Unsolved
2 Intern
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11 Posts
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3 Points
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129
March 24th, 2026 16:56
Aurora R12, top fan mechanical noise
I've been hearing a little bit of mechanical noise out of the top fan of my Alienware Aurora R12 lately. I ran the dell diagnostic, it reported no problems, and I don't have any cooling issues while gaming. It is only a minor noise.
I did take the case apart to see if there was dust or lose connections, and don't notice any real issues happening with anything. I was looking up potential replacement parts, and I've gotten three different recommendations. One was a Corsair Pro 12mm fan was recommended, then a standard alienware top case fan, and the last one was the dell heatsink assembly and fan here https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-cpu-heatsink-assembly/apd/cpx-mh0hn/pc-accessories.
Now, I do have that exact heatsink assembly with fan setup, but do I need to get all of that just to replace the fan? If I do, then that is ok too. Mainly I just want to ensure I get the right part. My R12 is still performing well, and I'm waiting it all out until the Nvidia 6000 RTX series releases if I can keep all my parts working.
DELL-Daniel V
Community Manager
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528 Posts
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2.7K Points
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March 24th, 2026 22:26
Contact Dell GHN (Get Help Now) chat technical support Monday through Friday. Click the blue "Get Help Now" on the right to start a private live chat session. Share the private Service Tag with them so that they can verify the ownership and warranty status. This will also generate a unique Technical Support case for your unique Service Tag. If already out of warranty, click here for the Dell out of warranty offerings.
What kind of noise are you getting? Is it buzzing, grinding, or scratchy? If so, then it would likely be a bad bearing and it'd be a good time to replace the fan. If you have the AIO cooler, then it looks like you should be able to just replace the fan as well. Per our specifications of the part, the AIO fan is 120X38MM. Please see the service manual for part removal steps. Seems you should have just 4 screws holding this fan down to the radiator. If you can remove them, then it should be a straightforward swap.
rhiett
2 Intern
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11 Posts
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3 Points
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March 24th, 2026 22:58
Thanks. The heat pump assembly listed here https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-cpu-heatsink-assembly/apd/cpx-mh0hn/pc-accessories. Is the full part based on my service tag. I just can't tell from the owner's manual or any other advice if The fan can be disconnected from the radiator, it might be it does have four screws, and if so I just need to get the right model number for the fan. When I look at standard alienware top fan parts, they don't look like the fan that's inserted inside of the cooling radiator.
We're basically talking about a 30 to $40 part versus $150 part when account for shipping and handling.
I don't have any problem disassembling it, so I may end up doing that to check. I think the main thing is I just need to get a compliant fan that isn't going to cause a bios problem on startup. I know alienware fans have to be a particular type in order to work with the command center and other things to keep proper cooling.
Thank you for your advice.
redxps630
11 Legend
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16K Posts
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82K Points
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March 25th, 2026 22:06
The fan is screwed on Dell oem Asetek radiator. You can replace it
R12 part list
(edited)
Tesla1856
10 Wizard
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17.9K Posts
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71.3K Points
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March 29th, 2026 23:50
@rhiett ,
1. In reality, only the exact Dell part will insure that.
2. Correct. All the specs must be present:
- Size and physical construction
- Voltage and amp-draw
- RPM ranges of operation
- Connector and Pinouts
... that's why you just replace it with the exact Dell part that failed.
(edited)