Noise Levels for Dell Desktops

"PC Medic" wrote in message
news:rOMjd.87572$UA.15370@lakeread08...

"S.Lewis" wrote in message
. ..

"Peter Richter" wrote in message
m...
"Comp UK" wrote in message
...

I have a UK supplied Dell 8400. The noise is killing me!

I also have a 4600, 3000 and 2400 and they are deadly silent in
comparison
(the 3000 being the quietest).

The biggest problem is the noise pitch is never the same when I turn it
on.
I'm going to consider asking Dell to fix this or get some very long
cables
and put the PC in the garage.

Hi Comp UK,

a second very long cable for me too !!
Same problem with my 2 month old Dimension 8400, many people are
concerned too.
Read the http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportforums
I think Dell know what the problem is. In my opinion - it is not the
fan, perhaps the motherboard, the RPM-Control.
We have no chance to fix the problem with replacement-fans from Dell.
Let me know what you want to do.

Bye ...


If the fan is exceedingly loud (i.e.- running "wide open" most all of the
time), then the motherboard likely needs to be replaced. You might ask
for a replacement fan first just to verify before having the mb changed.


Before jumping to such conclusions a 'good' technician will first
determine WHICH fan is making the noise (CPU or Video).
Even if it is CPU fan, this hardly indicates a replacement of the
motherboard is warranted as it could simply be a poorly seated heatsink.






While it's true enough that video fans can make noise, they typically do not
fluctuate once the machine is booted. This poster is referring specifically
to his CPU/case fan.

I addressed the heatsink seating/compound in my prior post.

Sadly, you likely do not know the hardware of this particular machine (the
Dim8400) as I do. That makes me somewhat more qualified to make such a
statement.

Be that as it may, a 'good' technician - not unlike a skilled athlete or
doctor - does not have to tell anyone that they are 'good'.

That is determined by the results of their work.


Stew

I have a UK supplied Dell 8400. The noise is killing me!

I also have a 4600, 3000 and 2400 and they are deadly silent in
comparison
(the 3000 being the quietest).

The biggest problem is the noise pitch is never the same when I turn
it on.
I'm going to consider asking Dell to fix this or get some very long
cables
and put the PC in the garage.

Hi Comp UK,

a second very long cable for me too !!
Same problem with my 2 month old Dimension 8400, many people are
concerned too.
Read the http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportforums
I think Dell know what the problem is. In my opinion - it is not the
fan, perhaps the motherboard, the RPM-Control.
We have no chance to fix the problem with replacement-fans from Dell.
Let me know what you want to do.

Bye ...


If the fan is exceedingly loud (i.e.- running "wide open" most all of
the time), then the motherboard likely needs to be replaced. You might
ask for a replacement fan first just to verify before having the mb
changed.


Before jumping to such conclusions a 'good' technician will first
determine WHICH fan is making the noise (CPU or Video).
Even if it is CPU fan, this hardly indicates a replacement of the
motherboard is warranted as it could simply be a poorly seated heatsink.






While it's true enough that video fans can make noise, they typically do
not fluctuate once the machine is booted. This poster is referring
specifically to his CPU/case fan.


True they (video cooling fans) do not 'typically' fluctuate, but then we are
talking about failing fans here aren't we! In which case I have seen many do
this over the years. As for the OP referring 'specifically' to CPU/case fan,
not in the message I responded to he hadn't. Only a mention fluctuating
noise level.


I addressed the heatsink seating/compound in my prior post.

Sadly, you likely do not know the hardware of this particular machine (the
Dim8400) as I do. That makes me somewhat more qualified to make such a
statement.


Well good for you, and I now see that. You do realize that perhaps your
heatsink seating/compound response may not have been showing on everyones
news servers and in fact was not yet showing on mine. More sadly you appear
to be very hung on yourself and your alleged skills as a super tech and your
assumptions that you are more qualified than another to make a legitimate
response are evidence of this. I have seen plenty like you come and go in my
25 years of working on systems and suppose the trend will continue. By the
way, I own two 8400's myself and have worked on several, I am quite familiar
with them.

Be that as it may, a 'good' technician - not unlike a skilled athlete or
doctor - does not have to tell anyone that they are 'good'.

That is determined by the results of their work.


I am quite pleased with the number of customers my company has that send
others our way. You on the other hand are the one that seems to be all set
on telling us what a super-tech you are.

