I wouldnt remove the chute. Its designed to keep the processor Cool.

Hi.

You should not remove the guide, try cleaning any dust from the fan, if that does not stop the noise, then replace it. If your computer is still under warranty, phone Dell Tech, Support at 1-800-624-9896 about replacing the fan

Bev.



Message Edited on 09/23/02 10:46AM by shesagordie

Hi! Thanks for the advice. I did order a new fan from Dell and replaced the old one. The new one is noisier than the first one. Are faster computers supposed to be this noisy? My wife can hear the fan in the next room! Oh well. Thanks for the advice.

Hi, wicious.

Computers are not suppose to be noisy, I've a D/4500 and you can not hear it running, if the new fan is loud, contact Dell and request it be replaced also.

Bev.

Newer computers are "noisier" as there is more than one fan like older PC's. In older PC's there was a fan on the Power Supply and that was usually it. Those, generally, are relatively quiet unless the power supply comes with a high air flow model.

In new PC's there is a power supply fan and a CPU fan. Some also have additional case fans and some even have a fan for the video card. Consequently the more fans (or the more high air flow fans) the lounder the ambient noise will be. Fan noise, however, is relative. What one considers "noisy" another may not even raise a concern about. Also depending on the location can have a bearing on whether it is noticeable or not. A relatively quiet location and it will seem to be "noisy", where a not so quiet environment the same "noise" level will not be apparent.

This is not to say that someone doesn't have a defective fan, and if it truly is noisy then it should be replaced.

I managed a hardware help desk for many years (I'm retired now) and we would have users that complained about fan noise in a controller or printer or PC and we would open a service call. When the tech would arrive on site, many times they would report that the fan noise was "normal" for the particular piece of equipment. But we would ask them to replace it anyway and on occations the tech would report that the new one was slightly noisier but the user would be happy and we wouldn't hear any "fan noise" complaints.

Remember Edsel Murphy and his law

I keep my on the floor. You can still hear it though. I think all the fans are noisy.
what's noise to someone though, is quiet to others.

I never heard a silent computer ever. most of my older computers are much louder.

Hi there,

My first 8100 was so noisy that I returned it within 30 days and got my money back.

4 months after, i ordered another one, assuming they fixed the problem by then. Of course they didn't and it was as noisy as the first one but i decided to tackle it this time.

One of the first things i did was to throw the stupid green shroud away. Along with that, i kept the side panel off too (the tower is open at all times).

People on this list offered me doom and gloom if i do just that. It is more than a year now since, and my computer is working flawlessly...

The way i see it, the shroud is a contributor to heat accumulation! thus it forces some fans to increase speed and noise.

Another thing i've done was to buy extention cords and move the tower box away from me. Very helpful too.

I knew all the time that, in my case at least, the major problem was the tiny fan of the video card which was emitting a most disruptive high pitch noise. Lately I upgraded the video card to GeForce 4 ti 4600, the most powerfull one available and the annoying noise disappeared!

Think about it. The technichians here are telling you that it is normal to have noise, that it comes with the increased power. But i increased the power of my video card ten times and more (I had geforce 2 32mb) and the noise actually went away...

Noisy computer is NOT NORMAL. You are entitled to have a quiet working environment.

Please be advised that I'm just describing was I did. Not telling you what to do in any way. And of course, the usual disclaimer, i'm not an expert and you should consult your dell technichian before making any changes.

good luck,

don't you need the shroud though? why is it on then?

Of the two Dells I own and the many others I've worked with - it can fairly be said that they are a quiet machine. On some of the 4300/4400 Dimensions, there was a problem with some of their Datech fans, but it would appear that's been resolved.

Many times the problem exists only to the user with very sensitive hearing, just as monitor and display problems are hard to address for people with very sensitive eyesight.

The problems with fan noise or headaches while using a given monitor are real to those people/users, but the rest of us are not or only mildly affected by either.

If you want noise, I'd encourage you to listen to most any Intel or AMD homebuilt system. THAT is noise :o)

nyguy wrote:
- don't you need the shroud though? why is it on then?
-


This question needs to be addressed by the 'genius' within Dell who designed/implemented it, and, in the way, inflicted a lot of irritation and plain suffering on thousands and thousands of people who can not (and should not,) get used to the excessive noise that comes with it.

All I can say for myself, in addition to what i've already described, is that i work with pc compatibles from the mid 80's and never seen anything like this piece of plastic. I think Dell put it there to give their computers an aura of added sophistication.

You surely do not imply that this piece of pure plastic 'drives' the computer in any way (other than driving us crazy). The only question is whether it helps cooling the P4. In my experience it is doing exactly the opposit...

The best and quietest cooling system, in my view, will be a blower that blows air directly onto the P4 surface, no shroud of course, and a large opening in the side panel (cover) of the tower, directly accross from the P4, enabling large chunks of room temperature air to get inside the tower.

Again, i do not advise a thing. Just stating my mind and experience. You should consult Dell technichians regarding all changes.