How much CPU sound is normal on a Vostro 1500?

I have a Vostro 1500. I definitely have some CPU whining when the computer is in C3-C4 power state. The sound will immediately go away if I start a CPU stress test.

So I'm just wondering, are there people out there who have absolutely zero whining sound with a Vostro? Or if the sound is faint and not that bad should I just deal with it?

Best Wishes,
Laotzu

 

I deal with it. You don't notice it after a while. I have a wireless access point that makes the same noise but x10 louder. I only noticed it again after i had it unplugged for a week and then plugged it back in. You get used to it

Or just listen to music.

 

I don't have a Vostro 1500 so this may not help but I don't hear anything at all on my Vostro 1700.

 

I really want to know if there is someone with a 1500 that has no whining noise whatsoever. Because if it is possible, I'm going to tell Dell when I call them later that I am willing to exchange my laptop 50x until they get it right.

 

anyone? (extra characters for post length minimum)

 

Ahh sorry to triple post in a row, but literally no one has a Vostro 1500 that doesn't make the sound?

 

If it helps any, I have an Inspiron 1520 (which is built on the same EXACT platform) and there is no whining sound... In fact the machine is almost completely silent when idle.

 

Mine has NO whine or noise at all.

However, I keep mine set on Maximum Performance, which could help.

You could try Notebook Hardware Control and see if it helps.

 

Hmm, Jakpro do you think it might make a difference between a T7500 and a T9300 (thats what I have) ?

 

I have a vostro 1500 with a T9300. I can tell you that I do have the annoying whine; but by using the rightmark cpu clock utility and disabling the C4 mode, I can somewhat soften the whine. The whine does go away completely if I run in power saver mode though, with or without the rightmark utility. But with it, the whine seems to whine at a lower frequency if I run at balanced or high performance.

 

Maybe I am too old to hear the whine? I understand that as you age, you have trouble distinguishing higher frequencies!

Many people have complained about the noise on these processors and it is not restricted to Dell. It seems that they all do it--even the Penryn ones.

Several people have said that Notebook Hardware Control can help fix it by disabling the C3 and C4 modes. Either that or there are others as posted above.

 

Willj: Do you have vista? Are all of those power modes only accessible through Vista?

Jakpro: Funny you mentioned the aging and high frequency thing. My friend said that today when I had him listen to my laptop: Get a little older and you won't be able to hear it anymore. I guess that is also why when I asked my mom if she would exchange for a new laptop to try and get rid of the noise, she said I was crazy and it's not a big deal.

Best Wishes,
Laotzu

 

Both my Dell 1700 and my Acer Aspire do this, it seems like it affects a lot of modern laptops.

 

1700 with T7300 - Zero whine.

 

Ok this is the last time I will bump this thread, and also I have an update to share with my campaign to squeeze some truth out of Dell:

First I would just like to re-iterate: Does anyone have a Vostro 1500 with a T9300 with no whine noise in C3-C4 power state whatsoever? Or does someone have a comment on whether it should matter between a T7500 and a T9300, or between the 1500 or 1700, as people have reported not having a whine with both of those setups thus far.

Secondly, I just wanted to give an update. I should be getting a call within 48 hours from higher up the tech chain than the guys who answer the phones that you call into for tech support. I am trying to get a final "yes" or "no" answer on whether all Vostro 1500's with T9300's make the annoying whine sound.

Also, I have gotten a supervisor from customer care to give me a personal guarantee that I will be able to exchange up to 60 days after the date of my invoice to allow more time to get a resolution to this issue. I have informed him that I will be calling him on the 59th day or before to just go ahead and make an exchange if I haven't got an answer yet, and he said this is fine. I have his direct office extension, an employee number, and detailed records of our conversation.

Best Wishes,
Laotzu