Dell High Pitch Squeal Issue Resolved

I haven't noticed any performance loss issues with the RM clock. In fact the RM clock is a pretty slick addition. This is my second 1520 replacement and it's only a week old. I'm a little torn on keeping it as the first copy did not have all of theese noise issues. At the same time I'm confused as to what I would accomplish with a new mother board if it's just offering the same "fix" as the RM clock. I am going to contact Dell and establish that mine was delivered with the problem.

 

I have a vostro1500 with mainly a whining cooling fan. On my 3rd and noisiest fan now! I'm going to ask for a fourth in a week or so....

 

Did anyone get the replacement motherboard and did it fix the problem?

Looks like Dell lied. I ordered my system on December 17, received it on December 20, and it has the high pitch noise. It's so bad that it literally gives me a headache to use it for more than half an hour. The box my system came in has a sticker on it that says "COMPUTER MADE IN MALAYSIA."

I removed the bottom cover, and the only thing I see is under the first DIMM is a sticker with A01 on it. To the right of the memory on a heatsink looking thing is another sticker with A01 on it. Does this mean that my brand new system came with an old revision MB?

I don't really like the idea of someone coming to my house and ripping apart my computer. I could probably do it myself, I build my own desktops, but notebooks are a different world. Also I work strange hours, and usually don't get home until 1am.

 

Yes the computer is made in Malaysia. They are assembled there and then go through a texas plant in Roundrock for OS imaging, software and final testing before being boxed and shipped.

The motherboard 'A01' was just discussed on another thread because of the same prob...bad squealing.

I would call for a replacement system if your within 30 days. Dont be afraid to express your view on them sending a system with an outdated A01 motherboard when Dell is supposed to be using the latest which is the A04 model...as stated by Dell.

 

have a look at the M1330 link in my sig! It might not be CPU whine (which is what the A04 mobo is supposed to fix)! It might be the southbridge!

The only way to 100% tell what mobo you have is to remove the RAM, and it says directly under one of the sticks! So if it says A01 the yes, they lied! But if it says A04, then they didn't! And the A04 mobo was not made to get rid of southbridge whine!

 

installed this new bios and it hasn't changes ****- still hearing it, tho maybe a tiny bit less. doesn't really distract me, but someone,please, help me get a free sound card from them ! lol

 

they put a new motherboard in mine, i also left a note on it please check the headphone - but it came back the same way. If they don't offer any better fix I'll rip it apart next month.

 

Dell replace a new mobo for me yesterday due to touchpad problem..
how ever it is an A02 only...
my previous mobo is an A01 which at the begining sound not very obvious...after using for 3 months sound slightly louder..
so now the current A02 sound same like when i got it 1st time...maybe will increase after using 3 months again..

 

I can't tell you exactly where it's coming from, I just hear it. It feels like someone driving a needle in my ears boring into my brain. I can hear it whenever I'm in the same room as the notebook.

I have three different revision numbers in different places on the notebook. On the sticker under the RAM and on the heatsink it says A01. It also says "Made in China" where the box says "Made in Malaysia."


A sticker on the bottom of the panel you remove to get to the RAM it shows A00.


The sticker under the battery shows A00.


On the bottom of the notebook it shows two revision numbers, A02 on the black sticker with the part number, which also shows "Made in Malaysia" and the white sticker shows A01.


And the the sticker on the box that says it's made in Malaysia.

So is my computer made in Malaysia or China? Is it a revision A00, A01 or A02? Either way, it gives me a headache to use it.

 

Parts are made in china, and they are shipped to Malaysia where they are assembled. Then the whole laptop is shipped your country and then shipped to your house.

 

I have an update on this issue:

I contacted Dell today (1/1/08, and the XPS support was very helpful). I have the new mb (rev A04) but still have the high pitched sound. They are sending a new motherboard and will have a tech install it. If that does not improve the sound I will send it back.

I will keep you updated on how the new/same rev motherboard does.

 

So my new M1330 with the revision A04 motherboard arrived today and it has the same high frequency squeal. I don't think it's as high pitch as the A01, but I still can't use it without getting a headache. I can even hear it over the sound of my desktop with 6 fans and 2 hard drives in it.

Will Dell charge me a restocking fee if I return it for a refund?

And BTW, I think the first one Dell sent me was used or a refurb. The logo on the hinges were scratched up. I thought it had a protective plastic cover on it at first, and I was going to leave it on since I was returning it. The new one that I got today was not like that. When I looked closer before boxing the old one up, I discovered it was not a protective plastic thingy for shipping, it is just scratched up.

Left Hinge:


Right Hinge:

 

I'm in the same boat. If you are within 21 days you shouldn't have a problem returning, beyond that it depends...

 

Dell was going to replace my mother board and I told them I did not want a week old computer to be torn apart. So they are sending me a new m1330. I will let you know if it has the whine as well.

 

Please, everyone, keep us posted with this issue. I too have a high pitched XPS 1530, and I just requested a system exchange with dell. I had ordered my 1st laptop on 1/30/08

What did curb the noise was enabling bluetooth and disabling the option in device manager to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". I know this is not a direct fix to the issue, but rather a compromising workaround.

I'm going to be very vocal about this issue here, so plz bear with me.

 

Disabling "turning bluetooth off" basically stops the processor from going to the lowest power state. Therefore you loose some battery life doing this or alternatively using RM Clock.

 

This problem has been prevalent with several manufacturers for many years and still surfaces, regardless of the manufacturer.

I just noticed the squeal in my sons Compaq laptop after having owned it for several months and having checked a few times prior. It isnt that loud at all but is there now where it wasn't before.

One just hopes it doesnt occur is all...

 

I tried that. Didn't work.

 

I contacted XPS support about a motherboard replacement, but they're giving me the runaround and telling me to contact customer care because the whine is "a customer preference, not a technical issue." They've given me a case number for customer care instead. Anyone have any advice on how to proceed on this?

 

I only have the most basic 1 year limited warranty. Can I still ask for a motherboard replacement?

 

Just install rm clock.

 

I am using it right now but it doesn't totally suppress it. Not to mention why you need to download a third party software to fix something that's not supposed to be there

 

So disabling C4 in RMClock definitely works to resolve the cpu squeal. I've been using it for the past two weeks, but recently all of a sudden, my computer will simply freeze and hang up. I can't input anything and when I close the lid of my laptop, the screen is still on. My CPU and GPU temps are all at normal and low values. I believe RMClock is the culprit.

Is there a secondary fix to the cpu squeal?

EDIT: Meaningless sidenote, when I had RMClock running, my idle CPU temps were about 47C and got up to 60C with web browsing and IM chatting. Since disabling RMClock, my temps are back down to 37C idle and maybe 41C when browsing.

 

It may be that you're in a mode other than High Performance. Click on the battery icon and change it. Mine freezes whenever I change away from High Performance with RMClock running. Same symptoms.