XPS 9370 Fan Noise

I have this fan noise when charging aswell. In plain mobile use i am very happy with the device, but once i plug it into my Dell U3818DW with USB-C charging, i do not understand why the fan almost never stops. Even if I do less then when i am mobile, the fan is much quicker present … i had the laptop doing nothing for an hour and the fan never settled. 

I just did update to BIOS 1.4 and this is the last chance that i can give this laptop. Settings are "Optimized" in Dell Power Manager, Best Performance in Windows. I have added a Samsung 970 Evo to increase my storage.

I would like to add some things to my previous post. Please keep in mind that the following observations may be specific to my laptop, experience may vary.

First of all, noise is subjective. I am used to noise, having owned several 17" laptops. What I meant by saying "for a 13" laptop with severely limited space the noise is perfectly acceptable", is that this 13" laptop makes less noise than all the 17" laptops I have owned over the years. And fans in 17" laptops are usually bigger, allowing for less noise with the same airflow (or more airflow with the same noise). Having sad that, I stand by my point that the fan table in the BIOS should be altered.

The noise the fan makes is not so much noise that the fan itself makes but the sound of air being blown through the heat sink and fan grill. If I hold my ear close to the laptop, I can hear a faint high-pitched noise coming from the motor in the fans. However if the laptop is in front of me on my desk, I can't hear this high-pitched sound at all. Personally, noise from airflow doesn't bother me that much. And the fans don't spin at all during idle, so basically during the entire day of documents editing the fans don't kick in at all. I must say it surprises me to hear all you guys complaining about constant fan blowing while my machine does the exact opposite.

One of the solutions to this issue would be to include some way for users to alter the fan table themselves. I don't necessarily mean putting the numbers in yourself, but choosing from a list of options. I think for Windows Dell already offers this option through something called the Dell Power Management Application? However from what I understand this also locks the maximum frequencies to rather low values, which may not be desirable. On Linux there are the i8k tools to both provide some extra sensors and optionally control the fans, however controlling the fans from within the OS requires disabling the BIOS fan control. delsthef posted about this not far above my post, although for obvious reasons this isn't officially supported. It would be nice though, because the i8kutils provide a very clean, easy configuration file to do so.

One other thing: on Windows (at least 8.1) there is something called the maintenance service (can be found in the action center in the notification area) which runs 'maintenance' on your machine every day at 14:00. It compresses files, which uses CPU, which increases temperatures which makes your fans spin during 'idle'. You can disable this in the task scheduler if you want, Google it. Do run it manually once in a while though...

Jeroen

Hi @Jeroen0494, thanks for the public posts around the information you are providing to my colleague JC. I'll leave you in his very capable fans.

Alan

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@drindt wrote:

Dear support staff,

now i have the same with the fan on the right side. It would be nice to know which fans they are. So i can replace it myself. Not have to send it in and wait long time.

Thank you,

Daniel

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Hi @drindt, both fans are linked, there is no way to separate them. The full fan assembly needs to be replaced. Here's the link to the service manual, page 45 if for the fan removal steps - http://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/xps-13-9370-laptop_service-manual_en-us.pdf

If you still require support and need a service call organised if you haven't already done so, please send me a private message to @Dell-Alan D and I'll see what I can do.

Alan

I have the sense from this thread and my own experience that the issue is widespread. After sending my XPS13 in for repairs (for the *second* time in 6 months, although the first time was not for the fan but the machine randomly rebooting itself) the fan issue appeared at first to be better but then came back. There was also a sort of persistent internal clicking/processing noise whenever I used the trackpad.

I was convinced that I had simply gotten a "lemon", and after making a HUGE fuss, Dell sent me a replacement machine. I just opened it, and within 5 minutes of setting it up, with only 2 browser tabs open, the fan is going full blast. 

Now I'm stuck wondering whether I should keep the old machine, at least knowing that it has a new fan (that's the repair made according to documentation) or stick with the new machine that seems to have exactly the same problem...

