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190

Quiet, please! ssssssssshhhhhhh....

190 points posted to Dimension products by camper 06/23/07

I just purchased a E520 Dimension desktop. The main fan is very quiet, and the CPU cooling is nicely designed (thank-you!). However, the power supply fan is noisy. I realize the constraints placed upon Dell by their low-margin business model, and I was willing to swap out the noisy power supply for a quiet one. Then I discovered the proprietary nature of the power supplies that Dell uses.

If all Dell can provide is noisy power supplies, can you at least use standard power supply form factors so that I can put a quiet power supply in the place of the noisy ones that Dell supplies?

ayeohx
06/24/07		 I just took a look at the E520 and I believe that you can install a standard PSU into this system. If I'm correct you can go purchase a PC Power & Cooling Silencer PSU; should fix you right up. I couldn't tell you if the thermal sensor in the case controls the PSU fan but I doubt it.
Would be nice if the stock PSU was quieter.
camper
06/24/07		 More comments: I ordered the unit with a Nvidia 6150LE GPU, and I just discovered that an Intel GPU was substituted without my knowledge.

Plus, the hard disk runs very, very hot. There is little or no air circulation down in the bottom front of the cabinet. When I added a second disk, it got to the point that I had to add a fan to blow some air on the drives. They became too hot to touch.

Also, Windows sees only the first 128GB of the second drive (it's a 250GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10)

All in all, a poorly engineered unit, with what appears to be some sales bait and switch (the GPU) thrown in for good measure.

I am not pleased at all. At this point, I may just send the thing back. I am very disappointed.
clocks
06/24/07		 I had the same experience as camper with the hard drives in both the E510 and the E520. I have added a fan in the front and a fan in the back of each case. I am willing to trade small amounts of noise for better cooling, the PSU and its associated fan is just substandard.
camper
06/24/07		 I tried to install a standard power supply (Nexus Silent Power Supply). The physical unit fits into the same space as the original power supply, however, the form factor of the power plug is different. Specifically, the large power connector going to the motherboard does not have the same form factor as the standard Nexus unit. It looks like the Dell proprietary plug has 4 more pins than the Nexus standard unit. (24 vs. 20).
camper
06/24/07		 clocks - there is no need to trade additional noise for cool, long lasting hard dives. It is possible to keep everything in the case properly cool, yet still have a quiet PC. All it takes is the desire to do so.

The E520 has some design issues, plain and simple.
ayeohx
06/26/07		 @camper
So the Dell has a 24 pin connector or 28 pin connector? 24 pins are pretty standard now days.
romulus6cbc
Jul 5		 If you guys are still disscusing this topic, I would love to know how you guys added the fans to the E520 system, as there is hardly any room for new cooling components, especially a hard drive fan. Thanks in advance for your help.
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