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171375
XPS15, a very noisy laptop. FAN NOISE is unbearable
Let's face it, there is a fan noise problem with XPS laptops. There are plenty of people complaining all over the internet, in this forum and in other laptop forums.
I bought a new XPS15 and the first thing that struck me was indeed the horrible noise it makes
I tried many solutions to fix the problem, but nothing works.
Solutions that do not work:
- clean installation of windows + windows updates + drivers
- update windows and update all drivers, from Dell website, including NVIDIA drivers
- latest BIOS
- set energy plan to power saver, with cooling policy to passive, and maximum cpu to 99%, then 70%, 50%, 20%, 10%... Nothing works. Fan is still there.
- Set 3D settings in NVIDIA control panel to "integrated graphics" and disable 3D Vision in the Start Menu
- disable hardware acceleration in Firefox
- install the program "speed fan" (horrible! instead of fixing the problem, it made it even worse, the fan kicking on every 10 seconds)
I have no gadgets monitoring fan speed or CPU temperature, so the problem does not come from there either.
Finally, I live in a cold climate and my room has proper ventilation. I never had any problems with noisy laptop fans before. I use the laptop on a hard desk.
So even after trying all the possible solutions I could think of, the fan noise is still there. Sometimes it's just a buzzing, continuous, noise, other times, it's a loud noise. This only with Firefox and Windows Media Player open. When I copy files, or the antivirus is scanning the disk, then is like a hairdryer.
After informing the DELL technical support, a technician came to replace the fan and the heat sink on my laptop. The noise is slightly less irritating on the ears now, but there is still noise all the time. This is not normal at all, I have never seen something like this in any other laptop. So basically, changing the fan does not solve the problem.
The problem is not only mine. Just Google "XPS" + "noise" and you'll get 2.2 million results. There are also more than 500 videos on Youtube documenting the noise. Surely Dell cannot deny all this evidence.
Until when is Dell going to pretend that there is no fan noise problem? I found it really annoying to hear "that's odd, we haven't had anyone complaining about this" from the Technical support.
If there is a Dell representative reading this, I would like to know what the company is doing regarding this fault.
Does anyone else know about any other possible fix, apart from the ones I described above?
Thanks
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
0
September 9th, 2012 10:00
Thanks for your readings. My problem was the pulsing. The fan would go high speed for 2 seconds, then stop for 2 seconds. Then go high speed for 2 seconds and stop. It was very annoying as I was trying to work but all I could hear was the fan going on and off. I don't mind a fan that is always on. But a fan that is on/off/on/off is very annoying.
ajudante
30 Posts
0
September 9th, 2012 11:00
and some ppl need to understand how the human body works.
It's not a question of a simple equivalence "30db-silent, 40-audible 50-loud".
According to the WHO Guideline Values, when indoors, including homes and classrooms, the maximum noise level (above which there are negative health effects) should be 35 db(A). Inside the bedroom, when someone is sleeping, it should be 30 db(A). And your Dell XPS blasts at 45 db(A). If you're using it in the bedroom while your kids are sleeping, your totally "normal" Dell is producing a noise level 15 db(A) above the health standard recommended by the WHO, with effects on sleep disturbance. If students use it to study in the library, the Dell XPS is producing a noise 10 db(A) above the health standard, with effects on speech intelligibility, disturbance of information extraction and message communication
www.qualityplanning.org.nz/.../who-noise-guidelines.php
whqlibdoc.who.int/.../a68672.pdf
And it is not just a question of noise intensity, but of a series of other characteristics of the noise, such as duration and frequency. The intermitent, buzzing, mechanical noise produced by the Dell XPS is truly annoying. Comparing with noise with the same intensity but coming from different sources, it has a greater effect on loss concentration and sleep disturbance.
Let's face it, Dell XPS is like a hair drier. The worst thing Dell can do is to close its hears to this noise, and to the voices of people complaining.
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
0
September 9th, 2012 11:00
You format your HD and hope it goes away. But same thing. With no bloat-ware on the laptop. No hope. Must be internal.
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
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September 9th, 2012 11:00
Can you imagine your laptop fan going top speed, then off, then top speed, then off? For hours?
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
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September 9th, 2012 11:00
I don't mind the noise. It's the pulsing. You're not listening to me. It was pulsing. Go ahead and put the fans at a constant speed. But pulse it on/off/on/off. For hours. Just put it at high speed. But the 2 seconds on off on off, is like water torture. I searched for programs that would control the fans and keep it on at a constant speed. This is my 4th laptop and none have had fan control like this.
