XPS 8940, Better 3rd party cooler

FWIW, here's what I did:

- Replaced rear case fan with Noctua NF-A9 PWM chromax.black.swap (power draw 1.2 Watts / 0.1 Amps)

- Added a front case fan Noctua NF-F12 PWM chromax.black.swap (power draw 0.6 Watts / 0.05 Amps)

- Added a front case fan Noctua NF-A8 PWM chromax.black.swap (power draw 0.96 Watts / 0.08 Amps)

The 3 fans above are connected to a Noctua 3-way splitter NA-SC1, which is plugged into the CASE fan connector on the motherboard. The TOTAL draw from these fans is only 0.23 Amps, which is easily handled by the motherboard.

- Replaced the stock cooler with Noctua NH-D9L.

- Replaced the included cooler fan with Noctua NF-A9 PWM chromax.black.swap (power draw 1.2 Watts / 0.1 Amps)

- Added a 2nd fan to the front of the cooler (same NF-A9 fan as above).

The 2 CPU fans are connected to a Noctua 2-way splitter NA-SYC1 which is plugged into the CPU fan connector on the motherboard. The TOTAL draw from these 2 fans is only 0.2 Amps.

NOTES:

- The NH-D9L was literally a drop-in replacement for the stock cooler. Just use the black spacers and 4 M3x16mm screws (bought at Lowe's).

- The front fan was attached using the 3D printed adapter designed by purpledrillmonkey. (that adapter works beautifully!)

- The 2nd fan added to the front of the NH-D9L is not able to flush-mount due to the height of the RAM sticks. So it is raised about a half inch above the cooler itself, but still attaches to the front of the cooler solidly using the supplied clips with no issues.

- The NA-SC1 3-way splitter can't be purchased separately, but any decent 3-way 4-pin PWM splitter will work.

- With the fans plugged into the existing connectors on the motherboard there were no BIOS boot issues. Everything boots and works fine and even though the fan speeds are being controlled by the BIOS, they seem to be cooling extremely well.

- The 120mm fan added to the front is the fan connected to the 4-pin connector of the 3-way splitter. Seeing as the system can only read the speed of ONE fan, I chose the fan that typically runs at the lowest RPMs to maximize cooling.

- With the factory stock setup and benchmarking using Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility, the CPU reached 101° and thermal throttled as well as power throttled. After the upgrade, CPU temps max out at 72°C with no throttling. On average at idle, the NVME and SSD drives in the system run about 22°C, CPU at about 25°C. and GPU around 25°C

@Jon-62 

I would suggest not cutting away the plastic. Those plastic cutouts actually slide into the metal frame and keep the bracket solidly attached. 

Ignore that comment. I thought you were referring to the plastic on the bracket itself, not the actual case. My mistake.

Thanks for the tip regarding the Dell cooler.  Evidently the Dell cooler for K-model CPUs used to be the VWMTJ, which is no longer available.  It was the cooler pictured in the Dell ads.  It sounds as though you were able to buy the latest model of that cooler (the VWD01), is that correct?

I just received an i9-10900 (not K) with the RTX2060 Super and the CPU immediately hit 100 degrees C when I was rendering my first video.  I'd like to upgrade the cooler, but just want some reassurance that it will be "plug-and-play".  Also, you mentioned a heat sink for the voltage regulator module.  Where is that on the motherboard...I haven't been able to locate it?

Thanks in advance for your help...

Dan

Hey guys. I ended up going with the XPS because I decided I needed a dedicated rig with an RTX card for design stuff (photoshop, unreal engine, VR sketching & modeling), and it was pretty much the only prebuilt available with an RTX (mine has the 2060 super) for a reasonable price. Since it will be rendering through the night sometimes, I referred to this thread when installing my cooling solution, and I wanted to show what I did and ask a few questions. I used the Noctua NH-U9S as well as 5 NF-A9 fans, 2 for intake, 2 on the U9S, and one replacing the exhaust fan.

-The first thing I did was move the 3.5 HDD to the top slot so I could fit the intake fans. I decided to test it with just one intake fan (SATA powered) and the upgraded exhaust fan (plugged into motherboard) and a few seconds after startup I got a BSoD with stop code "CRITICAL PROCESS DIED". Has anyone experienced this? Could it have been because of moving the hard drive? It did not happen again after that and things appear to be running smoothly now, but it was concerning considering it was only the 2nd time I had the machine running and had only made minor modifications.

