studio xps16 power supply making little tick/spark noises?

hey fellas just wondering if hearing a spark like noise is normal from these power supplies? it reminds me of listening to a hard drive tick
so whats the deal?

 

never heard of that before, i have the XPS 16. I had a bad power supply with the one that came with my laptop (it was getting wicked hot, almost to the point that it would burn your skin upon touch) then I had dell was on a dell chat and asked them to replace it and they sent me a better branded Delta Electronics power supply. Haven't had any issues since, I would recommend getting yours swapped so you don't risk a fire/shock etc.. if you are noticing problems with it. A cheap $50 part isn't worth damage to your belongings if something was to be wrong with it plus you have a warranty, mine as well use it.

- Dan

 

yeah the power supply gets very hot. the computer also gets extremely hot at points i cant even put it on my lap

i so want to love this computer but idk ugg

 

Any sort of noise from your power supply is probably abnormal. That you should definitely look to replace. On the other hand, the SXPS 16 and SXPS 13 are known to run pretty hot (see the NBR reviews); so that is probably normal. If you want to use the machine on your lap, you should get one those things you put between your lap and your laptop (what's it called?) or get a different model.

 

I got the same problem with my power adapter when I first got my xps 16. Contacted dell rep, had to go through some troubles explaining the problem to tech because they didn't seem to be really understanding. But if you can convince them about the issue, they will overnight a new adapter to you.

 

I find most heat comes from the Intel Wifi adapter, if you turn it to maximum power savings in the power options it lowers the heat a little bit.

 

Hi, I recently got my XPS 16 and I noticed the faint ticking issue in my power adapter too.

Do I simply call up Dell services to explain the problem? Was the new adapter they shipped to you for free?

How is the new adapter working? Is it free of the ticking? Thanks!

 

My 1647 is making those tick noises. Intermittent but still very annoying, I'm not sure if it's from the power supply though. I'll try to isolate the sound.

 

My 90w adapter on my 1640 did that. I didn't noticed it until I was close to the power supply but I suspect its been doing it the entire time. When I got my 1647 replacement, the new 90w adapter it came with made the same exact noises. When I plugged in the 130w adapter I got sent, no noises.

I personally think the 90w battery is the main culprit to a lot of the problems the 164X series has had. Obviously throttling but to me it just sounds like the 90w is just insufficient for these machines, regardless of throttling or not, and when you hear these sparking like clicks, I feel like its because the power supply is running on overload just to charge normally.

So since its always running on max or whatever you wanna call it, to me at least, it explains the noises.

 

i have the 130w and it's ticking. a bit concern and will definitely replace it soon. no way am i letting this make any spark to cause a fire or something since it's constantly on my carpet floor.

 

With my sxps 1645 the 90w adapter two days after having it i got a buzzing/ticking, that got increasingly louder, till i could hear it across the table. It also got burning hot. They replaced it with the 130w and so far it seems much better, still will got hot, but not like the 90w.

 

I've got a 90W and a 130W. The 130W seems quiet all the time, the 90W only makes noise when it's unhooked from the laptop.

 

Don't mean to necro this thread, but I have the same issue with the ticking power adapter.

I just got off an online support chat with a rep called Avish, and holy crap did this guy exceed my expectations. I was expecting him to tell me my system was out of warranty (refurb laptop purchased in April), but he instead told me he'd immediately send out a 130W adapter.

He then asked me if any parts were missing from the machine, and I told him the silver trim piece was loose on the side where the glowing XPS symbol sits. To my amazement, he told me he would send out a technician in 2-3 days, with the power supply, to REPLACE the ENTIRE LCD panel with a new one.

Is it just me, or do XPS users really get some good customer service? Or is this a part of Dell's response to a low customer satisfaction rating? Or perhaps I was just lucky...

 

Wow, I'm glad I read this thread! For a couple of weeks my monitor has been making ticking/spark sounds, and I thought I was going to have to buy a new one soon. Well I just checked my power adapter and it is making the sparking sounds! I then held the adapter to one side of my head with my monitor on the other side, and the sparking sounds are coming from both, identically, at the same time, like an echo. So I plugged the adapter into a different power strip than my monitor and the monitor is now quiet (as well as the adapter). Weird! But I feel a lot better about my monitor.

edit: now the spark noises are back in both the adapter and monitor, even though it has its own outlet...

 

Last year, I noted here that my adapter also makes ticking noises. So, turns out, it somehow depends on what outlet I plug it into.
Certain outlets for some reason give me the ticking sounds in my adapter, still. But the outlets I'm currently using do not give the ticking sound. When I plug into those other outlets, again, the ticking sound starts again. Weird.

I might end up calling up Dell later on before my Warranty expires to get my adapter replaced or argue for a 130W one.

 

I can not complain in the least with XPS support. 99 percent of the time they help me and normally exceed my expectations.

 

I actually just called up Dell 3 times and got 3 different Support personnel. Each one has their own personality and own degree of willingness to help. One of the three made an extra effort to look something up for me, whereas the other 2 didn't bother/refused/or didn't offer to help with that same issue. So I guess it totally depends on who picks up the phone. I'd say my level of satisfaction with the 3 people are something like 80%, 80%, 95%.