Dell Inspiron 3475 AIO runs ridiculously slow

Hi RoHe,

Good catch:  Yes, I meant thermal paste, not solder paste.

Yes, I did get rid of SmartByte.  Microsoft's "cleanpc" app removed it for me as part of the "Fresh Start".

I ran Speedtest 5 times before implementing your recommendation and then another 5 times afterward.  It's probably the wrong tool for the job, but that's what I used.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any meaningful improvement.  Either way, I was getting about 8mbps download and 6mbps upload.  And yes, I'm running the most recent (July 2020) Dell drivers for it.

In contrast, if I were to connect directly by ethernet, I would get 175mbps download and 23mbps upload.

Well, long story short, I found that if I switched over to the 5ghz spectrum, I got a vast improvement in wi-fi performance.  Now it's getting about 80mbps download and close to 23mbps upload.

So, that still leaves room for improving download speed by an additional 100mbps, but I can't yet pin the blame for that on the QCA9377 wi-fi module that's in the Inspiron 24-3475.   I could perhaps achieve better with either a better AP or AP placement.  Or maybe switching to a different 5Ghz channel would help.  All that's worth exploring.

I'm not sure which 802.11 standards the QCA9377 adheres to.  Clearly it came out before Wifi-6 became a standard.  Also, it has just 2 antennas.  

If there were a compatible Wifi-6 module, I'd be interested in upgrading the Inspiron 24-3475 to it. WiFi-6 is a worthwhile upgrade, and the more machines that are running it, the better it is for everyone on the wireless network.   However, due to the age of the Inspiron 24-3475's design, I doubt we'll ever see an official WiFi-6 module like that from Dell that's "approved" for this machine.  Here's why: there's no money in it for Dell.  i.e. Unless it would help sell a large volume of new machines, it's not going to happen.  In practical terms, the decision boils down to: "live with it" or try an unsupported DIY upgrade, which may or may not work.

So....Has anyone found a compatible Wifi-6 module that seems to work?

How far is the router from the AIO? Distance affects WiFi speed. Are walls, furniture, etc blocking the signal?

What 802.11 protocol are you using? The Dell OEM card supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, but you need an "ac" router to use that faster protocol.

Did you check the Link Speed for your setup? Link Speed is the speed at which the router and PC talk to each other, not your internet up/download speed. You should be able to find Link Speed on the Network>WiFi>Properties screen in Win 10.

The WiFi+Bluetooth card plugs into an M.2 slot on the motherboard, so any WiFi+Bluetooth card with the same key and length as the OEM card should fit into that slot and work, as long as it supports your version of Windows.

Or, you could disable the internal WiFi in Device Manager and plug in a USB>WiFi dongle which might have faster speed and better performance because the antenna(s) will be outside the case.

EDIT: And remember, if you go for a WiFi 6 M.2 card or USB dongle, you're also going to need a WiFi 6 router too.

I think I found the link speed property that you are referring to:

but the numbers never vary, and so it appears to be more of a setting than an actual measurement.

Regarding upgrading to a wifi-6 module, the ones on Amazon appear to be backward compatible with both 802.11ac and 802.11n.  Since the Dell qualcomm wifi module is just 1x1, I think I'd get an improvement by upgrading to a 2x2 module, even if my router doesn't upgrade to wifi-6 until later.  It would use 802.11ac/n, but with 2 streams (2x2), which should be an improvement.

I posted a reply, but it disappeared into a moderator review for some reason.  Not sure if it's gone for good or whether it will reappear later.

Well, regardless, I'm going to try one of these:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SH6GV5S/ref=crt_ewc_title_srh_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1P510M40JY8CO

i.e. an Intel AX200NGW.  It utilizes a 2 stream 2x2 antenna configuration, so even in backward compatibility mode it should outperform the current qualcom QCA9377  card--assuming it works at all.  I've seen a number of threads in the Dell community forum complaining about the QCA9377 card.

One last thing, apparently: it seems as though the internal fan may need to be replaced.  Either that, or somehow lubricated.  Not sure which.  It just sounds as though if this Dell fan has bearings, then they are running rather roughly instead of  smoothly.  Likewise, if it only has a sleeve bearing, then it sounds as if upgrading to a ball bearing fan design would be better.  I guess I'll try to look into finding a replacement fan.  Plainly, (or so it seems to me), this PC was built to a cost, and corners shaved during the design/production wherever possible, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if it were just a sleeve bearing.

No offense intended.  It just is what it is.  After all these upgrades, there may not be much Dell left in this Dell.

@WhiteRabbitZeroZero  - Keep in mind that Dell fans typically have to communicate with the motherboard. So if you go with a non-Dell fan, you may get a "fan failure" error at every boot because the motherboard won't be able to see it correctly. So browse around this forum and see if anyone has reported using a non-Dell fan i this PC model, and if they needed a work-around for any fan failure messages.

I guess you could hit the fan with some canned air to see if you can clean out the bearings...