[SOLVED] Dell Optiplex 390 versus 3040 ?

[Deleted member 2849646]

I have two machines (3040 acquired recently), and i'm finding that the 3040 is noisier than the 390. This is annoying me as I like my PCs whisper quiet. I am not sure whether it's just the unit I have or whether the 3040 are noisier than the 390. I guess it's not a like for like comparison as i've shoved an old 250gb HDD into the 3040 for now, whilst the 390 has an ssd in it. That said it's not clear if the noise is fan related or the hdd.

Question is: of the dell optiplex range, which is the quietest machine? Do they have a system dB rating chart anywhere that anyone knows of?

Thanks!

 

[Remeca]

Assuming both are MT, the 3040 is the better machine. If you want to make the 3040 quiet, buy a new CPU and case fan, and perhaps PSU and SSD if those make too much noise too. The PSU, cpu fan and any case fans will require adapters due to the proprietary nature of many Optiplexes. It is also dependant on the form factor, sff won't be so simple to replace the PSU. I wouldn't bother with a sff version, you have to make even more compromises than a mt.

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

Assuming both are MT, the 3040 is the better machine. If you want to make the 3040 quiet, buy a new CPU and case fan, and perhaps PSU and SSD if those make too much noise too. The PSU, cpu fan and any case fans will require adapters due to the proprietary nature of many Optiplexes. It is also dependant on the form factor, sff won't be so simple to replace the PSU. I wouldn't bother with a sff version, you have to make even more compromises than a mt.

Are there any more standard non proprietary second hand machines available that are more upgrade friendly? A hp or something else? I’m just after a cheap quiet machine that can output to two monitors via one dp port (MST), and not much else.

 

[Remeca]

Are there any more standard non proprietary second hand machines available that are more upgrade friendly? A hp or something else? I’m just after a cheap quiet machine that can output to two monitors via one dp port (MST), and not much else.

Out of the box, noise isn't really a concern for them. What you can do is disconnect the case fan, and see if that helps, if you're not going to be running sustained heavy loads it isn't really necessary. I just have a lot of experience with Dells, so not sure what other makers are doing but a lot of big box PC is proprietary. In some cases cpu and GPU (if installed) fan curves can be adjusted for noise. The less the PSU is being used, the less noise the fans in it make generally, so just being on it shouldn't make a lot.

 

[Joseph_138]

Are there any more standard non proprietary second hand machines available that are more upgrade friendly? A hp or something else? I’m just after a cheap quiet machine that can output to two monitors via one dp port (MST), and not much else.

Not really. They want you to throw those computers away, not keep them running forever with upgrades. Optiplex is a business class machine, so it's not really upgradeable in any meaningful way. The people who use them on a daily basis, run business apps, not games. You don't need a lot of RAM slots, or a high power video card and power supply for that, so they ship them with the bare minimum needed to function in that environment. They have to keep them as cheap as possible, because big businesses will buy them in bulk lots, and every penny saved matters to their budgets. Then, when they get sold off at end of life to a liquidator, someone always thinks they can turn one into a gaming machine because it's cheap, and has a decent CPU, then they find out the hard way that most of those machines won't take the upgrades they want to install.

 

[SamirD]

I have two machines (3040 acquired recently), and i'm finding that the 3040 is noisier than the 390. This is annoying me as I like my PCs whisper quiet. I am not sure whether it's just the unit I have or whether the 3040 are noisier than the 390. I guess it's not a like for like comparison as i've shoved an old 250gb HDD into the 3040 for now, whilst the 390 has an ssd in it. That said it's not clear if the noise is fan related or the hdd.

Question is: of the dell optiplex range, which is the quietest machine? Do they have a system dB rating chart anywhere that anyone knows of?

Thanks!

The 390 typically came with an i3 which used less power so maybe that is why it is quieter.

As far as quiet--these machines weren't really made to be ultra quiet. If you want that, get one of the usff models as they are whisper quiet.

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

The 390 typically came with an i3 which used less power so maybe that is why it is quieter.

As far as quiet--these machines weren't really made to be ultra quiet. If you want that, get one of the usff models as they are whisper quiet.

