Dell Studio 17 - Buzzing Noise & Fans ON most of the time

Hi,

I just received my new Studio 17 a couple of days ago, and I have a couple of issues.

First, is this buzzing noise that emanates from the upper keyboard/touch sensitive media buttons. I ran the diagnostic tests, and they all passed. The noise is still present with the LCD off, hard drive off, and fans off.

Second, the fan is on almost all the time. It is pretty cool in the house, and it turns off for just 2-3 mins and kicks in again for maybe 15 mins or so.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

hmm... somethings not right...

i've played around with the Studio 17 last night... no buzzing noise... per say... except the ODD is LOUD!!! when it's being used...

as for fan being on all the time, maybe you should get some temp monitoring software and see if your system is too hot for some reason...

well, my fan humms for a bit... but i do hear it kick in when i use it for an hour or so...

cooling may be adequate on this laptop... but not the best imho...

 

Here is the reply from Dell regarding the buzzing noise...Seems that it is acceptable to them!

"Also, in certain situations, an intermittent, high-frequency buzzing noise may be heard from the system. It appears to change with processor activity and can increase in frequency if USB devices are attached.

This buzzing noise is apparent to some degree on all laptops but is perceived as abnormal because it is different from the other more familiar noises the computer makes.

The noise has been isolated to the processor?s power circuit and is only audible when the processor is in C3 (clock-stopped) power state. In this state, the computer is in a low-power mode designed to reduce chassis heat and extend the battery life. The changes to the components in the processor's power circuit are caused by a phenomenon referred to as the Piezoelectric Effect*. When a specific voltage is applied to these components, they begin to resonate producing sounds that fall within the range of human hearing (15 ? 20 KHz).

*NOTE: You can refer to this site for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity

The noise is normal and within the acoustic specifications of the computer.

Replacing parts do not end the buzzing. However, in the event the buzzing is annoying, there is a workaround that can be performed, preventing the computer from entering the C3 state, thus, minimizing the noise.

Enable bus mastering devices, such as the onboard Bluetooth radio, to prevent the processor from entering the C3 power state. This prevents the intermittent, high-frequency buzzing noise from occurring. However, when the system is running on battery only, the battery's operational time is reduced.

To enable the Bluetooth radio:
1. Right-click the Bluetooth icon in the system tray.
2. When the Bluetooth Settings menu appears, left-click Power On if it is displayed in the menu. If Power Off is displayed, the Bluetooth radio is already enabled."

 

Yeah, you definitely need to check out the temps. I use a program called "speedfan" and it works great. Also, RMclock (used for undervolting, which may be a good idea in your case) will monitor temperatures, CPU load, and enable dynamic CPU throttling. Really useful if it's running hot.

About the buzzing, could it be coming from the speakers? They're located right where you said the sound is coming from...try disabling them in the sound menu int he control panel and see if that helps. Try muting the volume and see if it's still there. Also, if you put on headphones, is the buzzing coming through them too? That definitely would point to an audio issue.

Let us know!

-Dan

 

I installed RMclock, and unchecked the boxes "enable popup/popdown mode." As soon as I clicked Apply, the buzzing sound disappeared. So, that noise is related to the CPU then. I wonder why some users don't hear that sound though.

 

As for the FAN speeds, I downloaded EVEREST Ultimate, and observed the temperatures. The FAN is ON until the temperature of the Cores stabilize at about 35-36 degrees Celsius. As soon as the FAN stops, the temperature quickly rises to about 40-41 degrees. The temperature then progressively increases to about 46 degrees, and the FAN kicks in.

 

The buzzing noise came back after a few seconds even with the
"popup/down modes" unchecked...

 

EDIT: Ugh, I just read your new post...you could try enabling the "Enter C4 on C3 command" That would cause it to not ever enter C3 mode. Also, you could try on the "Processor" tab to uncheck "Enable Enh. Deep Sleep (C3E)"

Good news about RMclock! Glad it worked. Only some people hearing the sound has to do with a couple things. First would be manufacturing tolerances. The tolerances of the components vary from batch to batch, so you must just have a set of components that happens to resonate at an audible frequency when at a certain voltage. Lucky you! Also, it could be that some people lose their high frequency hearing range as they get older. Their laptops may make the same noise but they simply can't hear it.

