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Curious solution to heat and fan problem with Studio XPS 16
This month I bought two identical Dell Studio XPS 16 portables for my twin daughters. Previously, I read in forums like these about overheating and fan problems. But I thought Dell would have solved thes issues by now.
I installed the first portable : no problems. Fan was audible when moderatly stressing the machine, but was not annoying.
Then I started on the second one. I immediately noticed a loud heardryer noise when booting the machine. Just a glitch I thought. But the same loud fan noise (on the back, left) started over and over with short interruptions. Even when the machine was not being used. I recognized this behaviour from earlier readings on forums. I started upgrading all available software via the Dell Driver site, including of course the BIOS-upgrade to A.09. No change.
I then installed one of the available tools to measure the temperatures inside the machine (I think it was HWMONITOR). The temperatures were not extremely high on CPU and GPU, but slightly higher than on the other 'normal' portable. All around 50°C, with extremes to 65°C.
After everal hours, I finally solved the fan issue in the most curious manner : I blew in the exhaust on the back (partially hidden by the RGBLED screen) while the machine was running and producing the heardryer noise. This made the fan turn in the opposite direction for a short time. One way or the other, the problem was solved instantly. Temperatures dropped slightly, and most of all : the fan noise was back to normal all the time. Comparable with the other machine.
This is no joke! I can only guess how this manoeuvre solved the fan issue. Did I blow away a peace of debry ? Did I activate a second fan (of the GPU) that got stuck before ?
Anyone with the same experience ?
Specs: Dell Studio XPS 16 / RGBLED screen 1920x1080 / 6 Gb RAM / Intel I5 540M 2,53 Ghz / Bluray drive.
kirkd
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August 23rd, 2010 09:00
There may have been a slight mis-alignment of the fan blade and it was rubbing something. When you blow "air" into a laptop, you can damage the fan by over-spinning, so use some care if you repeat this "fix". As you are under warranty, if this happens again, call for a repair.
tkeffer
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December 4th, 2012 18:00
OMG! This actually worked for me! I think it blew out some lint, but the fan is noticeably quieter now! Thanks!
hmiller911
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February 11th, 2015 14:00
I've been fighting heat issues for some time as well. I blew out the dust with canned air, but for some days the system would blue screen shortly after a reboot. Eventually that resolved itself somehow, but the heat problem remains. I've updated the BIOS, gone through the internal space to remove any remaining lint. I'm still seeing the heat readings that seem too high. SpeedFan reports Temp1 at around 50 degrees C when not much is running. Viewing video pushes it up to around 70 or 80. Then I think it spikes & the system shuts down completely.
kirkd
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February 12th, 2015 08:00
Are you sure the fan is actually running? What is the temperature when it shuts down? You might have a problem with the heat sink. It could be not attached properly, or is not securely attached (loose screws). Some have broken You could take it apart, clean the surfaces and re-assemble with new heat transfer paste (Arctic Silver) or heat transfer pad. Search the web to see what others have found for this type problem. Heat issues are more of an art than science.