XPS 8930, faint squealing noise, no hard drive, just SSD. Fan?

It is a fan,  all fans fail all fail for bad bearing sooner or later, .

what fan it is only remains. (personally I use 2 ways to find, 1 unplugging things with a fan)

and a cheap $5 stethoscope from any car store sold. in my kit.

IDK how many fans you have but this is the list

1: cpu,  (unplug it only for 10 seconds max.)

2: case fans.

3: GPU (if no cable to fan easy to reach pull the card.)

4 PSU. (last, if all tests above pass it must be be this( easy no?>)

the tricky one is the PSU,  all mine can be hot wired, tested, all mine (but 1) is ATX spec, PSU.

but if you unplug the PSU it goes dead and so does the MOBO and all things there.

so I pulled the cables off 1,2,3, first.

and BINGO?

Noise is where you find it, just like gold.

any shop can fix this so since you posted here, I guess you are like DIY>? ? IDK if you are or even own  a screw driver, or have  tool box.

here is how  to make a PC safe (not blow up PC ) buy doing the long hard reset

at step 6 you pc is safe to work on, ok>?

http://www.pcdied.com/PSU/hard-resets.html

Coil whine from the power supply can be a source of strange noize.

Most power conversion devices contains coils, such as transformers or inductors. These components use electromagnetism to convert AC main power to low-voltage DC power. The varying magnetic fields generated by these components can cause them to physically vibrate at high frequency, resulting in a high-pitched noise. This is why you sometimes see a “glue” or wax on coils inside electronic devices. The glue helps reduce the vibration and noise the coils generate during normal operation. A coil of copper wire without any “core” metal plates can be made to whine. As the magnetic field increases and decreases (generally about a thousand times a second), the force of the field causes the dimensions of the coil to change slightly, and this vibration leads to a whining sound.

@ES7  Some kind of soundproofing foam or a soundproof hood

Covering up a problem is rarely a good solution. Consider changing your top exhaust fan from 92mm to 120mm, and adding a lower front intake fan. Since it appears you have a 5.7" short graphics card, which allows for better air flow, you should not need the top front intake fan. Choose better quality, quiet fans. Also consider changing the tiny CPU cooler to the blower fan/heatsink style, which is available from Dell.

(click to embiggen)

92mm fan vs. 120mm fan (70% more area)

And read this, just in case:

Thank you, yes will try those things.

Quick question, the 120 mm will fit the 92mm slot OK?  The bracket looks like it may line up differently.

@ES7    the 120 mm will fit the 92mm slot OK? The bracket looks like it may line up differently.

You need to get the 120mm top exhaust fan bracket from an Aurora R5/6/7 from the big auction site.

top exhaust fan bracket part # 7M0F5

XPS-8930-Exhaust-Fan-and-PSU-Upgrade 

Might as well pick up the lower front intake fan mounting bracket while you are there (same Aurora sources)

Just for kicks, have you tried pressing around all over the outside of the case to see if maybe that is the source of the noise?

I'm with you 100% on this.  I too was fooled into thinking buying a Dell was a good idea.  Bought a brand new XPS 8930 last month and it sounds like a Boeing jet is taking off AT ALL TIMES.  Not just when there's a lot to process and the CPU is heating up .....no .....at all times.  And the squealing is the first thing I noticed.  And unbelievably annoying noise.  I'm still shocked that they'd ship this thing out like "Yep, this one's good to go."  Remarkably poor customer service as well.  I will never be purchasing a Dell again, and will be broadcasting the same to anyone willing to listen.    $2K+, brand new computer and it shows up sounding like some Gateway refurb.  Ridiculous.

Or, in making brand new computers that cost a bunch of money, perhaps Dell could use fans that don't squeal upon first use?  A brand new computer and it shows up with a shitty, squealing fan?  So silly.  Of all the things to skimp on.  My god ....charge me $10 and put in a fan that doesn't already .  

OMG, thank you so much!  That fixed it, after several calls to Dell were of no use. The metal cart I had sat it in was vibrating at a maddening high frequency. Military grade.

Thank you very much for helping diagnose this issue with my brand new Dell desktop!  Coil whine was the source of the high pitched slight moaning sound. Two solutions: 1. Most importantly, I had made the lazy (& dumb) decision to reuse my old power cord = 90% fixed / 2. Put a little foam between the PC and the hard surface that it's on = 100% quiet now.