New Dell XPS 13 Fan Noise is ridiculous!

I don’t suggest rolling back the BIOS to A01.  I do suggest testing to see if disabling the start up and services group to check to see if it makes any difference at all with the level of fan activity and noise.  Please give it a go and report back if there were any changes.   If the problem continues please shoot me a private message, just click on my signature and click send message.  Please include the service tag and your shipping info in your message.

TB

Thanks Terry. I did shut down the optional services as you suggested using msconfig, but it had no effect. Before doing so I verified the system was quiet (no downloads in progress, cpu near 0% busy). for the record, the services are now back to where they were when the system was shipped.

The sequence of events was as follows;

System working fine, fan almost never comes on.

Update BIOS to A02, restart

Fan runs higher than I have ever heard it.

Posted my initial message here noting the fan running at very high speeds.

Taskmanager shows CPU idle

run msconfig and disable non-ms services, restart (not expecting a positive result as there was no load)

No change, fan still running at high speed.

Update all drivers available for download

Fan running hard, no change.

Turned off the system and left it alone for 15 minutes or so.

Start system, Fan was quiet (off) for some time.

By the end of me typing this message, the fan is back on albeit at a low speed.

So, in summary, before I started this process, my fan never ran unless there was a heavy CPU load.

After the upgrade to A02, the "new normal" at idle load is the fan running at a relatively low speed.

-Bernie

XPS 13z I5, 256GB

Same problem, just got a new xps 13 and the fan constantly runs and its quite annoying.  Another problem is the RIGHT direction key on the keyboard; if i barely put my finger on it then it triggers; seems way to over-sensitive; no other keys have this problem (I am not pushing down on the key- just barely resting the finger on it).

Ive updated to A02 bios and it still did not fix the problem. I've also reformatted the computer and used a stock vanilla Windows 7 64-bit disc.  Installed all the dell drivers and no hardware drivers are missing in device manager so everythign is 100% installed.  Still the same issue; the fan constantly runs and is quite annoying.

Also have a macbook air and its dead silent.

You have a really good laptop here but the constant fan noise likely means I will be returning the laptop.

Also note I see my cpu is at 1% most of the time and the fan is still going.  There is a serious problem with the fan controller if there is very little cpu usage and it stil runs.  Eventually it does turn off but only when the system is going toward an idle state.

Since updating to A02 Bios, my system work much better now.  It is usually dead quiet unless running a program that needs a little more power or a HD video.

Very lucky.  Love the device except for this fan issue.  Will see if it gets any better with A03, otherwise will return.

Got to ask, what are people see as far as temps?

Mine seems to idle at 55c and go up to 68-70c under load. That seems a bit high to me.

I am experiencing the high fan noise as well.  Even after A02 BIOS update, the fan RPM/noise has not changed.

Now, I have re-installed my own purchased version of W7 Professional x64 on the machine - bare install.  Installed Dell drivers from ResourceCD, etc.  But, I can't help but think that maybe Dell had better power management control (and therefore fan control) on their OEM install.  Is there a way we can replicate Dell's power management settings to reflect tolerable fan noise?

Or perhaps someone out there can correct me by saying that their OEM Dell install DOES also have intolerable fan noise?

This laptop features carbon fiber on the bottom for better heat dissipation, correct? Or, rather, is it carbon fiber for better heat insulation?  I'd much rather have a warmer laptop bottom than this Jet-Engine fan noise.  I'm ONLY doing Windows update right now, no video, backlit keyboard is off, display is dimmed - But fan is at 75-100% of RPM capacity.  This is loud!! Intolerable!!

I was so excited for the Dell XPS 13.  I was anxiously waiting for the release.  Please don't ruin my enthusiasm with a simple fimrware/BIOS update.  In any event, I need an ultrabook with Windows 7 Pro x64.  So, if this problem isn't corrected (and I'm under the assumption that it can be quite easily with a BIOS or fan controller update) I will be returning this unit to Best Buy and getting the HP Folio.

EDIT:

I'd like to add, that after I had done all the Windows updating and installing I let the computer sleep for some time.  Came back to use it - did some web surfing and some lite installs (adobe reader, flash, Windows Live) and the fan never went over ~33% RPM capacity.

NOT nearly as loud as doing heavy installs, etc.

So... for now, doing some web surfing and lite installs don't spin that fan up too much.  But I'll definately keep an eye on it to see if its intolerable in the future.  And, I'll reply here if I have future complaints.

The dell stock install is no different.  I've installed the new bios too and the same problem.  I was on call with a dell tech yesterday and he tried telling me that its because I was using the laptop and all laptops need to cool after being used; as if I'm some idiot that doesnt understand how computers work (I've been using and programming computers for 15+ years).  The computer was on not even an hour and there was nothing running; it was turned on specifically to address the fan and other issues with dell tech support.

The computer will kick its fan on if you open a webbrowser, just about anything with even small graphics causes the fan to turn on; as if its having problems.  I will note that the bios update seems to have fixed the issue somewhat because the fan turning on so often isnt as bad as it used to be.  But it's still pretty bad.

My laptop alsohad a problem with the right directional key; it was stuck/over sensitive and if you barely put your finger on it; it would trigger a keypress (not good if you are playing a game).  The touchpad on this device is also horrendous, if you try to two finger scroll up/down it just doesnt work very well; and sometimes it doesnt even trigger a scroll.

I use a macbook air 11' with Windows 7 installed via bootcamp and wanted to get rid of that and move to a machine thats built for windows, sadly this isnt the machine.  I'm waiting for dell to email me the return label so I can ship this back.  It's really funny how an apple machine works so much better with Windows than any other machine; it doesnt ahve this fan/heat issue; the keyboard works great and the two finger scrolling is one of the best I've ever used on any laptop - and all within Windows.

I updated my system to A02, but the fan noise became even louder and more intolerable. The fan noise is even louder than my XPS studio desktop when i put them next to each other. I don't understand why is it always on even with very little web browsing. I already returned the unit and wishing this problem can be solve and then I will reconsidering buying it back. It is a nice system overall, but it also should be quite in order for anyone to use it. I simply didn't want to annoy anyone around me in class by using this computer. I will keep following with this issue, and hope there is a solution soon before I purchase the Macbook Air.

The BIOS is A02 and I did disable all services in msconfig and restart. Still can't solve the problem. The noise is really annoying.

I don't understand why is it always on even with very little web browsing.

Exactly. I did test. If the browser is open, the fan noise is noticeable. 

My fan runs constantly. The main reason (in my case) is that they put the intake and exhaust UNDER the laptop! When I place the laptop "on my lap"... it blocks all airflow.

Whoever thought up that brain "TOU violation" should be fired. Oh, and love the erratic trackpad.