T110 fan noise HELP?

I was wondering if any one had found a solution to this ?
My server sits idle 99% of the time and the fan is still running super loud. Is there a replacement fan that is quieter I could use ?

The solution is to use a quieter fan, it's not rocket science.  But you also have to consider, 'quieter' usually means less airflow and cooling which can be a problem if not done correctly.  If your system supports fan controls based on CPU/case temperature, use them.

I ordered a T110 just a few days ago so this isn't good news. I want a quiet server. I already have a PowerEdge T410 in a closet that makes quite some noise. iDrac says 2.400 RPM on the case fan speed, sometimes dropping down to 2.200 RPM and it's still quite loud. I honestly hope that the T110 doesn't have the same fan or fan control! I also read the description of the T110 being suitable to have under a desk in an office and I also had that as an option. 

I will swap out the fan if it's too loud, but I don't want to, the Dell description says it should be quiet. I thought about buying the T100 seeing that the design is almost identical to an Optiplex 210L. The 210 machine is almost dead silent! 

Anyway, I hope that the T110 has good thermal control and will keep the fan at low RPM. I can't have two screaming beasts in my closet!

I thought about swapping out the fan, but its got a different connector then normal fans. I think the fan has a temperature sensor on it. I would put the noise level around the same as my refrigerator. I keep the thing idling 99% of the time, so I don't even see why the fan needs to be on. If any one finds a fan I can replace this with that's quieter let me know.

Raul

There is a forum thread about silencing the T110 fan over at silentpcreview.com and one guy mentioning a 4-pin PWM fan. I'll try to get that discussion going again. Here's the link:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=56101

Let's see where it goes.

I have the same problem with my T110 server. Even sitting idle with room temperature at 21 degrees celsius the fan spins at 2340rpm. This is annoyingly loud for my home office. I contacted Dell support and they confirmed that the server is running as designed and there is no fault with it.

The web site wording  "Our high efficiency, low-flow fans are designed to only spin when needed to keep things cool, but they also help keep the server quiet for your office environment."  is obviously incorrect and misleading.

I hope someone can come up with a solution to this - otherwise it's ebay for mine.

I have now received my new T110 and have had it running for a couple of hours. I have to say that the fan noise isn't that bad. It's more like a "swoooosh!" sound. It's like a broadband white/pink noise that is quite soft in it's character. Nothing like the massive T410 that sounds more like a vacuum cleaner. There is a faint whining noise heard at certain angles, probably from the PSU.

However, I might not want to have it under my desk for a full work day, because the fan noise is still clearly audible. I could imagine having it placed in a closet or in a corner of a larger open office workspace, no problems.

I'm glad to say that my T110 will disappear in the noise of the T410, so I'm happy.

Note: I have the power management set to system managed with CPU minimum and RAM set to maximum performance. Fan speed is about 2.370 RPM at a temperature of 27 C degrees, according to OpenManage Server.

Hi Guys, I am looking at a T110, but I was hoping to order 1 hard disk.  Are the extra caddies included with the server?  Would one of you mind popping the side panel and checking for me? Thanks,

I have a T110 with only a single harddrive. The extra caddies are included for all four harddrives, including power cables in their correct positions. No extra SATA data cables are included.

Hi Guys,

I am looking at a T110, but I was hoping to order 1 hard disk.  Are the extra caddies included with the server?  Would one of you mind popping the side panel and checking for me?

Thanks,

As I am using a PowerEdge T110 near my desk, maybe my experience modifying the T110 to reduce noise might prove useful to others.

I replaced the stock power supply with an Antec Truepower New 550W supply, of Seasonic manufacture, which significantly lowered the fan noise and heat.  As most probably know, but I’d like to remind, some active power factor correction power supplies are not recommended for use with a UPS that does not produce a true sine wave, so checking with the manufacturer is advisable if you are in doubt about either the power supply or the UPS.

The other stock fan on the T110 is the case/CPU fan, Delta made, 4000 rpm rated at 80cfm. The noise is reasonable for the copious air flow, probably an excellent choice for being stacked in a server room; typically this fan runs at max speed only for a few seconds only after cold (power off) boot. As I also have additional fan in the case generating 24cfm (not standard equipment), I replaced the original case fan with a Scythe Kama Flex PWM variable speed 92mm fan (47.5 cfm), using a 1st PC Corp CB-PWM-D5  PWM fan 4 pin to Dell 5 pin fan connector to match the motherboard.  The Scythe Kama Flex 92mm installs with the Dell original flexible silicone plugs.  Beware, this is a reduction in max cfm over the original part, hence not to be done without temperature and risk analysis.