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
0
September 9th, 2012 12:00
What I said above is EVERY 2 seconds. ON/OFF/ON/OFF/ON/OFF. Just stay constant. I don't care about noise. But ON/OFF/ON/OFF/ON/OFF drove me crazy.
ajudante
30 Posts
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September 9th, 2012 12:00
dellxps15annoyingfan: I agree with what you said. The pulsing is also terrible. So you are right, I was not listening to you. Anyway, how could I listen to you, with all this noise blasting from our Dell XPS machines?
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
0
September 9th, 2012 12:00
It's like somebody revving their car in front off you. For hours. How can you work like that? It's so annoying.
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
0
September 10th, 2012 05:00
Could you say that again ajudante? Couldn't hear you because I have an XPS 15.
UCSCBrian
2 Posts
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September 10th, 2012 11:00
Good one!
So this error was enough to drive me to an Apple, if you can believe it.
But I was surprised to discover that even my new Mac Air was having a high fan (not as loud, and not pulsing, but more than my old Dell).
It turned out Firefox is just consuming a ton of CPU, I switched to Chrome on my Apple and it is silent as a mouse.
NOTE DELL: This noisy laptop drove a PC guy to Apple. PC people, Apples really aren't that bad once you reteach your pinky and thumb to hit the correct control/command key.
ajudante
30 Posts
0
September 10th, 2012 11:00
Apple is a good choice. I am considering it. But I also miss my old Sony, a machine as powerful as the Dell "Hair Dryer" XPS, but at least 100 db(A) less noisy. I did not even know that laptops make noise until I bought a Dell XPS. Believe me, I did not know what was a laptop fan and where the fan ventilator was located, and I owned 2 laptops before, a Compaq and a Sony. But now that I have a Dell XPS, I am perfecty aware of what is a laptop fan and where the ventilator is. Because I can hear it all the time. Not only me. I often work in public libraries and everybody around me also know where the fan ventilator of my Dell "Hair Dryer" XPS is located. I think they are not very happy with that, but if they ever ask me compensation for disturbing their work, I will send the bill to Dell.
keebellah
2 Posts
0
September 16th, 2012 03:00
Hi Terry,
My Studio 1558 has the same problem.
I'm unable to take to college with me because of the noise it makes.
I took it to my Computer store and they cleaned it, that was needed but it didn't change a bit.
As far as I can see when searching for similar issues, Dell is doeing quite a bad job on this.
I was considering a new DEL but seeing this and all the other's experience it won't be a ELL any more.
It's a pity but Dell does noet seem to be able to solve this.
I just wanted to say this.
Regards,
Hans Hallebeek
ajudante
30 Posts
0
June 9th, 2013 11:00
Has Dell even tried to do anything to solve this problem since it started to be reported by hundreds of users? I don't think so. There was a new BIOS laste last year, but it's totally useless to address the XPS terrible noise problem. What a lousy laptop. One thing I can tell you, Mr. Dell: Dell computers or products, NEVER AGAIN!! Should I also sue you for the stress and hearing problems that your noisy laptop has given me since I bought it? Thanks FOR NOTHING
keebellah
2 Posts
0
June 9th, 2013 13:00
Top notch!
Excellent service :Up: ,Laptop was picked-up. Returned but there was an addtional ('hidden?')problem Immediately engineer was sent to my home and the Motherboard was replaced again at no cost at all.
It runs like a charm and was never so silent.
dellxps15annoyi
17 Posts
0
June 9th, 2013 19:00
I think it's pretty much "ignore them and hopefully they'll go away". I think you're left with the only option of trying to fix it yourself. About 8 months after a Dell Tech replaced my fan & heatsink, the ON/OFF/ON/OFF every two seconds of the fan came back...
A few months ago I ended up totally disassembling my XPS almost to the last screw and cleaning all the dust and ripping off the plastic dust cover that was over the fan vent. You have to totally disassemble your XPS to get to this dust cover and peel it off but the ON/OFF/ON/OFF/ON/OFF hasn't been back since, so to me, it was worth the trouble. I noticed a 5C minus in temperature for the CPU.
It's been running nicely for the last few months. I know I'll probably get more dust build up in the long run because I ripped my dust cover off, but I don't care, whatever gets rid of the ON/OFF/ON/OFF. I'll just disassemble and clean it out again if need be.