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385
September 2nd, 2023 03:27
XPS 8920/30/40/50 compatible top fans
My top 120mm fan occasionally exhibits a loud grinding noise that last for 5-10 minutes. Load doesn't seem to matter. I've had good luck with Noctua fans in the past where I mounted them in the front of my XPS systems.
Anyone replace their top 120mm fan with a Noctua or other brand? Looking through Dell support the only cooling related part they sell is the power supply. Before posting I did see some posts where apparently Noctua fans cause POST errors in Dell machines but otherwise work ok.
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ProfessorW00d
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2.3K Posts
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September 2nd, 2023 05:07
Noctua NF-A12X25 FLX 3-pin . . . a 3-pin fan will not throw the diagnostic startup error.
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rh310
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September 2nd, 2023 16:20
Thanks!!!
So, are my assumptions here close/accurate? ...
ProfessorW00d
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September 2nd, 2023 16:57
I am not exactly sure what that 3:4-pin adapter is used for, but you should not need it. My XPS 8930 has a 4-pin mobo header for Top Fan but a 3-pin Noctua cable will connect direct with no need for an adapter (one pin is naked). You are correct that the fan speed will no longer be modulated by the motherboard. You can choose the adapter (or no adapter) that provides the best combination of cooling/noise level for your particular PC configuration.
rh310
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September 2nd, 2023 22:10
@ProfessorW00d
Thanks again - just ordered one for my 8930. It has a 120mm that Dell kindly installed after I first bought it and complained about the smaller one they had began using. So at least I don't have to chase down that special bracket.
Not looking forward to replacing it since I know (from watching the Dell tech) that the CPU heatsink has to be removed. I think I read though that paring the same heatsink back to the CPU doesn't necessarily require any extra paste.
smokeygraypoupon
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September 2nd, 2023 22:45
@rh310
It is wise to clean the CPU and CPU cooler and repaste the CPU after removing the CPU cooler.
ProfessorW00d
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September 2nd, 2023 22:59
@rh310 I agree with smokey . . . get some good thermal paste and clean the old junk off. I'm not sure which CPU cooler you have but none are difficult to remove and re-install. I had the blower style CPU cooler, which I think works best for air cooling because it pushes the hot air directly up to the top exhaust fan.
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rh310
2 Intern
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September 3rd, 2023 04:58
Ok, adding paste to my shopping list :-)
I've got the K CPU with the cooling 'tower'.