Given this response and your previous pithy comments, consider yourself and
your ego dismissed.

Regards,

Stew


"PC Medic" wrote in message
news:CaSjd.87797$UA.10212@lakeread08...

I have a UK supplied Dell 8400. The noise is killing me!

I also have a 4600, 3000 and 2400 and they are deadly silent in
comparison
(the 3000 being the quietest).

The biggest problem is the noise pitch is never the same when I turn
it on.
I'm going to consider asking Dell to fix this or get some very long
cables
and put the PC in the garage.

Hi Comp UK,

a second very long cable for me too !!
Same problem with my 2 month old Dimension 8400, many people are
concerned too.
Read the http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportforums
I think Dell know what the problem is. In my opinion - it is not the
fan, perhaps the motherboard, the RPM-Control.
We have no chance to fix the problem with replacement-fans from Dell.
Let me know what you want to do.

Bye ...


If the fan is exceedingly loud (i.e.- running "wide open" most all of
the time), then the motherboard likely needs to be replaced. You might
ask for a replacement fan first just to verify before having the mb
changed.


Before jumping to such conclusions a 'good' technician will first
determine WHICH fan is making the noise (CPU or Video).
Even if it is CPU fan, this hardly indicates a replacement of the
motherboard is warranted as it could simply be a poorly seated heatsink.






While it's true enough that video fans can make noise, they typically do
not fluctuate once the machine is booted. This poster is referring
specifically to his CPU/case fan.


True they (video cooling fans) do not 'typically' fluctuate, but then we
are talking about failing fans here aren't we! In which case I have seen
many do this over the years. As for the OP referring 'specifically' to
CPU/case fan, not in the message I responded to he hadn't. Only a mention
fluctuating noise level.


I addressed the heatsink seating/compound in my prior post.

Sadly, you likely do not know the hardware of this particular machine
(the Dim8400) as I do. That makes me somewhat more qualified to make such
a statement.


Well good for you, and I now see that. You do realize that perhaps your
heatsink seating/compound response may not have been showing on everyones
news servers and in fact was not yet showing on mine. More sadly you
appear to be very hung on yourself and your alleged skills as a super tech
and your assumptions that you are more qualified than another to make a
legitimate response are evidence of this. I have seen plenty like you come
and go in my 25 years of working on systems and suppose the trend will
continue. By the way, I own two 8400's myself and have worked on several,
I am quite familiar with them.

Be that as it may, a 'good' technician - not unlike a skilled athlete or
doctor - does not have to tell anyone that they are 'good'.

That is determined by the results of their work.


I am quite pleased with the number of customers my company has that send
others our way. You on the other hand are the one that seems to be all set
on telling us what a super-tech you are.

In article , lid
says...

"Key Bored" wrote in message ...
Hi All,

I'm considering buying a new computer, probably Dell Dimension 4600 or 8400.
Does anyone have info or opinions on the noise level of these models,
compared to other Dell models or other manufacturers like Sony, Gateway, or
HP? Is there a website with noise ratings for computers?

Some info can be found in the documents located he

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topi...us&l=en&s=corp

However, I find the information frustratingly vague. The configuration of the
test machines isn't fully documented, nor is the amount of load. But that is
something to look at.

There are numerous forums on the net where PC quieting is dicussed. For
example, www.anandtech.com, www.tomshardware.com, and
www.silentpcreview.com have forums. I don't know whether any third
parties have evaluated Dells, Gateways, etc for noise. However, if you
dig around you'll probably find numerous personal comments regarding
how quiet or noisy they are.

You best bet would be to find someone that owns the exact machine you
are considering, and go have a listen. Noise is a subjective thing, and what
one person might consider quiet you might consider highly annoying. If you
aren't satisfied with the noise levels of Dells, Gateways, etc you could build
your own quieter machine, or purchase one from a reputable builder.

In my experience, having several Dells of my own in the past and
recently setting up a 4600 and then an 8400 for some friends, one of the
problems is whining hard drives. This is the luck of the draw because
Dell uses whatever brand HD they have available at a given time. I find
the high pitched whine even more difficult than the fan, power supply
and graphic card fan.

In my last Dell, an 8200, I ended up replacing the power supply, the cpu
fan and the hard drive, all to achieve some peace and quiet.

