Dell XPS 700 chipset very hot to touch - is this normal?

Hello!  So i've never actually touched my chipsets when they are under load or idle, but some computers do have little fans on them.  I know some alienware computers have fans on some of the chipset heatsinks.  One thing that comes to mind is the PSU.  Is your PSU upgraded or is it factory?  If its factory it could be overloaded and over time would produce poor power to the computer thus causing BSOD issues.  Also 73C on your processor isn't bad and is more likely normal for that processor.  

Ahh, I see.  If you are overclocking see if reducing the overclock helps.  If I were you I would reset the entire BIOS to default in that area or automatic and see if maybe the overclock is becoming unstable.  Have you tried re-seating the memory and GPU?  That is taking them out and putting them back in.  For some reason that sometimes helps.  

:-( Sorry I couldn't be any more help.  If you 'underclock' it or 'normalize the clock' and it solves the problem, at least you know something is wearing out.  Hopefully the extra fan will work out!  I'm going to assum you have an aurora or the like.  I think you can replace the motherboard with a standard ATX if its a mobo problem.  That way you can save the CPU, GPU, and Memory at least.  

I see.  You can still buy BTX motherboards new.  I would try Newegg or Amazon and see what you can find.  Much cheaper then replacing the entire thing.  Good Luck!

Hello again,

I am writing this to report back on the re-seating business.

It has not worked. The system still freezes up occassionally for no apparent reason. It normally happens relatively shorttly after I switch it on, often at idle. 

I also tried removing the overclock (back to 2.93 from 3.46). No difference. Go figure.

I am now turning towards the PSU as the culprit. When I turn my ear to it from the back of the case, I can hear not only conticous buzzing but also occassional bubbling, as of a boiling liquid or some other such intermittent sound. Anyway,as it is a non-standard PSU, I suppose I will have to live with it until my patience expires or until the system quits totally. For a 2007 flagship desktop, I probably should not complain, anyway.

Thanks to all those who replied,

Have you run diagnostics on the RAM, fans, and hard drive from the F12 menu?

Is something running in the background that causes it to freeze? Does it freeze if you re-boot in Safe Mode?

Have you looked in the Windows Event Viewer around the time of a freeze to see if any events, such as "thermal event", have been logged?

If you reseated the CPU, did you clean both surfaces and apply fresh thermal paste before reinstalling the heat sink? And even if you didn't reseat the CPU, the old thermal paste may have dried out and might need to be cleaned off and replaced.

Thanks for the reply.

No, the F12 menu is new to me, never owned a dell before. Just read up on it and will do it tomorrow.

Nothing runs in the background, I have checked for that, it will freeze at idle with with almost empty ram or under load.

Will check the event viewer and come back.

Have not tried safe mode, it is pretty much useless. I use the machine for fun, the freezes are occassional, but I can leave it to sit in safe mode and see.

I did reseat the cpu, all done properly, it is still running warmer than before (up to 80 C), as the new generic paste is curing. I have Arctic mx4 on the way, will clean again and redo it once more when it arrives. And MX4 needs no curing, they say.

Thanks for the hints! Will report back.

Hello again,

Sorry for not coming back on this for such a long time.

Just to let you know that the overclock was the problem. I reduced it to 3.24ghz and it has been stable eversince. I also mickey-moused a little fan over the chipset radiators just for the *** of it.The radiators are not even lukewarm now.