I upgraded to an i5 and have an ssd in it so all I hear is the cpu, psu and front fan, which are bearable. Fans don't bother me too much - I think it's the whining of the 3.5" hdd's platter that really gets to me. It's kind of a high pitched whine and it really irritates me. I hot swapped out the ssd in my 390 into the 3040 and it was noticeably quieter with the HDD powered off and sdd in it's place. That said, the fans are a tad bit louder on the 3040 than the 390 I think, but that could just be the acoustics of my space behind my table.

What are the MT machines like? Are they quieter than their smaller SFF cousins or about the same? (assuming both have same ssd or hdd inside, and have same ram and cpu)

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

Not really. They want you to throw those computers away, not keep them running forever with upgrades. Optiplex is a business class machine, so it's not really upgradeable in any meaningful way. The people who use them on a daily basis, run business apps, not games. You don't need a lot of RAM slots, or a high power video card and power supply for that, so they ship them with the bare minimum needed to function in that environment. They have to keep them as cheap as possible, because big businesses will buy them in bulk lots, and every penny saved matters to their budgets. Then, when they get sold off at end of life to a liquidator, someone always thinks they can turn one into a gaming machine because it's cheap, and has a decent CPU, then they find out the hard way that most of those machines won't take the upgrades they want to install.

Luckily for me i'm not a gamer and have no need for a graphics card or fancy excessive ram etc. I just use Excel, sql server for testing/learning, and I play chess and watch youtube/netflix on it. For me an i5 is probably enough, as is 8gb ram and an ssd. . It would be nice to have quieter fans though but I suppose this is something I'll have to compromise on! My 390 which I bought second hand for £20 has been working solidly for about 5 years now - only thing I did was stick in an old ssd, upgrade the cpu and ram and it's been the best pc i've ever had! Only reason i'm looking to upgrade now is because I want to reduce the number of cables I have and I want to have an MST setup for my monitors, and it would be nice to have usb 3.0 and sata iii support. As I'm in no hurry for an upgrade, I'm patiently looking for another cheapo replacement that'll be equally if not more quiet than the 390. From what you wrote in your last post, I'll just have to stick to dell if I want cheap.

 

[SamirD]

Gotcha. Yeah, if you can hear those frequencies, I guess that would be irritating. I just set all my fans to 100% and get used to that sound and enjoy the better cooling.

My MT machines have the potential to be quieter I think. Like I said, I run all the fans at 100% in everything, but I believe at stock speeds my MT units are much quieter than my SFF units from a fan perspective. Generally, the smaller a system is, the more compromises have to be made with fan noise, so the SFF fans are smaller and faster and the MT fans are larger and slower and hence a bit quieter.

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

Out of the box, noise isn't really a concern for them. What you can do is disconnect the case fan, and see if that helps, if you're not going to be running sustained heavy loads it isn't really necessary. I just have a lot of experience with Dells, so not sure what other makers are doing but a lot of big box PC is proprietary. In some cases cpu and GPU (if installed) fan curves can be adjusted for noise. The less the PSU is being used, the less noise the fans in it make generally, so just being on it shouldn't make a lot.

The new used pc I bought is an SFF model. Do you know whether MTs are quieter? I've never had an MT or been around one to have noticed. I'm hoping because they are bigger, maybe dell would have put better (quieter) fans in them? Also, any idea whether the more premium models (5050 or 7050) have better hardware in them in terms of fans, power buttons, peripheral connections etc?

 

[Remeca]

The new used pc I bought is an SFF model. Do you know whether MTs are quieter? I've never had an MT or been around one to have noticed. I'm hoping because they are bigger, maybe dell would have put better (quieter) fans in them? Also, any idea whether the more premium models (5050 or 7050) have better hardware in them in terms of fans, power buttons, peripheral connections etc?

Fans are going to be identical across the board, as well as that other hardware. The only difference a premium model would have generally is better CPU/ram/HDD and output options. Buttons et all will be the same. The MT is better to work on because you can drop in an ATX PSU. The sff can't unless it's sitting outside the case.

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

Fans are going to be identical across the board, as well as that other hardware. The only difference a premium model would have generally is better CPU/ram/HDD and output options. Buttons et all will be the same. The MT is better to work on because you can drop in an ATX PSU. The sff can't unless it's sitting outside the case.

Very useful, thanks. By this I’m assuming you mean that all the fans whether it’s in the sff or mt model, are the same?So no difference in their performance.

