Aurora R8, crazy fan noise!

Also - This is fake marketing... Haha "quiet operation... to get you lost in the game without any noisy distractions"... 

Dell customer service: "Well sir your computer is the latest in technology and needs proper air flow. These are how Alienware computers run"

Me: I don't think this kind of fan noise is acceptable. Have you read the marketing for Aurora R8? 

Dell customer service: Engineering should be releasing a patch soon to fix the problem. 

Me: How was this not brought up in any kind of testing?

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@latte speed wrote:

 

1. Air Cooled Chassis

2. I expected them to tell me if I needed liquid cooling. 

 

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1. Certainly not helping. When ordered-and-built this way, doesn’t the CPU just vent into the case ?

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is nice too ( so yeah, it runs hot ) .

2. I think nice Intel-i7 should really have a Liquid-Cooler on it.

That's my whole point @Tesla1856 :

1. Why wouldn't Alienware/Dell mention the need for extra cooling for upgraded parts? Especially when what I am ordering does not comply with their marketing of "whisper-quiet operation allowing you to get lost in the game without noisy distractions." - This line literally makes me laugh...

2. Also, why would they allow parts into a casing that doesn't have the proper exhausts and is built for it to have liquid cooling. 

@Tesla1856 Think about buying a Corvette (a metaphor for an expensive PC), and you decide to add some better parts to it from the manufacturer, because the manufacturer says its better. The corvette is then built, shipped to you, you start the engine, and now the cooling system on the engine isn't big enough, or the radiator fan has to constantly run because Corvette didn't engineer to actually accept the upgrades that the manufacturer offered. On top of that, Corvette then tells you, after you ordered it and it was delivered... YOU ( someone who isn't a mechanical engineer) should have ordered it with a cooling system... No, Alienware (who are the actual engineers) should not sell a product that runs this loud, when they preach they have the best, and their desktop Aurora R8 has whisper-quiet operation... period! 

As a customer, Alienware should be recommending to me what is their best hardware package, not me recommending to Alienware that they need liquid cooling on their processors, and that their case doesn't work with internal hardware exhausts. Instead it seems @Tesla1856 has a better understanding for Dell/Alienware than Dell/Alienware themselves. 

So it sounds like I need to return this PC. Since the BIOS update that they are suggesting will fix everything is actually wrong... What do you think @Tesla1856?

If you want the CPU Liquid-Cooler, (and likewise, the chassis with better thermals) ...

... you have to order it that way at config/build-time.  

I can’t speak the Bios-fixes, but if there is a glitch, it might only be currently appearing in the Air-Cooled hardware-and-fan config.

EDIT: I think your hardware build/config looked fine other than the omission of the (Asetek) Liquid-Cooler.

@Tesla1856 

The problem lies within Alienware selling a product that is obnoxiously loud. Why have a config option when purchasing and Aurora R8 that makes the computer stupid loud? If the hardware they offer isn't good for the computer layout, then why are they selling me that option!?? 

The more I think about it the more upset I get... Alienware customer service doesn't help either. Worst service I've ever had!

I had this delivered on 23 March 19.  It operates flawlessly and is very quiet even when playing Battlefield 4 & 5.  Handles 4k video and editing smooth as glass.  I also have the Alienware Keyboard, Mouse and headphones.  My first liquid cooled system.  Must be what yours needs.  I hope you get this remedied. 

210-ARGS : Alienware Aurora R8
658-BCPC : Cyberlink Media Suite Essentia ls without Media
570-AATJ : Optical Mouse MS116AW
580-AHTI : Wired Multimedia Keyboard (Eng lish)
817-BBBB : No FGA
619-AHCR : Windows 10 Pro (64bit) English
490-BEXP : NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 OC wit h 8GB GDDR6
338-BQHR : Intel Core i7 8086K Limited Ed ition (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, Overclocked up to 4.7GH z across all cores)
400-BCFO : 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Sto rage)
332-1530 : Dell.com Order
321-BDXJ : 850W EPA Bronze PSU Liquid Cooled Chassis
389-DOSG : Regulatory Label
555-BEQK : Wireless Driver for Killer 153 5
817-BBBP : None Required
340-CKSR : Quick Start Guide
555-BCRM : Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2
800-BBEV : Thank you for Choosing Dell
450-AAGO : US Power Cord
370-ADUB : 64GB, 4x16GB, DDR4, 2666MHz
429-ABFD : BDRE Drive (Reads and Writes t o Blu-Ray disks)
658-BCUO : Additional Software
340-BYWQ : Shipping Material
340-AGIK : Safety/Environment and Regulat ory Guide (English/French Mult i-language)
389-CGBC : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 Processor Label
658-BCSB : Microsoft(R) Office 30 Days Tr ial

Yeah me too @doznkoz.. I am jealous of your experience. I just wish Alienware/Dell didn't sell defective products. 

This PC has let me down in sooo many ways. When paying the amount of money i paid, i expected it to be plug and play, and unfortunatly it wasn't. A shame on Alienware, and a big knock on their image as a company in my mind moving forward. Was really excited to have the Alienware experience that you had/have. 

Hi, I have been experiencing exactly the same problem. I purchased a Dell Alienware Aurora R8 GTX22080 Ti  in March 2019. No issues at all until end of May when all of a sudden the fan noise went from whisper quiet to jet engine noise whilst playing World of Tanks. This also was the case for other games. The system is liquid cooled.

