Power Supply Fan stops spinning during Power ON and Diagnostics mode
Summary: The power supply fan on select Dell computers may not spin up during boot or diagnostics.
Symptoms
The power supply fan does not spin when the computer is powered on or while running ePSA diagnostics. This issue is noticed on the following Dell computers:
Affected Platforms:
- Alienware Aurora R5
- Alienware Aurora R11
- Alienware Aurora R13
- Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10
- Precision 3630 Tower
- Precision 3640 Tower
- Precision 3650 Tower
- XPS 8910
- XPS 8930
Cause
Power supplies on these select Dell computers have a new feature to ensure that the computer runs as quiet as possible.
If the computer is using 15% or less power from the power supply, the fans in the power supply are designed to shut off to ensure lower noise levels. The computer will continue to operate normally and will not cause the power supply to overheat.
If the computer uses more than 15% power from the power supply, the fans in the power supply will turn on and spin at an appropriate speed to ensure proper operating temperature.
Resolution
Testing the power supply functionality
To verify if the power supply is functioning normally, press the built-in self test switch on the power suppluy (Figure 1). If the LED turns on, the power supply is functioning normally. If the LED is off when you press the built-in self test switch, contact Dell Technical Support.
Figure 1: Built-in self test switch for power supply