How to Fix Overheating and Limit Throttling Issues on DELL Precision 5820 and the Solution of Adding Rear Fans

Recently, I encountered overheating and Limit Throttling issues on my DELL Precision 5820. To address this problem, I made several upgrades and adjustments to the cooling system. Below are the steps I took and the results I achieved.

Upgrade Steps

1. Using Noctua NH-U9DX i4 and 2 Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM Fans

I replaced the original cooling system with the Noctua NH-U9DX i4 and added two Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM fans. Noctua is a well-known brand for its high-performance and quiet cooling products.

- Noctua NH-U9DX i4, Premium CPU Cooler for Intel Xeon LGA20xx (Brown) $64.95

- Noctua NF-A9 PWM, 4-Pin Premium Cooling Fan For Desktop (92mm, Brown) $18.95

2. TeamProfitcom 5-Pin Female to 4-Pin Adapter

To connect the additional fans, I used the TeamProfitcom 5-Pin Female to 4-Pin adapter. This adapter helped me connect two additional rear fans to the HDD Fan port on the motherboard and 2 fans for the new CPU cooling system.

- 5-Pin Female 4 Pin PWM Cooling Fan Power PC Fan Extension Adapter Cable for Dell Motherboards 16 Inches (2 Pack) $11.99

3. Using Low-Noise Adapter

The Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM comes with a Low-Noise Adapter (LNA) to reduce the fan speed. Without the LNA, the fans would always run at full speed. After installing the LNA, the fans run at about 1700 to 1800 rpm. I checked and found the noise level to be around 48dB, which is not too bad considering the cooling performance.

Results

Testing with Cinebench R23

Before upgrading, I ran Cinebench R23 for 10 minutes, and the CPU temperature exceeded 90 degrees Celsius. When it reached 93 degrees Celsius, I had to stop to avoid hardware damage. However, after upgrading the cooling system, the CPU temperature stabilized at 74-75 degrees Celsius under the same test conditions. This nearly eliminated the overheating and Limit Throttling issues.

 Computer Configuration

- CPU: Xeon W-2145
- RAM: 4x16GB SK Hynix DDR4 2666 ECC
- VGA: Quadro P4000 
- Power: 950W

- SSD 1: SK Hynix 512 GB Gen 4

- SSD 2: SK Hynix 960 GB SSD Gen 4 U2 Enterprise Class
- SSD 3: Kingston 1TB Gen 4
- SSD 4: Kingston 1TB Gen 4

Conclusion

Upgrading the cooling system with Noctua NH-U9DX i4, adding Noctua NF-A9x14 fans significantly improved the cooling performance of the DELL Precision 5820. I'm not sure if this upgrade will have any negative impact on the computer's power system (so please consider this before proceeding) or if it will be stable for long-term use, but after running it for a few days, I haven't encountered any issues. I'm completely satisfied with the upgrade results. If you are experiencing similar problems, this is an effective solution to consider. I hope this article helps you optimize your system.