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Dell Optiplex 980 running very hot...

E-E,

Got a sticky one here.  We are upgrading several of our Workstations to the Dell Optiplex 9xx series with the Intel I7 CPUs - Due to budgeting, we are force to use 'resale' units.  I found a good source in a vendor/seller (Amazon partner) and with the first three PCs, life was great and the integration went off without a hitch.

Three weeks ago we purchased two more of the Dell Optiplex 980 and started our testing in preparation for the integration into our production environment.  

During our 'stress testing' it became apparent that these two 980's were running extremely hot:
We use a System Monitor tool called Moo0 and a few others to monitor the CPU and HDD temperatures - We have been using these tools for the past 7 years and found them to be very reliable.
> In an idle state the CPUs are running at 150-170F and under stress will reach as high as 190F.
> In an idle state the HDDs (Our highest concern due to possible data loss_ are running at 125-145F and under stress will reach as high as 176F.

We are seeing this on both PCs.  When we compare these temperatures measurements to the previous three PCs, the temperature ranges a normal:
> CPU 75-95F idle and 100-125F under stress.
> HDDs are well below 100F.

I have seen this sort of behavior before when a PC's CPU chip was removed and not enough thermal paste (Or the wrong kind) was applied and another time when the CPU was over-clocked - but checking with the vendor, none of these were done.

Based on the possible 'short life' of these PCs, we requested replacement units, which we arrived last Monday.  In checking these, the CPU temperatures are still high, 10F less from the previous two, but none the less still very uncomfortably high.  The HDD temperatures ended up being a little higher than normal, 100-120F.

Before pulling the plug and sending all four of these PCs back to the vendor, i thought I would reach out to E-E and see if I missed something or if there is a thermal driver/system monitor patch that may be missing.
> Again, we are using three system board monitoring programs and all there are reporting matching readings.
> Also, fans and air flow path was inspected and does not appear to be any obstruction.
> The exit air is 'warm-to-hot' but not the 195F noted when these boxes are under stress.  Going to purchase a thermal couple to get some actual readings.

OK, that's my story and I am sticking to it.... Any ideas, or should I cut my loses and send everything back and try another vendor.

Rojosho
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nobus
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Are we talking of Mini Tower (MT) or Desktop (DT) or Small Form Factor (SFF) machines?

The MT and DT machines should be OK.  If it is the SFF then possibly that isn't get enough cooling.  Check the grilles and heatsink is clear of dust.  Try blowing a big fan at the front of those and see if that improves cooling.  Could be the fan not spinning enough.
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You could try an infrared thermometer to check the temp of the drive(s), as well as other components, in comparison to the "good" machines.

If the high temp readings are truly the only anomalies with these particular machines, I would suspect that the readings you are getting are somehow skewed high.
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EE,

Thank you for your inputs and to address some your questions:
> All four of these 980's are of the SFF format.
> Question on idle, yes, used Task Manager and during the idle readings, the 'System' Idle was at 95% the majority of time.
> Fans, dust and clearance has been check.
> The bios settings sounds interesting and I will investigate that.

I will keep you all posted.

Rojosho
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I would apply new thermal paste to the cpu that is faster then waiting to exchange the units for replacements. maybe they have been running on the hotside without people monitoring it when it was received from the manufacturer.  Maybe the paste that was used has dried out and is not cooling the cpu properly.
You could try an aftermarket cooler for the CPUs, assuming that it will fit in the case.  Which model of i7 are you fitting?  We can then see if those temps are acceptable.  

However, I am wary that the HDD also show high temps, even when idling, and so am wondering whether there's a sensor issue here?
I'd also reload the chipset drivers.  If you get the Service Tag from the Dell, you can find the most recent versions easily.

http://www.dell.com/support/home/uk/en/ukdhs1/products/?app=warranty
how does it go Rojosho?
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E-E,

Sorry for the delay - had too many things on my plate.  
UPDATE:
Cliff Note Update => I returned all of the PCs to the vendor and requested a refund.
> The vendor had sent us two replacement units, but when I tested these units, they too were running very hot.
> Comparing the Intel sticker on the chassis to what was running under the hood, it appears that the vendor had swapped the original Intel i5 with an Intel i7.  I did not check the first two PCs that were sent to us as they were packed and ready to go back.

I want to thank everyone for your OUTSTANDING suggestions... well done team..

Rojosho
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E-E,

Well done team
then don't forget to close this Q
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Great Job, y'all
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ASKER

Great Job Team