XPS 8950, PSU hum noise

Yes, a more powerful power-supply (that never runs into high-utilization) is usually a good idea. We call that "over sizing the power-supply".

I don't know why they like to put a $3 fan in a nice power-supply, but they do.

https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-General-Read-Only/Alienware-Aurora-R6-clicking-noise/m-p/5519514/highlight/true#M21483

Also know, they are several different manufacturers of the XPS-8950 power-supplies:

Dell Validated OEM PSU =

MP23Y Acbel 750W (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
M92DC Chicony 750W (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
5TVR6 LiteOn 750W Platinum (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
FT44X LiteOn 750W Platinum (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
NW4C3 LiteOn 750W Platinum (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
M2G8X LiteOn 750W (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
PNWT1 Acbel 460W Bronze (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
389MC Chicony 460W Bronze (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)
T63HC Huntkey 460W Bronze (Aurora R13/R14, XPS 8950)

I would say "get the Delta made one" but looks like Dell isn't getting PS from Delta any more (at least not for these consumer-focused models).

Yes, the older machines tended to be quieter. Less going-on inside (less fans required). Likely better made (not just "good enough" components). Also, probably heavier-gauge case-metal. Less tool-less snap-together pieces (so more rigid).  

I can tell you that my 1-week-old XPS 8950 is totally silent under normal load. Normal load for me being web browsing, 4-5 office docs open, and 3 virtual machines running. When I run Cinebench to benchmark, I can hear the fans at times which I would expect. Is your BIOS up-to-date?

My specs: i9-12900k, rtx 3060 ti, 128gb ram, 750 watt psu, liquid cooling.

I have the 8950 with the 12700k and the liquid cooling. It is no where near silent when it is at idle. More often than not users are reporting that the stock Dell AIO is kinda noisy at idle. A user called Mr.Drey put in a Corsair H80 120mm and he says that it is silent and cools better.

Could you tell us if the user has applied Corsair H80 120 MM on the same model system?

I think he did. You can read his post on a thread I started a while back called "XPS 8950 liquid cooling performance".

I updated the BIOS to 1.0.13 which got released yesterday (3/18/22) but I can still hear my computer from far away. I will open the side panel again and check if the sound is coming from the liquid cooling system instead of the PSU.

Someone did say that their 8950 is silent so I am assuming that something is wrong with my PC. I might see if I can get a PSU replacement made by a different manufacturer.

My 8950 with the 750w PS is very quiet, I can almost not hear it at all.  The only noise it does make is the PS fan, but its not bad at all.  Keep in mind, I changed the CPU cooler and the case fans on mine.  I may pull the power supply and see about replacing the fan it it, but its not bothersome enough to even consider it at this point.

I have a feeling that your PC is fine. The AIO pumps from Dell are just loud. Dell replaced my AIO because the first one was VERY loud but even after the replacement it is not even close to silent.

Dell (Asetek) AIO Liquid Cooler - loud, with humming noise. If you'd like quiet operation I'd suggest Corsair AIO or Noctua air cooler.

Rattling - check your case and determine what's rattling. Could be the loose screw, could be hard hard drive, could be loose fan. Lots of metal pieces touch each other inside the case - any one of them can rattle.

Sure you can contact us over the phone, however we we can also assist you in booking the service. If you would like to proceed, then please do let us know about the same.

I removed the side panel and decided to unplug all the connectors besides the power source connector. I turned on the computer and was still getting the loud noise I could hear all the way to the kitchen. This concludes that the power source is the issue and not the AIO. This is the second PSU in my system since the first one had some sort of a coil whine and got replaced by the on-site engineer. I will call Tech Support tomorrow and ask for another replacement.

I was thinking of replacing the PSU with one made by a reputable manufacturer such as Corsair and Seasonic but learned that the 8950 uses a non-standard motherboard connector block which disallows any non-Dell PSU to be connected.

I will have a callback from a case manager tomorrow and I will tell him about the PSU replacement.

Yesterday, my computer failed the Diagnostics test when it was testing the CPU Fan. It said that the fan was running faster than expected so it gave me an error code and validation code to submit to Tech Support. I immediately got an email by the case manager requesting a 2 hour window for a call. He was supposed to call today but it got moved to Monday. I don't hear anything wrong with the CPU fan but lets see what the case manager says about the error.

When my first PSU had a coil whine issue, Tech Support wanted to initiate a systems exchange but I declined since I thought a PSU replacement would suffice. If the second PSU replacement does not fix the noise issue then I think I will ask for a systems exchange. 

I am having the same problem as well.   The rattling sound is coming from the power supply and very annoying.  Dell is currently in the process of finding me another machine as a replacement, but is having difficulty in finding one since it was purchased from the outlet.   I have always purchased Dell systems and this is the first time I've had any issues with them.  

Additionally, the system panel looks like it had dust in the paint of the panel in several areas, not sure what that is about.  I'm very disappointed with Dell at this minute, and contemplating returning their system and building my own, unless they get this issue resolved super fast.  I'm starting to understand why people take the time to build their own computer systems...you can't say enough about putting quality components into systems people pay their hard earned monies for.

Xps 8950, i7 12700, Nvidia 1660ti, 32GB DDR5, PSU 750.

I replaced the stock cooler with the Dell Premium Air Cooler. My system is silent except when 100% cpu utilization, the fans are audible.