So, this time round, I had one built for me by www.endpcnoise.com and it
is truly quiet. However, they don't technically offer any tech support
although they'll be happy to help when you call. Given the quality, or
lack thereof, of Dell's tech support, I'm not sure much is really lost.
They use only retail parts and you wont have something crippled by its
OEM status, although you will pay more up front. They also offer high
quality video cards with Zalman heat sinks to replace the fans -
therefore, silent.

You could also have a look at www.tastycomputers.com. They will custom
build using pretty much whatever parts you want and I know they are
aware of the noise factor.

Louise

Well this is my first time using DELL (or any brandname comp rather than a
custom built.)

I almost didn't purchase this DELL because of the noise issues I heard on
their user forums.
I was also concerned about having so much hardware on a 250 w power supply,
no added fans or cooling, no side vents on case, etc.

Well I plugged in my new 8400 (upgraded soundcard to audigy and upgraded vid
card to x300) and it's SO QUIET, I have to put my ear up to it to make sure
it is turned on!!!

My comp tech says it will get noisier the more you use it because the
firmware runs the fan at variable speeds according to how much it needs. So
far I have run Unreal Tournament on it, quite intensive for the cpu and can
notice no difference in the sound level.





"Louise" wrote in message
.. .
In article , lid
says...

"Key Bored" wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I'm considering buying a new computer, probably Dell Dimension 4600 or
8400.
Does anyone have info or opinions on the noise level of these models,
compared to other Dell models or other manufacturers like Sony,
Gateway, or
HP? Is there a website with noise ratings for computers?

Some info can be found in the documents located he

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topi...us&l=en&s=corp

However, I find the information frustratingly vague. The configuration
of the
test machines isn't fully documented, nor is the amount of load. But
that is
something to look at.

There are numerous forums on the net where PC quieting is dicussed. For
example, www.anandtech.com, www.tomshardware.com, and
www.silentpcreview.com have forums. I don't know whether any third
parties have evaluated Dells, Gateways, etc for noise. However, if you
dig around you'll probably find numerous personal comments regarding
how quiet or noisy they are.

You best bet would be to find someone that owns the exact machine you
are considering, and go have a listen. Noise is a subjective thing, and
what
one person might consider quiet you might consider highly annoying. If
you
aren't satisfied with the noise levels of Dells, Gateways, etc you could
build
your own quieter machine, or purchase one from a reputable builder.

In my experience, having several Dells of my own in the past and
recently setting up a 4600 and then an 8400 for some friends, one of the
problems is whining hard drives. This is the luck of the draw because
Dell uses whatever brand HD they have available at a given time. I find
the high pitched whine even more difficult than the fan, power supply
and graphic card fan.

In my last Dell, an 8200, I ended up replacing the power supply, the cpu
fan and the hard drive, all to achieve some peace and quiet.

So, this time round, I had one built for me by www.endpcnoise.com and it
is truly quiet. However, they don't technically offer any tech support
although they'll be happy to help when you call. Given the quality, or
lack thereof, of Dell's tech support, I'm not sure much is really lost.
They use only retail parts and you wont have something crippled by its
OEM status, although you will pay more up front. They also offer high
quality video cards with Zalman heat sinks to replace the fans -
therefore, silent.

You could also have a look at www.tastycomputers.com. They will custom
build using pretty much whatever parts you want and I know they are
aware of the noise factor.

Louise

"PC Medic" wrote in message news:rOMjd.87572$UA.15370@lakeread08...

Before jumping to such conclusions a 'good' technician will first determine
WHICH fan is making the noise (CPU or Video).
Even if it is CPU fan, this hardly indicates a replacement of the
motherboard is warranted as it could simply be a poorly seated heatsink.

Hi,

it´s definitely the CPU/Case-Fan.
There is no fan on the videocard, the fan in the power-supply is very
silent.
I don´t believe it´s a problem with the heatsink, i will check it.

The fan runs always with the same speed, only if you do something,
start a program or what ever, if then the fan changes the speed for
one second.
The question is - what is controlled the fan - what changes the speed,
just for a second.
I don´t believe the fan is controlled by temperature, i read something
about "Puls Width Modulation (PWM) Controlled Fans". Don´t know what
this meant.
If i stress the CPU (100%) for a long time - the fan runs always with
the same speed, only the air flow is hot. I checked the fan with the
Dell-Test, it seems all ok.
Perhaps it´s normal as a Dell PC - perhaps i am too sensitively ...

Bye, Peter.

