Question Overheating worries on recently purchased Dell XPS H940 ?

[VoidBreakr]

Hello everyone,
I recently purchased a prebuilt, (The Dell XPS 8940) On desktop it runs pretty quietly, but when I start up a game the fans get pretty noisy. I felt the case and it was extremely warm to the touch, so i installed a CPU temp program and it was running around 90 degrees Celsius when in-game. Should I take it back or something?
Here's the specs.
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
GPU: GTX 1660ti
16 GB of RAM
OS: Windows 10 Home
Here's a picture of the case

 

[Eximo]

Nope, they use a barely adequate CPU cooler. This is normal.

For better results, buy an aftermarket CPU cooler.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

This is normal for the Dell XPS series with the i7 10700. Reference:

View: https://youtu.be/hXmE8wESzFo


The cooler in these systems is not adequate to keep temperatures in check under full turbo behavior, so the CPU will run hot and reduce clock speed to prevent overheating damage. Here is a picture of the rather small cooler. Dell seems to have skimped here in order to save a buck, thinking the customer wouldn't notice until after they already purchased the computer.

https://imgur.com/t9wMnUn

View: https://imgur.com/t9wMnUn


The only way to lower temperatures without modifying the computer is to disable turbo boost in the BIOS. This will likely reduce noise and temperatures, but will also reduce CPU clock speed and thus performance. You could try this before doing anything else. If the performance is still sufficient with turbo boost disabled, you could continue to run it like that.

The real solution I see is to replace the CPU cooler with an aftermarket model. You would have to measure the case and see what the maximum cooler height would be before ordering a replacement. Also, do note Dell has used glued on CPU cooler backplates in the past, meaning you will need to use a hair dryer or heat gun to remove the factory cooler backplate on the reverse of the motherboard before installing an aftermarket cooler. This may require removing the motherboard.

Also, don't bother trying to get any help from Dell about this. That reviewer was able to get nowhere.

 

[VoidBreakr]

Interesting... thanks for the replies. We just picked up this computer (-$300 sale = $1,000) for my son as a lot of the gaming computers out there have been picked clean for reasons we know. I guess what we were wanting to know is whether it will break on us in a few months, if we were safe to keep running the computer, or if it will just fail in a few months after the return window.

A large part of me thinks it is not good and not going to last as I am not used to seeing cpu temps like this ever but I am also hoping it isn't as bad as I think and it will be fine...

This is the other computer they sell there that I don't think was available at the time that we could maybe return for if it's worth it?: https://www.costco.com/lenovo-legio...geforce-gtx-1660-super.product.100684655.html

I am not comfortable adding a cooling fan or any of that as the whole point of this was to not have to touch anything and have a computer ready to go. Thanks for the replies.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

I don't think it's going to fail soon because the protections are doing their job.

Running at 90c is certainly not ideal for the long term, however.

The Lenovo is unlikely to be much better. This is pretty common affair for these prebuilt systems.

 

[VoidBreakr]

Yea I am concerned for long term. We just purchased this computer Wednesday so already having doubts about it can't be good! Another thing I could do is wait to see if the other brands come in stock and then return the computer. It's just frustrating when you buy something you feel is going to crap out in the near future.

I disabled Intel Turbo so we will see what comes of that; hopefully lower temps with same performance we've been getting xp.

I appreciate all the advice and knowledge you guys have with this TY so much!

UPDATE:
Just wanted to say I went and disabled Turbo in bios and sure enough we are noticing a 40c difference in better temperatures. The fan can still get loud but this is expected for the size of the case, etc. We have been keeping an eye on core temp and it has been around 55c while running games!

Shout out to NightHawkRMX for the turbo mode suggestion. It boggles my mind that they would ship these things off with them enabled!

 

[animekenji]

Maybe the VRM's next to it are also getting hot and causing issues? Dell usually installs a heatsink in models with the K processors, but leaves it off of non-K models. The screw holes are there to mount it, if you can find one. You should call Dell directly for one, as I read somewhere recently that they charge less for them than the one aftermarket company that sells them. About 4.5X less. They might give you a lot of crap about not actually needing it, though, and refuse to sell you one. The aftermarket company that forces you to pay through the nose may be your only option.

What's funny (or not funny, depending on your POV) is that this is the same exact cooler that they install on the i3 10100, and i5 10400 models. Dell obviously made a massive purchase of those coolers, and is installing them on everything. I would hate to see this cooler inside an i9 10900K system.

 

[Joseph_138]

The VRM's get airflow from the stock cooler fan, which is why they don't have a heatsink with that cooler. If you go with a taller cooler, they are no longer receiving airflow, so you have to get the VRM heatsink.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Bigger downdraft coolers exist.