M15X Fan Noise

I have just purchased a M15x laptop to replace an Inspiron 1520 laptop. I have been playing Lord of the Rings Online and Dragon Age reasonably OK on my 1520 but purchased a M15x as a replacement laptop to be able to play these games with higher graphics quality and also with smoother and more responsive graphics. As well as using the laptop for everyday use and for high definition video editing.

When I play these games on high or very high settings the fans at the back of the M15x turn on almost instantly. Compared to the 1520 the noise seems much louder. Since I live in a small (and very old) cottage I don't have a separate "games room" so it will be usual for me to play games on my laptop whilst my partner reads or watches TV or uses laptop. The noise is sufficiently loud to be intrusive. After a while the speed of the fans kicks in even more - it is louder than the 1520, than any desktop I've had previously and prior to using laptops I always had desktops which high specs.

If I play the game with Stealth switched on and game settings at low then the fans don't kick in. Blissfully quiet. If I switch Stealth mode off and keep the game settings still at low the fans kick in almost straight away and not at their lowest speeds either.

My BIOS and drivers are all the latest versions (v A08).

The specs for my M15x are as follows (the ones I think are relevant):

Intel® Core™ i7 740QM (1.73 Ghz, 6MB, 4C), 6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x4096], 1.5GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460M, 500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive, 9-cell 85Whr Lithium Ion battery, 40cm (15.6") Wide Full HD Display (1920x1080)

My questions are (and thanks in advance for any help):

1. Is the fan noise normal when playing the games on low setting?

2. Is the fan noise normal when playing the games on high or very high setting?

3. Anything I can do to stop the fans kicking in at such a high and noisy speed?

4. Anything I can do to reduce the fan noise?

I fear that if the noise is normal then I may have to return the item because it will be unusable in my current circumstances.