Question about Dell Inspiron 15 3531

Question

Hi

I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron 15 3531. It comes with a 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2830.

I emailed support this question, got a response back that they needed to arrange a telephone appointment, which, I did (even though it didn't need that), phone support rang this morning, and were the single most unhelpful people ever.

So, to the question. On this laptop, this specific one, is this laptop supposed to have a CPU fan? Mine does not, the lady on the phone from support this morning would not take this as an answer, she said its just really quiet. And it would be really quiet, as its missing, not there, disappeared.

If the laptop is not supposed to have a fan, I understand, its a very budget orientated laptop and the CPU stays well within Intel's thermal specification (Tjunction 105c), hitting about 58-60c when playing 1080p video's.

But, if it is supposed to have a CPU fan, then I'd like to know so that I can get it fixed or whatnot.

Thanks in advance

ps I have some picture evidence that my laptop does indeed lack a CPU fan, that I can post if required.

MisterGiGs · Accepted Answer

Thanks for the link. I'd read that before posting, I think thats just another user review as opposed to anything professional, they also mention the laptop has bluetooth, which it does not. So its hard to tell whether having no CPU fan is intended or not, dell do not list it as fanless and do not mention anywhere that it is passively cooled (that would be a selling point to me tbh).

I think maybe I'll have to email support again and hope I get someone competent.

Thanks for your help though, it is appreciated.

ejn63 · Answer

See here: http://www.pcdailytips.com/dell-inspiron-i3531-1200bk-15-6-inch-laptop-n2830-baytrail-cpu/

MisterGiGs · Answer

Thanks for the response, you are correct that the N2830 is a low power device and likely doesnt need a CPU fan.

Can I ask which service manual you are looking at that shows a heatsink but no fan, as the only service manual I can see for my model shows a fan, which is what is causing my confusion.

The service manual at the "Removing the Heat-Sink Assembly" does say, "The heat-sink assembly may look different on your computer depending on the configuration you ordered", but I cannot find mention of any other model that has a similar board layout for the same model number.

Dell phone support said it has a fan, but they also would not even listen to me when I said there was no fan at all. Surely given my service tag they would have access to more specific information.

Anyway thanks for your response, Im still mighty confused, but I appreciate the help.

ejn63 · Answer

The service manual shows a heatsink but no fan - the processor (the Intel system on a chip) only uses 4.5W under normal conditions and a max of 7.5W so it's very likely the heatsink can do its job without a fan.

jasr64 · Answer

I've taken this model apart 3 times now. Indeed, it doesn't have a fan; well, the outer shell for the fan is there, but the fins on the inside and the fan connector are nonexistent. I was told by a Dell tech that this is on purpose.

I'm a contractor for Dell.

Bdodds1985 · Answer

Both Dell and Intel specifically made this laptop for people who know nothing about what should be inside a decent computer.

Intel Celron is a joke. Even worse than its pentium predecessors, and having used this laptop bought for by my school, it is very evident they put the cheapest parts together and sell it over the counter. It will run, but not well.

The chip in this computer is so low quality, the most expensive part about this laptop is the HDD and the RAM... which upgrading will do no good. I have put this laptop to the test, and cannot even use iTunes and the internet at the same time, without overloading the CPU, creating a stutter and overheating the laptop.

Dell has many models of this laptop, and all are extremely low quality, and built cheaply. It does not surprise me there is no fan, because they simply want you to buy a new one instead of having a laptop that last.

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Question about Dell Inspiron 15 3531

Was this post helpful?