 

[Remeca]

Very useful, thanks. By this I’m assuming you mean that all the fans whether it’s in the sff or mt model, are the same?So no difference in their performance.

Performance won't be altered much between sff/mt, although ultra sff will have the lowest power/performance components to keep heat down. Sometimes sff have slightly cut down versions of the MT mobo. 2 ram slots vs 4, 85W CPU max vs 120W, etc. Yes, I mean the case fans will be the same in a sff as a mt, generally a sturdy 80mm. The CPU fans are pretty much the same stock dell affairs across the board, but an i3 may have a smaller stock heatsink than an i7. The best bang for your buck if all you're worried about is noise, is replacing the cpu fan with a silent one, along with the case fan in the sff PC. You'll want to measure first, but something like this would make a big difference.

https://www.amazon.ca/Fractal-Design-FDFANSSR380WT-Cooling-FD-FAN-SSR3-80-WT/dp/B00TYN3OV6

 

[SamirD]

The fans in my Dell SFF are different than my MT units. Swapping power supplies in modern MT units may need adapters to connect to the motherboard. If changing the CPU cooler, you will need to rewire the fan connector if it is 5-pin vs 4-pin or you will have an error each time you boot. Swapping case fans also may have proprietary pinouts so watch for that. I know my older USFF units had that.

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

Performance won't be altered much between sff/mt, although ultra sff will have the lowest power/performance components to keep heat down. Sometimes sff have slightly cut down versions of the MT mobo. 2 ram slots vs 4, 85W CPU max vs 120W, etc. Yes, I mean the case fans will be the same in a sff as a mt, generally a sturdy 80mm. The CPU fans are pretty much the same stock dell affairs across the board, but an i3 may have a smaller stock heatsink than an i7. The best bang for your buck if all you're worried about is noise, is replacing the cpu fan with a silent one, along with the case fan in the sff PC. You'll want to measure first, but something like this would make a big difference.

https://www.amazon.ca/Fractal-Design-FDFANSSR380WT-Cooling-FD-FAN-SSR3-80-WT/dp/B00TYN3OV6

Hi again,

I have been thinking seriously about replacing the stock fans but I can't seem to figure out what adapters to get. Can you advise please? . I am looking at the arctic f8 silent model fan which has a 3 pin connector. I think the dell 3040 has a 5 pin socket on the motherboard, and a 4 pin at the proprietary fan end, so it sounds like I have to get 5 pins down to 3, is that right?

I'm in the uk, so if you spot anything that'll work with an arctic silent fan let me know. Oh and I don't know much about fans - couldn't find that fractal one in the uk. If arctic is a crap company, then are there any other 80mm super quiet fans you'd recommend?

Thanks!

 

[Remeca]

Hi again,

I have been thinking seriously about replacing the stock fans but I can't seem to figure out what adapters to get. Can you advise please? . I am looking at the arctic f8 silent model fan which has a 3 pin connector. I think the dell 3040 has a 5 pin socket on the motherboard, and a 4 pin at the proprietary fan end, so it sounds like I have to get 5 pins down to 3, is that right?

I'm in the uk, so if you spot anything that'll work with an arctic silent fan let me know. Oh and I don't know much about fans - couldn't find that fractal one in the uk. If arctic is a crap company, then are there any other 80mm super quiet fans you'd recommend?

Thanks!

Posted in your other thread. It looks like you won't need the adapters, your motherboard appears to use standard 4 pin.

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

Posted in your other thread. It looks like you won't need the adapters, your motherboard appears to use standard 4 pin.

I literally just opened it up and you're right! Should have thought of looking it up physically earlier! Doh! My first port of call will be opening existing fans up and giving greasing them a go. Failing that i'll buy a new one!

 

[Remeca]

I literally just opened it up and you're right! Should have thought of looking it up physically earlier! Doh! My first port of call will be opening existing fans up and giving greasing them a go. Failing that i'll buy a new one!

Not sure that will do anything for sound, but if you're going to replace them anyway I guess it can't hurt. Would advise against doing the cpu fan though in case it breaks the fan. Most of the noise is going to be coming from the movement of the air, not the bearings/motor of the fan. Better shaped blades and lower speeds are what really kills fan noise.