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Dell Precision T3620 case vibrating + PSU upgrade options?
I have a Dell Precision T3620 with an Intel i7-7700K CPU and a stock Dell 290W PSU.
Ever since I got it, there have been times when the case vibrates, resulting in a vibrational buzzing sound. It was intermittent, and I could usually fix it by pushing on various parts of the case until it stopped or taking the case cover off and putting it back on again. However, not long after I upgraded my heatsink*, the vibrating/buzzing has gotten worse and is now virtually constant.
* Here's my thread about that: https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/precision-fixed-workstations/best-heatsink-upgrade-for-dell-precision-t3620-with-intel-i7-7700k-cpu/65330db7cb161851f4fd2f1d
I opened my case and listened to the various components, and touched a few to see what was vibrating. It's hard to pinpoint the source because the whole case vibrates, but it appears that the heatsink isn't vibrating, and the rear case fan has rubber shock absorbers. It seems that the PSU is the only likely culprit. My theory about why it's worse now is that the fan on the new heatsink requires more power than the old one, stretching the 290W PSU to its limits. In addition to the i7-7700K CPU, my PC also contains an NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 GPU, two 6TB hard drives, a 2TB SSD, and a TP-Link Archer AX3000 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card. (Incidentally, ever since upgrading the heatsink, I sometimes experience brief mouse cursor freezes, which adds to my suspicion that my CPU might not be getting enough power fast enough due to the new heatsink drawing more wattage from the PSU. The mouse freezes are also much longer and more frequent when Intel Turbo Boost is enabled -and the CPU thus uses more power - than when it's disabled)
Is my suspicion likely to be correct? If so, is it likely that the PSU is faulty, simply getting overloaded, or both?
Also, I have a broken Dell OptiPlex 9020 tower PC. It has a 290W PSU that's the same shape and size as the one from my T3620. Would it be safe to try replacing my T3620's PSU with the one from the OptiPlex to see if that fixes the vibration problem on a temporary basis?
Also, what would be my best options for upgrading to a better PSU? I know that there's a Dell 365W PSU, but I would prefer one with enough power to allow me to later upgrade to as powerful a GPU as is practical for my system (even if I have to get a non-Dell PSU and use a 24 pin to 8 pin adapter to make it fit my computer). I want a reliable one that doesn't run the risk of going out or frying my motherboard, but I also don't currently have much money and want to find as affordable an option as I can within those parameters.
bradthetechnut
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November 8th, 2023 01:31
That's good that you validated the 1650. Impossible to be right 100% of the time.
The 1660 is definitely a better card.
Though personally I'm not as confident buying used, I see the seller has 100% positive feedback out of 16253 purchases and has a 30-day return policy.
The Dell 1650 SUPER makes me wonder if it's only 75w since it doesn't have an extra power connection.
TPHK
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November 25th, 2023 10:42
For what it is worth I posted quite a few times on my GPU upgrade efforts for my 3620.
The end story is that I am running an RTX3070 (founders edition, fits in the 3620 case) and therefore I also upgraded the PSU as thankfully in the 3620, it is a standard ATX size one and not a Dell special. However, you do need to order a cable-converter so that your new ATX PSU can be connected to the non-standard connection on the Dell motherboard.
The cable was called sometihng like Eyeboot24-8 on Amazon and the PSU I think is a Corsair 750M because the modular versions is better for cable management,
(edited)
bradthetechnut
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November 4th, 2023 02:48
Can't recommend a PSU wattage without knowing what card you want to upgrade to.
Yes, the 290w 9020 PSU will work in the 3620. Turn on your 9020 and make sure it works first.
Your PSU is not stretched to its limits. CPU and case fans don't take hardly any power.
No answer for the vibration problem though.
Rocketeer
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November 4th, 2023 03:57
@bradthetechnut
I don't know what card would be best. I want something that will be (at the barest minimum) powerful enough to smoothly run the latest version of DaVinci Resolve, play 4K HDR10 video smoothly, and to hardware encode video, but is small enough to fit in my case and isn't too expensive (I'd have to compare different ones in various price ranges to know what the best balance of price and power is).
I'll have to see if I can swap it out sometime soon (the very soonest I could maybe try is tomorrow night, depending on various factors).
The 9020 turns on, but gets stuck in a boot loop. I never successfully identified exactly what's broken on it other than the rear case fan (the computer was manhandled by a moving company - the rear fan was visibly broken off by two of the rubber parts that hold it on, but something else must have broken in the incident broken to have caused the boot loop). As far as I can tell, the PSU probably still works, since the computer does boot up.
Do you know what could be causing the mild mouse cursor freezing issue?
(edited)
Rocketeer
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November 5th, 2023 03:10
Update: I tried out a different possible solution to the vibration problem. One of my hard drives was installed into an optical drive bay using a 3.5 to 5.25 inch adapter. It's possible that the adapter that I used was causing the hard drive to make the case vibrate. I have now put the hard drive in a shock-absorbent adapter. So far, I haven't been experiencing the vibration issue since, but since the problem was intermittent, I'll have to wait a while before I know whether the problem is truly fixed.
bradthetechnut
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November 6th, 2023 02:03
I hope it works out that your vibration is fixed.
I'm going to have you do your own research on GPU cards. It's as simple as Googling.
As for your mouse freeze problem, try a different mouse or change the batteries if it's wireless.
