Dell Dimension 4700c fan noise

hotshot247 · Oct 26, 2009

when i turn my Dell Dimension 4700c PC on, it is really quiet to start up with but when i start doing a lot of stuff in windows, i can hear what sounds like a fan and it's really loud, so loud that it's almost a chore just to turn on the PC and also, when it's on for about a half an hour or so, the back of the pc gets so hot that you can't touch it. i know that's too hot and my pc might not be properly ventilated but how do i add more fans in my pc to properly ventilate it when their is no more connections to plug fans in? dell only gives you exactly what you need and nothing to expand it to. is their some kind of splitter that i can buy to plug more than one fan into one plug?

plodr · Oct 26, 2009

I suspect your computer is a few years old since I saw it reviewed in 2005. Have you ever opened it up and cleaned it out?
That would be the first step. If you've never opened it up, you will be shocked by the amount of dust in it.
I use a combination of canned air and cotton swabs to clean. You can use an attachment and a vacuum cleaner but that gets risky with static so it is safer to use the canned air.
Look and see how many fans are in the computer; it could be that one isn't working so the "noisy" one is working harder to keep your pc cool.
After it is cleaned, and before you put it back together, plug it in and turn it on. Watch the fans to see if all are moving.
If you have cleaned it out, post back and we'll see what other things can be tried.

How much RAM is in the computer? What many watts is the power supply?

hotshot247 · Oct 26, 2009

I clean it regularly and it is perfectly clean in their. it looks brand new. also, the only fans i see in the system are of course the psu fan and the cpu fan. i also noticed that after a certain amount of time of being turned on, the power supply gets extremely hot and the fan that's so loud on the cpu gets really hot but they work. i don't think them getting that hot is normal. the PC is maxed out at 4 gig of ram and the power supply is 270 W which is not that much. thanks also for your help!

Bold Eagle · Oct 26, 2009

Normally a good starting point is to check your temps when the Fan is loud and this will indicate if the fan is doing what it is supposed to be doing by becoming faster (louder) when the CPU is getting hotter.

Try EVEREST Free Edition 2.20 and see if that will report the CPU temps and fan rpm's. Go to Computer>>>>Sensors.

plodr · Oct 27, 2009

Now we are getting somewhere. If you know it is the ps fan, you notice the ps is getting extremely hot, you know the current watts of your ps and the inside of your case is clean, I'd say it's time to get a better power supply.
I can't help on the selection of that. I've only replaced two power supplies.

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Dell Dimension 4700c fan noise

hotshot247 Private E-2

plodr MajorGeek Super Extraordinaire Moderator Staff Member

hotshot247 Private E-2

Bold Eagle MajorGeek

plodr MajorGeek Super Extraordinaire Moderator Staff Member