pump which sounds like a constant rapid ticking or clicking.  It's not air bubbles either because I've had the computer running while I've moved it into various positions, including upside down and the ticking won't go away.

Anyway, there are times when I work from home and when I do, I prefer to work in a quiet environment.  The noises coming out of the R7, while not obscenely loud, do start to irritate after awhile.

I have a loaded Aurora-R6 (with Liquid-Cooler, 850w PS, and GTX-1070).

During browsing and productivity tasks, it's hard to hear if it's even running.

During gaming (WoW , Fallout-4) you can finally hear some fans, but it's still quieter than my old Aurora-R1 (also equipped with a GTX-1070).

Try running yours on a curve.