-My U9S appears to be on a slightly rotated angle compared to everything else on the motherboard, is this normal or should I loosen it and try to get it straight?

-How are you guys utilizing the NA-FC1 fan controller? I bought one but when I had it plugged into the cpu fan slot and cotrolling the 2 on the U9S, I was getting bios errors on startup. As soon as I removed it and plugged those fans into the motherboard on their own, everything worked fine. I'm not opposed to running them without the controller because its fewer cables to worry about but I would like to be able to adjust speed. I thought the way I had it would work. Any suggestions?

Here is a pic of what I've done. Let me know if you guys have any info for me. Thanks!

@LjChesla nice setup! I love the black coolers!

If that error doesn't come back again, I wouldn't worry about it. Windows has mysterious ways sometimes

I wouldn't worry about the cooler angle either. As long as you put thermal paste and your temps are ok, it means the plate makes good contact with the CPU. I can't even notice any misalignment from the picture you posted.

I'll let others comment on the NA-FC1 controller. I don't have one. My Noctuas are all plugged into the motherboard fan headers (2 on the CPU header and 3 on the case header) using the splitters included with the fans. I let the software/OS control fan speed.

@AbleWalker 

Please see my questions regarding your last post...thanks!

Thank you as well, response just posted.

It sounds as though you purchased the exact same processor and graphics card as I did with the same resulting thermal issue.   Yes, the VWD01 is the newer version, and looks exactly like the older versions of the CPU Heatsink used on prior XPS models (I replaced a 8900 with a K series processor that had the same higher-end heatsink with an older model number).    Given the uncertainty of sourcing, I initially bought one new from a China vendor off of eBay, and when I called Dell Parts a day later to get the 612F7, I decided to order a second VWD01 from them as well (to be sure I had the right part).   I received both and they were of the exact same manufacture.   I could not find any source for the 612F7 other than from Dell Parts.   I would recommend the call to Dell Parts for both components.  The service rep will have no trouble identifying the VWD01, but will likely have initial difficulty with the 612F7.   I had the service manual available as told them I could show them the part on Page 50.  The rep was terrific in my case, found the part (confirmed it is identified as a 612F7 in their system), and sent me both with no shipping cost.     As for installation, it was exceptionally straightforward.   The VWD01 comes with the thermal paste pre-applied in a square at the bottom of the heatsink.   I simply removed the tiny heatsink that shipped with the computer, cleaned the top of the processor with alcohol wipes until it was clean, and then put the new heatsink in.  Please note that there are white circles with the numbers 1 through 4 on the board next to the heatsink posts.  This is the sequence to be followed when gently tightening the screws.  I tightened until snug (but not any further than when you first get resistance from the screw driver).   The VR Heatsink was easy to affix as well given the pre-existing posts and that it ships with the embedded screws and springs (you just pull the protective plastic off of the thermal tape).   As a side note, I decided to use the pre-applied Dell thermal paste and then based on temps decide whether to clean that off and apply a higher end thermal paste, but found such an effective improvement in the temps that I chose to go with the pre-applied Dell past.   The whole change literally took ten minutes and was easy for a consumer / novice such as myself.  I think Dell should make this heatsink upgrade more readily available to its XPS customers.   If you choose to go this route, please let me know how it goes.

VR Heatsink is placed right next to the processor on the rear fan side.   Great picture of placement and installation is found in the service manual PDF available through the support tab in the web site.

@AbleWalker 

According to this, on page 49 of the Service Manual, a non-K or non-F i9-10900 does not require a voltage regulator...?

No, that's fine, it's just that I had heard the voltage regulator referred to as a "module", rather than 21 separate components.  The service manual further confused me by suggesting that our CPUs didn't require one.

Thanks for your time...I just don't want to order something that's not going to work!

@AbleWalker 

Is the voltage regulator one module?  On my motherboard, in the location shown in the Service Manual, there are 21 small square modules.  Does the heat sink cover all 21?  Thanks...Voltage regulator(s)?

The one heatsink covers all of those individual VR components.   You should see a faint outline and two post holes on the board for where the VR Heatsink covers.   I can post a picture later if this remains unclear to you on your board.