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August 1st, 2025 02:26
R360 too loud even after fan setting changes in iDRAC
The server was sold to us as being able to be used in a "shared space" in the open wall rack in the corner. Staff in the area is complaining that it is really loud, and the oscillating fan is making them physically ill. It arrived with & still has the latest firmware for everything (bios/idrac/h355 perc/2 sata ssd/broadcom nic) & is fully updated Windows 2025 standard. Xeon 6315p, just one step above the bottom rung pentium offered for this model, 16gb ram. Basically being used for AD/DNS/DHCP/File/Print - very low utilization, no 3rd party apps, no databases, no added GPU, no Ai work, etc.
Sitting idle it is 70-75db at the psu, 60db at the closest person's desk. Power up of course is way louder, and it does "settle down" once it get into the OS, but nothing anywhere near what is advertised for idle/quietest configuration. Tried some of the settings https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000257346/poweredge-how-to-change-the-fan-speed-offset and even after setting it, shutting down, powering it back up, waiting for it to settle down, it is still the same, no noticeable change at all.
Page 29 - Acoustics - it looks like we do have what would be considered "Quietest" configuration
Page 30 - PowerEdge R360 with GPU workload is not recommend for an acoustically sensitive environment. - we don't have the GPU build
Old server was a T130 & no one had any complaints about it at all. Thought it might be nice to use the rack in the corner instead of going with a T160 server.
Suggestions welcome,
Thanks!
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HarryKane51
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August 1st, 2025 04:42
Thanks for the detailed write-up I'm in a similar situation with an R360 in a shared office space and was surprised by how loud it is even at idle. Same story here: no GPU, minimal load, fan settings adjusted in iDRAC with no real difference. It's disappointing given the advertised acoustics. Curious if anyone's had success with a different config or a third-party solution to quiet things down.
abeNdorg
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August 2nd, 2025 01:47
@HarryKane51 It was suggested I try a Flea Drain (I can't say if it worked for me, I haven't been onsite yet to try)
1. Power the server down.
2. Disconnect server from all power cables, Network cables.
3. Hold down the power button continuously for at least 45 seconds.
4. Insert power cables and network cables back to the system.
5. Wait about 2 minutes before powering on server to give the iDRAC time to initialize.
6. Power the system on.
If that still doesn't work even after playing with the fan settings (link in my original post), then open a ticket with Dell support & attach a TSR https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000126308/export-a-supportassist-collection-via-idrac9 then report back if they suggest anything else (especially if it works!).
PCICS67e1ac
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August 8th, 2025 21:45
@abeNdorg @HarryKane51 Recent purchase of an R360 encountered same issue. No load at all, all firmware and drivers up to date, no tweaking of any thermal settings, everything vanilla. Very annoying. Performed the Flea Drain as described. Immediate positive results.
abeNdorg
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August 9th, 2025 19:27
@PCICS67e1ac I noticed the iDRAC was *slightly* out of date so I updated it. 7.20.30.50, upgrade package states 7.20.30.55 from july 21st. No difference after applying the update, rebooting, powering down & back up. I then tried the Flea Drain multiple times (as in unplug *everything*, run through steps, power back on, test SPL level, repeat) and it is still running 60-70db. That is *after* it fully boots into the OS and "settles down". It then cycles up down in a nauseating oscillation and headache inducing fashion (not just me, but the rest of the staff as well). I am at a loss as to what to do next with this as it is unusable.