Dell Precision 3630 i7 Tower - Noise from fan ?

Hey,

We have some of these and above 60% CPU load they tend to get fairly noisy. It really depends on what you plan to use them for. If they are going to be under a constant load you will hear them, no doubt.

Haven't measured the level of noise with a db meter but it is enough to be noticed in a more quiet office space.

The Precision 3630 is barely audible at idle. 

However, it appears it's rarely ever idle.  With a Core i7, the fans spin up very quickly and very noticeably within a second of any substantial ( >40% ) CPU use and this system is FAR louder than any other "desktop" class machine I've used. Load Chrome and the fans spin up for 5 seconds.  Open Outlook.  Fans spin up again.  Hit a web site with any kind of animated or rotating ads, fans spin up.  Basically the 3630 is a constant roller-coaster of noise.

It is DEFINITELY a distracting system to use in any kind of office space due to the constant fans spinning up and down.  Get 3-4 of these in a small room of cubes and it can get loud.

@dneuwir @crimsoneye

I had the same issue. I found 3 possible solutions (they worked for me). The issue was actually due to Intel Turbo Boost which does not play nice with the i7.

Solution 1) Turn off Intel Turbo Boost in the BIOS.

Solution 2) In (Windows 10) Advanced Power Management Settings, set "Maximum processor state" to 99%. (It seems to also turn off Intel Turbo Boost).

Solution 3) Change the registry to enable the menu "Processor performance boost mode"  in Advanced Power Management Settings with this ([HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00\be337238-0d82-4146-a960-4f3749d470c7]
"Attributes"=dword:00000002 ). Set the "Processor performance boost mode" status to "Disabled" in Advanced Power Management Settings

I hope this can help.

@dneuwir @crimsoneye  I also got crazy because of this issue.

Actually it is is due to Intel Turbo Boost. Turn it off and it will fix it.

There are many solutions to do it. It depends of your constraints. It can be done in the bios, by adding a menu in "Power options" (you have to add a value in the registry) or by changing the "Maximum processor state" (Power options) to 99%.

Thanks a lot! We will definitely try this and hopefully it will work out well for us! 

Have a nice day!

[DELETED]

"Premium design: Handle demanding tasks with ease thanks to premium materials that leave a small footprint without sacrificing quality." -Dell

Dell, "quality" applies to fan noise as well.

Sincerely,

-Everyone who owns a Precision 3630.