OK, now about the CPU temperature, you should definitely consider undervolting your CPU. It will help your temps and battery life quite a bit. There are quite a few articles on this forum on how to undervolt using RMclock. It's pretty easy to do (just adjusting some values and testing) but it is time consuming. You have to test every change you make. Look around in the forum and see if you can figure out how to do it. If not, I can give you a short tutorial on how I did it. Just let me know.

You should also check to see what processes are taking up your CPU cycles. Vista has a built in performance monitor (not the task manager) that you can get to from the control panel. Try that out. See what you can turn off to increase your performance.

See if that helps!

-Dan

EDIT: Ugh, I just read your new post...you could try enabling the "Enter C4 on C3 command" That would cause it to not ever enter C3 mode.

 

hey, though you work and try on this... i would begin talking with dell and getting your RMA in place.

 

Thank you for the suggestions. I am a bit hesitant about tweaking all those settings to have this noise minimized. I mean, this noise should not be there in the first place. I am going to give those a try, but I am also going to request a replacement and hope for the best. I will keep this thread updated...

Thanks again!

 

I completely agree that you should RMA the laptop, but you can see if those settings help in the meantime. There's no reason that either of these problems pass spec.

 

Your laptop should not be buzzing audibly. A high pitched whine when you have your ear directly turned to it may be possible but, certainly not any form of low buzzing. Such noises are nearly always related to faulty power supplies or step down transformers, which have a lot of voltage going through them.

Send it back and let them send you one without the issue.

 

Thanks everyone! I played around with RMclock again, and discovered that when checking the box "Disable C4 mode," the buzzing noise stops immediately and does not come back...so far!

EDIT: After a minutes, the buzzing noise is back but is very faint compared to before. I basically have to place my ear on the keyboard to hear it.

 

RMA it bro...

 

I am requesting a replacement as I type this message. Thank you all for your help and suggestions. I certainly appreciate it!

 

Anytime I'm always willing to help.

 

As far as the FAN issue is concerned, it has been running constantly for the past 5 hours now. The core temperatures vary between 39-42 degrees Celsius, and I just have one browser window with three tabs open. Is this normal?

BTW, the exchange system is in production now.

 

Not really! Mine usually isn't on when I am just browsing...it will turn on for a little bit (like 5 min or less) and then shut off, but never 5 hours! Did you check out what processes are taking up your CPU like I suggested?

 

I looked at them but I'm not really saavy in this area. Here's the screenshot.

 

Nothing leaps out as causing the fan issue. Do you have the laptop on a flat surface? The air intake is at the bottom, with the exhaust at he rear of the laptop. If you have the intake blocked, the fan will be on most of the time to try to cool the CPU and GPU.

Of course it could also be down to dell not seating the heatsink correctly too.

 

Thanks for the reply. It has always been located on my desk, and there is nothing in the vicinity that would block the intake or exhaust. The screen, when it's open, does seem to protrude close to the the exhaust. Interesting design!

 

I keep my laptop at an angle and it seems to help the cooling. I just set the rear of it on two decks of cards (both missing a card, so I found a use for them!). It seems to work pretty well, but I do agree that having the screen block the exhaust is a little weird...

Also, I looked at that process list and nothing on there seems to be hogging too many resources. You could also look at the performance monitor that vista has. Just go into the control panel and double click "Performance information and tools". Then on the left side click "Advanced tools" and then go to "Open Reliability and Performance Monitor" That will tell you which programs are using the CPU and what percent of it. The task manager (the screenshot you took) only shows memory consumption.

 

I received my replacement Studio 17 yesterday, and it has the exact same buzzing noise. In addition, the LCD on this one has vertical bands across its length. I would say, this one may be worse than the original.

I'm done with the Studio 17. I may be looking into the HP HDX16 instead...

 

Wow...that's really unfortunate. If I were in your situation I would be thinking exactly the same thing. I'm wish I could say I am surprised it passed QC but I'm truly not from what I've heard.

Well, there's no reason to look elsewhere! Enjoy the fruits of competition

Good luck in your search.

-Dan

 

hey guy i just received my studio 17 after about 3 weeks of waiting. Im also having some issues with a louder than normal fan noise and i on;y have 1 browser open. Im gonna go through this thread and c if anything can be changed to reduce the noise.