If you did that already, change the size 2032 CMOS battery. It should be replaced anyway if it's 5+ years old. Bad batteries not only cause boot issues, but can cause freezes and BSOD's.
(edited)
bradthetechnut
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November 6th, 2023 02:08
As for your 9020, first, try replacing the size 2032 battery. Second, you could also try a BIOS reset by moving the PSWRD jumper to the RTCRST pins. Plug in for 10 sec. (it won't turn on). Unplug and return jumper to PSWRD pins.
If that doesn't work, I wouldn't try the PSU in your 3620. Not necessary to try anyway if vibration problem is fixed and less to mess around with.
By the way, HDD's shouldn't normally vibrate.
(edited)
bradthetechnut
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November 6th, 2023 02:17
I was having format issues with the above post with the screengrab.
I wanted to add that after some research, if you're looking at certain GPU cards, we can make PSU recommendations. I think with the info I gave, you might become an expert yourself.
With any aftermarket PSU, you'll need the 24-pin to 8-pin adapter.
Rocketeer
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November 6th, 2023 04:06
@bradthetechnut
So far, it seems to be.
Hard drives spin at high speeds, which causes them to mildly vibrate. If I put my hand on a hard drive, or even a hard drive enclosure with a hard drive inside, I can always tell whether it's running by the vibration or lack thereof. Normally, it's a quiet vibration, though (not audible).
However, the 3.5 to 5.25 inch adapter bracket that I had used to install this particular hard drive is supposed to be used with four screws (the screws slide into the slot in the optical drive bay in the front of the case, but due to the design of the T3620, I had to use only three screws in order to fit it in. My theory is that this caused it to be off-balance and to vibrate against the optical drive bay in a way that made the whole case vibrate.
I bought a shock-absorbent bracket which has rubber supports separating the hard drive from the outside portion of the adapter bracket, and it seems so far to have solved the problem.
It will take a while, but I'll check those resources out to see what GPUs I can find.
It seems that the system, mouse cursor and all, is running more smoothly now without all the vibration. That might have been the cause of all of the issues. My theory is that the vibrating hard drive was causing read/write issues that were slowing down my system.
At this point, I don't think I'll bother using the PSU from the 9020, unless the vibration issue returns. Also, I don't particularly need the 9020 (the T3620 is the replacement I got after it broke), and have scavenged various parts from it already, so I probably won't bother trying to fix it.
Rocketeer
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November 6th, 2023 10:32
@bradthetechnut After some research, I am, so far, strongly leaning toward the EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 SC GAMING, 6GB GDDR6. It's fairly compact (about 7 inches long) and is apparently quite powerful for the price range.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NXYT866
Does this look like a good option for a Precision T3620 to you? And if so, what would be a good PSU upgrade option that would fit correctly in my case, be reliable, and provide enough power (keeping in mind that it would need to power not only the computer's native components and the GPU, but two 6TB hard drives and a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card as well)?
(edited)
bradthetechnut
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November 7th, 2023 04:14
Bottleneck is something to consider. PC Builds comes up with 32.2% bottleneck for general tasks with the i7-7700k RTX 2060 SC combo. May need to scale it down a little. What it means is the i7-7700k is a little weak for it and will bottleneck it.
Outside of that, I think you picked a good card. It's 160w and EVGA recommends 500w PSU minimum. An online PSU calculator will likely come up with less, but 500w is a safe bet and allows for possible upgrade later if you choose to do so.
An EVGA BR 500w PSU is a good one. However, it's non-modular. You may want to go with modular or semi modular and have less wires. I say this since the 3620 runs power off of the MB for accessories* instead of direct from the PSU; so there's less wiring from the start. *Exception being GPU cards over 75w.
Back to bottleneck: It's easy. Google "i7-7700k RTX 2060 SC bottleneck." Then pick the option that's PC Builds.
At one time, PC Builds gave me the option to choose between "general tasks" and "gaming." I do this from my phone. It likely looks different on desktop.
bradthetechnut
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November 7th, 2023 04:22
GRAPHIC CARDS THAT WILL WORK BEST WITH CORE I7-7700K
Precision 3620 Spec Sheet.pdf might also give some ideas.
(edited)
Rocketeer
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November 7th, 2023 04:58
@bradthetechnut
Is bottlenecking harmful in some way (ie puts strain on the processor, causes crashes, etc), or does it merely mean that the CPU limits the degree to which the GPU's full power will be used?
When I was looking at some of the PC Builds comparisons (in particular a comparison of the RTX 2060 vs the GeForce GTX 1050*), I noticed something that I hadn't realized before. The RTX 2060 takes up three slots. I need something that takes up no more than two, as I need the second slot from the bottom (third from the top) free for my Wi-Fi card.
* https://pc-builds.com/compare/gpu/0W0/137/
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bradthetechnut
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November 7th, 2023 19:29
Hardware encoding/video editing appears more intense and demanding than DaVinci Resolve. I Googled both of those for system and GPU requirements. I would go with the GPU that meets the demands of hardware encoding first.
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bradthetechnut
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November 7th, 2023 19:58
75w GTX 1650 gives 0.6% bottleneck. Wouldn't have to upgrade PSU.
SUPER version has 14.5% which isn't the worst. It's 100w and requires 350w PSU. Dell's 365w PSU would have it covered.
What do you think?
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