"Peter Richter" wrote in message
om...
"PC Medic" wrote in message
news:rOMjd.87572$UA.15370@lakeread08...

Before jumping to such conclusions a 'good' technician will first
determine
WHICH fan is making the noise (CPU or Video).
Even if it is CPU fan, this hardly indicates a replacement of the
motherboard is warranted as it could simply be a poorly seated heatsink.

Hi,

it´s definitely the CPU/Case-Fan.
There is no fan on the videocard, the fan in the power-supply is very
silent.
I don´t believe it´s a problem with the heatsink, i will check it.

The fan runs always with the same speed, only if you do something,
start a program or what ever, if then the fan changes the speed for
one second.
The question is - what is controlled the fan - what changes the speed,
just for a second.
I don´t believe the fan is controlled by temperature, i read something
about "Puls Width Modulation (PWM) Controlled Fans". Don´t know what
this meant.
If i stress the CPU (100%) for a long time - the fan runs always with
the same speed, only the air flow is hot. I checked the fan with the
Dell-Test, it seems all ok.
Perhaps it´s normal as a Dell PC - perhaps i am too sensitively ...

Bye, Peter.


Unless I'm mistaken, the Dell test checks an upper range limit of about 1800
rpm and a lower in the range of 800 to 900rpm. If your tests indicate
numbers similar to that then it would suggest the fan to be operating
normally.

Dell has used variable speed (temperature directed) fans for some time. The
Dim8400 fan - while roughly the same diameter as early fans in that case -
is a much deeper fan and I believe still uses what this page refers to as an
"NTC". You should be able to see the sensor on the fan from the rear of the
tower with a flashlight.

http://heatsink-guide.com/jmc80mm.htm

The last line of your post may also be correct. It has been commonplace in
this ng and others to see posts from people who are simply sensitive to
noise, and those issues go back to (at least) the Dimension 4100.


Stew

"S.Lewis" wrote in message . ..

Dell has used variable speed (temperature directed) fans for some time. The
Dim8400 fan - while roughly the same diameter as early fans in that case -
is a much deeper fan and I believe still uses what this page refers to as an
"NTC". You should be able to see the sensor on the fan from the rear of the
tower with a flashlight.

Hi Stew,
there is no sensor on the delta- or nidec fan.
The fans are connected with a 4-wire connector, therefore i say PWM.
I think that is the DELL fan-control: (see the graphic)
http://www.de.tomshardware.com/cpu/2...cooler-01.html

And now - good news, there are a new FlashBios (A03) for the Dimension
8400, i installed it - my fan became quieter !!!!!

Bye ..

"Peter Richter" wrote in message
om...
"S.Lewis" wrote in message
. ..

Dell has used variable speed (temperature directed) fans for some time.
The
Dim8400 fan - while roughly the same diameter as early fans in that
case -
is a much deeper fan and I believe still uses what this page refers to as
an
"NTC". You should be able to see the sensor on the fan from the rear of
the
tower with a flashlight.

Hi Stew,
there is no sensor on the delta- or nidec fan.
The fans are connected with a 4-wire connector, therefore i say PWM.
I think that is the DELL fan-control: (see the graphic)
http://www.de.tomshardware.com/cpu/2...cooler-01.html

And now - good news, there are a new FlashBios (A03) for the Dimension
8400, i installed it - my fan became quieter !!!!!

Bye ..


Thanks, Pete - and congrats on finding a solution. I feel sure this topic
will come up again.


Stew

"Peter Richter" wrote in message
om...
"S.Lewis" wrote in message
. ..

Dell has used variable speed (temperature directed) fans for some time.
The
Dim8400 fan - while roughly the same diameter as early fans in that
case -
is a much deeper fan and I believe still uses what this page refers to as
an
"NTC". You should be able to see the sensor on the fan from the rear of
the
tower with a flashlight.

Hi Stew,
there is no sensor on the delta- or nidec fan.
The fans are connected with a 4-wire connector, therefore i say PWM.
I think that is the DELL fan-control: (see the graphic)
http://www.de.tomshardware.com/cpu/2...cooler-01.html

And now - good news, there are a new FlashBios (A03) for the Dimension
8400, i installed it - my fan became quieter !!!!!


Thanks for the heads' up.

Tried the new BIOS
http://support.euro.dell.com/uk/en/f...&fileid=R87033

Still a leaf blower alas.