Dell Vostro 3x00 - fan speed/noise control

Hi, all

Dell's current Vostro 3x00 series seems to be affected by a fan running at high speeds even when the notebook isn't hot.

This thread presents one perspective.
PLEASE FIX THIS DELL: VOSTRO 3400 Fan Noise Problem. Possibly a Faulty Hard-drive Heat Sensor. - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

I've a Vostro 3400 and am generally pleased with the machine's design and performance. However, whenever I try to use it in the bedroom - doing light web browsing - wifey complains about the excessive fan noise.

Since Dell seems unlikely to come up with a fix, I attempted to look for one online and found I8kfanGUI.

YouTube - How to adjust your fan speeds on Dell laptops with I8kfanGUI
Dell Inspiron Inspiron/Latitude/Precision fan control

Unfortunately, I8kfanGUI is dated and doesn't support the newer Vostros or Core i3/5/7 CPUs.

Does any member here use a program similar to I8kfanGUI to control the fan speed (and noise) on a Dell Vostro 3x00? If so, I'd appreciate it if you'd share your experience.

Thanks!

 

A further reason to control the fan is that it being on (at high speeds) all the time is likely to reduce its life.

 

Try running i8kfanguo in in conjunction with the Fn-12345 (not the exactly sequence; you'll have to look this up) trick. That got i8kfangui working on [all?] Latitude E-Series machines, the drawback being that you have to reset the Fn-12345 business every time you power down.

 

This thread suggests that using the 15324 trick to turn off BIOS thermal controls might allow I8kfanGUI to work on an E4300.

diefer.de - The 15324 trick and one happy E4300 owner

Any views, esp. regarding Vostros with a Core i series CPU?

 

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Try it.

 

Thanks for your feedback, Commander Wolf.

Unfortunately, the 15324 trick doesn't work on my Vostro 3400, with the notebook not switching to a Thermal Control Panel mode.

In addition, this thread suggests that I8kfanGUI doesn't function with the Intel chipset in the latest Vostros.

http://cdiefer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=i8kfan&action=display&thread=708

 

Come to think of it, even though the 15324 trick seems not to work, surely there must be another way to access the Thermal Control Panel mode under Windows?

 

Has any member here put an SSD in a Vostro 3x00 series notebook? If a hard disk sensor is the possible fan over-use culprit, as suggested in this thread

VOSTRO 3400 Fan Noise Problem. Possibly a Faulty Hard-drive Heat Sensor. - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

perhaps an SSD-powered Vostro wouldn't have a fan issue?

Your feedback is most welcome!

 

well
For what it's worth, i just received two vostro 3500's, and to be honest, you'd have to be sitting in total silence for the fan to be anywhere close to be being annoying ?
Great little laptops for the £ ,as far as I'm concerned!

 

Indeed, Vostros are very good value for money and the fan noise is quite acceptable in an office environment. However, my fan (and, I suspect, many Vostro fans) is always on, at say, 4040 rpm, even when the machine is idle. This is likely to reduce its useful life and is an additional drain on the battery.