Hi @Arizo,

Thanks for your contribution. I would expect the fan to be running like that with only a few tabs open. Can you provide some additional details please :-

a) After using the system for a few days, is the fan still spinning loudly and quickly?
b) If you change the performance plan does the fan noise change?
c) Is there any difference whether you run the the laptop on battery only or with the ac adaptor connected?
d) Have you updated the system to the latest BIOS revision - 1.0.4

I'll drop you a private message to get your service tag details.

Alan

Thanks, Alan!

I haven't done extensive further diagnostics, BIOS updates etc. This noise was happening when I ran it on battery, not A/C powered. The one change that I did make was to the performance plan (as per comments in this thread.) That stopped the fan noise in the moment, but it was such a red flag that I stopped using that machine. 

Since this is a brand new machine (literally out of the box), I'm debating whether to keep it or my old one (which also has unresolved issues but is at least already set up for me with my programs and files, etc.), or hopefully return both for a refund. I haven't kept using it since noticing the issue to know whether it persisted. This is a work laptop and there is a switching cost that I'm not inclined to undertake if I don't keep the machine. 

Thanks for following up in private message for the service tag details.

I got a full refund even after the 30-day return period, but I had to put up a pretty big fight. Customer support ran all the diagnostics and they couldn't find anything. It's just a poorly engineered fan system. I'm never buying a Dell again.

I just purchased this laptop today. Everything else is awesome. But the FAN NOISE is so annoying. Its making so much noise even when I am not doing anything. I downloaded DELL Power Manager and did all the settings. Still no luck. Paid so much money for this. This is going back if its noisy. 

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@srn1127 wrote:

I just purchased this laptop today. Everything else is awesome. But the FAN NOISE is so annoying. Its making so much noise even when I am not doing anything. I downloaded DELL Power Manager and did all the settings. Still no luck. Paid so much money for this. This is going back if its noisy. 

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Hi @srn1127, is the fan noise you are experiencing simpy loud, or is it making a grinding growling noise? If the system fan is grinding and growling I need to get the fans replaced on the system to address this. If it's loud - A combination of the latest BIOS, Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework drivers and the Dell power manager should ensure that the fans run at their quietest level. 

As I have alluded to in previous posts, the fan noise is a byproduct of the ultrabook design, more evidently with those with more powerful processors. In order to fit a motherboard and fan/heatsink assembly into the thin chassis, the fans and heatsink have been reduced in size. As a result of this they have to work harder to cool the system. This in turn leads to the fans spinning faster and subsequently louder during less intensive tasks. This is why the system fan appears to be louder. The thermal tables have been altered in BIOS releases to address the complaints of fan noise, reducing it to an acceptable level. The system is working as designed and the fan noise is considered within acceptable levels for usage.

Alan

Thank you for the reply. Its just loud noise of the fan. I don't think it needs a change in the fan system. But I will know more as I use it. I bought the product from BestBuy assuming they have all the latest config laptops.

How do I ensure I have the combination of the latest BIOS, Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework drivers and the Dell power manager? Could you please walk me through? 

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@srn1127 wrote:

 

Thank you for the reply. Its just loud noise of the fan. I don't think it needs a change in the fan system. But I will know more as I use it. I bought the product from BestBuy assuming they have all the latest config laptops.

How do I ensure I have the combination of the latest BIOS, Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework drivers and the Dell power manager? Could you please walk me through? 

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Hi @srn1127 you can download install the Dell Command | Update utility that runs automatically and systematically checks for all driver and BIOS updates and then installs them. This should keep your system up to date. 

It can be downloaded here

Alan

Hi alan D,

I just received an xps 13 9370 (i7 16gb ram) and I have very scratchy sounding fans. Even with light workloads when the fans turn on they are extremely scratchy. What is the best way to get a replacement fan assembly?