Altogether I have 4 fans in the T110 and it is quiet.  At a certain point, I find noise becomes a holistic issue, one must consider the choice of HD (number of platters and RPM), SSD for OS, VGA card, baffling, etc., to minimize noise.   These type of changes should be straightforward for IT pros, and I’m assuming people are on this forum since they are buying servers.  Good luck and may everyone enjoy the sound of silence.

--

Disclaimer:  YMMV. I do not work for Dell.  I do not employ a standard T110 configuration. Do not assume you are qualified to modify your PC.  All information is presented “AS-IS” with no warranty expressed or implied.

T110 system config:

Dell Power Edge T110 case, Dell T110 motherboard

Intel Xeon X3440 2.53 Ghz, 8MB, Turbo, HT, Intel 3420 Southbridge

Dell T110 BIOS 1.5.2 AHCI 1.1.0  UEFI mode, AHCI enabled, VT enabled

Crucial 2x4GB Dual Rank ECC CL9 UDIMM PC10600 CT2KIT51272BA1339

Antec Truepower New TP-550 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply

Crucial RealSSD C300 64GB Sata 3 (Sata 2 Emu) Onboard Sata Port-A BOOT

Hitachi LG HL-DT-ST DH20N Onboard Sata Port-E (Bay 1)

Vantec Nexstar SE Dual 2.5 Sata Hotplug rack (Bay 2)

Sapphire ATI/AMD HD5670 512KB Graphics card with Arctic Cooling (Slot 2)

Dell Perc 6/i WY335 Raid (6.3.0-0001 Bios) BBU (Slot 3)

Triplite Model S502-20N Internal SAS 4-in-1 to 4x1 connector

4 Samsung Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB (Updated Bios) 5400RPM 3 Platter on Perc 6/i Primary Raid 10 256KB Stripe

Scythe Kama Flex SA0925FDB12H-P PWM 92mm fan (47.5 cfm)

1st PC Corp CB-PWM-D5  PWM fan 4 pin to Dell 5 pin fan connector

Enermax Marathon UC-8EB 80mm fan (24cfm), lower front bay, intake/pull mode

Windows 7 64 Professional

Eponym, that's an interesting solution. I wasn't aware that there's a PWN fan 4-pin to Dell 5-pin available to buy. My T110 stands in the closet, so I'm not bothered by the fan noise, but if I were to have the server placed under my desk, I would probably mod it like you did.

I really don't like modding a brand server like the Dell T110, because the components are made to work together as a unit and provide optimal performance. To have the greatest flexibility I would build the server myself like a white-box, been there done that.

I have been refurbishing a PowerEdge T110 (original, not II) for a client.  The fan noise was horrid.  I updated the BIOS but the fan was still noisy.  I ran some temperature monitoring software and found the CPU temp was at 105C.  Intel rates that particular CPU for 72C Max temp.  The fan was running as fast as it could to cool the CPU, which was running WAY outside its specified range.

I unscrewed the heatsink to find only 2 screws were tight.  I also found the thermal compound was showing imprint signs indicating the sink was not touching the CPU properly.  I wiped off the old compound, put some quality new compound on the CPU, put the heatsink back and tightened the 4 screws properly.

I fired up the server and it runs quietly.  The CPU runs at 37C or cooler, now.

The moral of the story is that the fan may just be doing it's job and the problem could be heatsink or thermal compound related (it could just have a screw loose).

FYI, I used Speccy from Piriform to get the CPU information.  During installation, just tell it not to install the optional extra software (in my case it was Google Chrome and Chrome Toolbar).  I used cpu-world.com to give me the thermal specs.

This might relate to the post:

Could someone shed some light about what kind of specs I should be looking for so that what I buy is compatible with the server (T110 ii)?

Also please if you have any specific recommendations for specific products please let me know.

BR,

Antonis

I believe this thread is about the original T110.  If you are interested in help with a generation 2 of the T110,  you might get a better response starting your own thread.