DELL Precision 7530 abnormal thermals and fan control

Question

I purchased this product with Intel Core i9-8950HK processor, 4K display, 32GB DDR4 RAM and 2TB M.2 NVMe SSDs. I have had two main issues since purchase in February. First I ran into problems connecting portable hard drives via the Thunderbolt ports (described in a separate post).

Second issue I have had is the constant running of the fan with high core temperatures. I have had had services and parts replacements to address the first issue and somewhere down the line this new problem crept up. Temperature control appears to be an issue reported with most products of similar configuration that are currently in the market including DELL’s Alienware line. It was not an issue I expected with this product.

The issue is that the fans do not stop on AC power and core temperatures are high even at idle for several hours. The fans can get quite loud as well. This is ABNORMAL and if anyone else experiences this it should be reported. I have had a technician attempt to disregard this as normal as the core temperatures are not excessive. Thanks to the software HWinFO (https://www.hwinfo.com) I know that this is not true. I have provided links to log files generated by HWinFO for both normal and abnormal thermal and fan controls for the same workstation.

Normal thermal control,

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AYfnI3sFO3DLenzpzT0fN3KeLIRHI8Mn

Abnormal thermal and fan control,

https://drive.google.com/open?id=17EAroYhRoHbmqc6NmD3Meu7COFnXJq_P

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bPq1KmD2qrhQ7y9hQYWLo1mks1l120gw

This workstation if working normally maintains good core temperatures. At least on my configuration temperatures were maintained below 80 C with fans turning off when reaching about 50 C. Core temperatures appear to be lower on DC power.

Once the problem started the core temperatures were reaching over 90 C at idle and fans did not stop working. However, as soon as I switch off the power adaptor and run on battery power the temperatures rapidly come down and the fans turn off.

This may be related to the issues I have had with connecting portable hard drives via thunderbolt ports resulting in abrupt power failure (described in a separate post). Abnormal function of the embedded controllers may be the cause for this but I have had no confirmation from DELL. After several service visits and parts replacements (except for the processor), DELL has offered me a product replacement. I hope they will investigate and resolve any hardware/firmware issues in this premium product.

tlgcglr · Answer

I have the same problem with Xeon E 2186M configuration. Core 0 and 1 always overheats and fans run full on all the time when on the thunderbolt dock station...

What are the ways to calm them down?

Even on idle when none of the softwares running, clock speed goes upto 4.4GHz with 4-8% utilization of the CPU

olee22 · Answer

There are a couple of threads which report problems with the Dell Thunderbolt docks. It seems to be a problem in general. I don't know if the issue is on Intel side with Thunderbolt, or Dell implemented it poorly.

desrod · Answer

Can confirm: When I unplug my TB16/240W dock from the USB-C port on my 7530, the temp goes from 180F with fans running at 4900 rpm, to 116F, with fans running at 2600 rpm.

As I need 3 monitors in front of me to do my daily work (2 external, 1 LCD), this is a blocker for me. I get complaints all the time when I'm on calls with a headset plugged in, that the background fan noise is so loud, they can't hear me talking. It sounds like I'm standing in an enterprise datacenter!

I'm not sure there's going to be a fix for this, since there's no way to update the 'firmware' on the TB16 docking station, so I may search for a replacement. It's a shame, since I paid $222 for it from Amazon back in May 2019.

Merrington Design LTD · Answer

I recently bought a Precision 7530 Xeon E-2186M CPU@2.9Ghz, it's always running at about 4.4GHz and the fans come on and off throughout the day, it's seems more sluggish than my previous i7 7510 although has more memory etc. I changed the PCI express settings for the power to 'moderate' and that reduced fan noise a bit but overall I'm not impressed with this from Dell.

I did try and unplug my thunderbolt deck but it made no difference to the fans and CPU speed.

If this carries on I'll be letting Dell know.

If anyone has any further solutions would be great to hear.

DELL-Cares · Answer

Hi,

Thank you for your reply. Just to confirm, is system working as you expect it to be without the AC Adapter disconnected?

And also confirm is there issue only while working with solid works software? ^KR

Merrington Design LTD · Answer

When I unplug the AC adaptor the CPU runs at 3.4GHZ and the fan noise stops, battery is now on 80% remaining

endagwalsh · Answer

I am having the same issue. When plugged in the fan and temperatures are excessive. This ceases once the power adaptor is removed. Please advise.

Merrington Design LTD · Answer

Hi,

Dell replaced my motherboard, heat sinks etc and the problem went away, the laptop is still noisy but much less so and the warning triangle on the AC adapter comes and goes, today it's not displaying a warning triangle and is only producing a high pitch whine.

DELL-Cares · Answer

Hi endagwalsh,

Thank you for reaching out to Dell forum, to understand the issue better we will need the following details over PM.

1. What is the BIOS version?

2. Have you run diagnostics to check for errors?

To run diagnostics, restart the computer, as the computer boots, start tapping < F12 > When the Boot menu appears, highlight the Diagnostics option and then press < Enter > to start the Diagnostics. Share if you get any error code and validation code.

3. Have you tried cleaning the fan vents?

4. What is the temperature noticed during the diagnostics?

Regards,
Parnoshree

sjwcool74 · Answer

try checking for the manufacture mode https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_ser_stor_net/esuprt_poweredge/poweredge-750_user's%20guide8_en-us.pdf

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DELL Precision 7530 abnormal thermals and fan control

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