Dell Precision workstation 370

[sketch]

I just bought a Dell Precision workstation 370. It's not as quiet as some of the Optiplexes I've seen/heard. Is my Precision defective--or is this the way all Precision's are? Is there anything I can do to make it quieter--or should I return it and buy something else?

[Ralf Hutter]

You realize that any mods you make to quiet it will void your warranty, right? Have you opened it up to identify the source of the noise? What are it's specs?

[sketch]

P4 3.2; ATI 3100; some WD 40GB HD; not sure what the soure of the noise really is... I thought the whole thing would just be "pretty quiet"

[Ralf Hutter]

P4 3.2; ATI 3100; some WD 40GB HD; not sure what the soure of the noise really is... I thought the whole thing would just be "pretty quiet"

That's probably a 3.2 Prescott which means Dell will have had to design in some fairly hardcore cooling (read "loud fan") to keep the think from throttling all the time. WD drives aren't known for their low noise either. PSU fan, who knows but it'll probably need to be moving a decent amount of warm case air due to the CPU heat, so it's probably not too quiet either. Vidcard, is it passive, I don't know, but if it's got a fan on it, they're normally a source of a fairly decent amount of noise.

I'd guess that you're pretty much stuck with what you've got. I really can't imagine any Prescot-CPU'd Dell system being particularly quiet, there's just too much heat to remove.

[HellDiver]

WD drives aren't known for their low noise either.

I don't agree with that in any way.

The rest of the points you raised are accurate though, the Precision 370 isn't a wonderfully quiet machine. The PSU fan does run quite fast, as it's a 300W rated supply, and the JMC 92mm fans they use for the CPU cooling are pretty bad for bearing rumble.

The Optiplex GX270/280 uses the same case, and is equally noisy.

[sketch]

thank you for these comments. i guess i screwed-up getting a 3.2 intel. i guess i will return this to dell. is AMD64 the way to go... and if so, is ARM prebuilt or ENDPCNoise prebuilt my only options at around $900?

[MHP]

I just bought a Dell Precision workstation 370. It's not as quiet as some of the Optiplexes I've seen/heard.

I have a big Dell P.W. 650 at work, and it's not terribly quiet. There is a noticeable low-frequency noise from the cooling fans. I've not opened it to see exactly what's the source. Agree with others that you should NOT make changes as it voids the warranty. Also, you may not be successful, as with today's hot PCs, it helps for them to be designed quiet from the start.

I am writing this on a much quieter ARM Stealth system. You can see my review in this forum ("Brief review of ...").

Good luck!

[bsoft]

I just bought a Dell Precision workstation 370. It's not as quiet as some of the Optiplexes I've seen/heard.

I have a big Dell P.W. 650 at work, and it's not terribly quiet. There is a noticeable low-frequency noise from the cooling fans. I've not opened it to see exactly what's the source. Agree with others that you should NOT make changes as it voids the warranty. Also, you may not be successful, as with today's hot PCs, it helps for them to be designed quiet from the start.

I am writing this on a much quieter ARM Stealth system. You can see my review in this forum ("Brief review of ...").

Good luck!

We buy a lot of HP workstations at my office, and they came in with a video demonstrating the poor thermal design of the Dell workstations (it was an interview with HP thermal engineers, actually). Basically, the Dell workstations have:

- Poor airflow. The drive cage and front bezel restrict airflow quite a bit, making the fans ramp up.

- Poor PSU design. The Dell has a double-fan grid that really constricts airflow on the PSU. It also uses a (quite annoying) ball bearing 80mm fan and a poor thermal regulator.

- Poor CPU cooling. Although the "fan shroud" idea sounds good on paper, the heatsink used isn't nearly as effective as it should be.


If you're looking for a decently quiet workstation, try the XW4200. We have about 20 at my company and noise has never been a problem.

The XW8200 system actually uses a case that was reviewed here on SPCR. The XW4200 is similar in design.

[MHP]

If you're looking for a decently quiet workstation, try the [HP] XW4200. We have about 20 at my company and noise has never been a problem. The XW8200 system actually uses a case that was reviewed here on SPCR. The XW4200 is similar in design.

Thanks for that tip. Unfortunately, our outfit has a blanket order with Dell. Still, I can give it a try next time, and it's helpful to know that HP is a direction to go in.

[HellDiver]

The main problem with your Dell is probably the motor noise from the Nidec or JMC 92mm fan. It might be worth putting in a Panaflo or Vantec instead. You will have to modify the connector on the fan to fit the Dell fan connector.

I've fixed a few Dimension 4600 with dud fans using a Vantec Stealth 92mm, and they've resulted in being a much quieter system.

[rtsai]

A big big problem is the cases with the front flip-up panels (Dimension 8300, GX270, probably some others). There's just no intake. I have a Dimension 8300 at home and a GX270 at work.

The other models (PowerEdge, Dimension 4600, probably some others) that don't have the front flip-up panel have better front intakes (PowerEdge can breathe through the front bezel, Dimension 4600 has a lower-front intake slot).

But after the case, as others have mentioned, are all the other components. They're fine with me "as is" ("quiet enough"), but once you start adding components, the case gets cramped very quickly, and airflow starts to matter a lot.