I contacted Dell support who initially said that it was a BIOS issue and that they were waiting for an update some time in June. I was also told to adjust my fan speed,which did nothing. An update  (1.0.3) was put out on 4/6/19 which did not solve the problem. I contacted Dell again and they carried out a remote access but still could not find a solution. Contacted them again and I was asked to wait a bit longer. 8 day later I contacted them again. They stated that they had spoken to their engineering people and they said that there was no fix for the problem and that it was a hardware issue. I asked if they could send confirmation of what hardware was causing the fault so that I could contact my retailer. They responded by saying that they did not know what the problem was and if they did they would fix it. They then stated that it might be a BIOS/firmware problem but they still do not know as it is not a common problem.I have seen numerous reports on line of people with the same problem.

They then sent me the following.

Wow @TROTTY1919 I feel extremely bad for you! I basically told Dell/Alienware that I want to "throw my PC out the window". The time commitment, the money spent, the customer service calls... It is not worth any amount of money to have to go through this issue. In fact, we spend this kind of money to not go through these problems. 

I finally was on the phone with Customer Support yesterday and told them... "I give up". I gave up on trying to solve the problem for them, on trying to get them to own up to the problem. Basically said I want an RMA, and I want this piece of junk out of my house. Funny thing is... I was woken up by that PC last night because it all the sudden decided to go fan crazy in the middle of the night. NOT..... MY.... PROBLEM... especially when i set the temp of my house A/C at 72 degrees F. 

Really sad to hear that they are allowing this issue to happen and wont own up to it. Users have to literally just deal with it until a patch comes out, or send your PC back.... Just sending your PC back and getting a full refund does not take into account the time and effort it took to try to solve the problem or even installing and getting "what should've been a perfect PC" up and running. Literally HALF of the fun in getting a really expensive PC is setting it up, making your new gaming space unique, and finally turning the machine on to see its performance in all its glory. This hardware ripped that feeling away from us... and its actually very sad. 

Hi @TROTTY1919

We are very sorry for the bad experience you have had so far. You can send me a private message with the Service Tag so I can review your case.

"you have to order it that way at config/build-time."

Considering the amount of money people are spending on these rigs, this option should be highlighted a bit more in detail, instead of wedged into the configuration page under the hard drive option. Everything on that page hinted at the computer having liquid cooling, from the claims of 'whisper quiet', to the picture LITERALLY SHOWING LIQUID COOLING, to the fact that it's a gaming computer, not a office computer.

I have an R8. Mine arrived brand spanking new just a few weeks ago. I was stoked. First Dell computer, first Alienware, light years ahead of the ibuypower computer I had that was a decade old. Had no idea I bought a vacuum cleaner, until I booted it up the first time. Looked at the packing slip, and there it was: "air cooled chassis".

There are reports plaguing the internet about how loud the R8 is, and how this was never an issue with QA, makes me curious what other flaws are allowed through under the guise of 'normal' operation. I've never owned a computer that was anywhere remotely this loud. Every single computer tested before being sent out, should have been flagged for this fan issue.

Even contacting Dell was useless. They just kept trying to get me to return it for a refund, even after I told them I should have read the description better.

OP - The only route to go here, is to either install liquid cooling yourself, have a shop do it, or contact tech support to inquire how to get liquid cooling installed via Dell. You could replace the fans with the Corsair options in other complaint threads, I've heard they work pretty well also. Customer support is useless here, they just want to refund the machine and make you go away. There's no way in heck this fan noise is 'normal'.

Bottom line: Liquid cooling on the R8 is an 'optional' configuration, and customers need to read the fine print, instead of assuming that computer would have it pre-installed. Why it doesn't, honestly, is mind boggling. It should be the default option at this point. No one buys a gaming rig and says, "You know what I want while gaming? A really loud fan that annoys the living out of everyone around me."

Truth be told, I'll probably never buy another Alienware after this. Everything I read, lead me to believe that the computer was liquid cooled over air cooled, and I learned my lesson the hard way, and $2,000 later.

Sorry to hear you are all having such trouble with what should have been a super gaming machine. The XPS 8930 uses the same case as the Aurora, with that stupid swing-out PSU contraption. You might consider jumping over to that Community to read what others have done to resolve fan noise and heat issues. I don't game, so my heat/fan problems were resolved by replacing the top exhaust fan, and adding two front intake fans. That thread is here:

XPS 8930 Noctua Fans

Even though my heat/fan issues were fixed, I decided to see if I could do water cooling, just for the fun of it (and it was fun). That thread is here:

XPS 8930 Water Cooling; External Rad

All-In-One water cooling is also covered thoroughly in several XPS 8930 threads; all of which is applicable to the Aurora, since they are built in the same case.

Good Luck!

I have the exact same issue with my R8, 2080Ti. GPU fan goes to full rpm, around 5400. I tried everything I can but cannot solve it. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper disappointed with Dell.

@Alienware-Eimy You need to communicate with your company and tell them to stop selling Aurora R8 without liquid cooling. Just make it a standard. Its embarrassing that your company is knowingly selling users a defunct product! I just hope people read reviews before they purchase a Dell/Alienware PC, so that nobody has to go through the 4 weeks of that I have had to endure since this PC entered into my life. 

Remember @Alienware-Eimy we pay good money to NOT have these problems. Its a shame your company thinks different. The only solution you have is to give a full refund. You know what that does?

The consumer has to waste more time, uninstalling, deleting, buy an external hard drive, re-save everything, unhook the pc, repackage, drive to UPS. Basically waste a whole weekend to solve a Dell/Alienware problem. 

What does the consumer get in return? You must now buy a more expensive Alienware, wait another 2 weeks for it to come in, and hope for the best. Alienware and Dell ! Customer service does not care one bit about the issues, they just tell you to send back for a full refund and re-order an upgraded PC. Oh and by the way, "your PC was a one off, this never happens.." read your forums Alienware!