Advice needed for Dell user

[trevorbelmont]

Hello, hopefully this forum is appropriate for this.. but;

I have a Dell computer which i've had now for over 3 years and am looking to replace some parts for it. The warranty is long past its exp date so its up to me now (with the help of you, hopefully).

The two things i think i need to upgrade are my monitor and my fan.

My monitor, for the past 2 months or so now, has been kinda flickering every now and then - almost as if it was getting zapped or something, which may last for a couple of seconds - the display during this time is visible, but kinda wavy... and also, during the same few seconds - my mouse freezes up - sometimes i have to replug it to regain control/power of the mouse... very weird. Something else very awkward is when i have my speakers turned on (when my headphones aren't plugged in), when the monitor flickers i can actually hear the speakers reacting, giving off a weird noise in response...

It could be something else - but i just think its my monitor since its pretty old, and i've been told i should upgrade my monitor to LCD to better take advantage of my system.

As for my fan, its just not as quiet anymore as it used to be - its been acting up for sometime now - its loud for a min or so, than goes back to a somewhat normal tone for a long period of time to go back to a louder, faster tone...

Wondering if any fellow or past Dell users can give me some advice for fans and monitors out there to go with my current system, which is a Pentium 4 Processor with HT Technology 3GHz w/800MHz FSB. 128MG video card - radeon. I recently put in 2 more gigs of ram in it too - about 6 months ago... I figure if i just replace the fan and monitor - I can be set for at least another year or so before I'll eventually have to buy new... (or maybe just keep upgrading?)

Any help or suggests are very welcome and appreciated.

Thanks in advance to any that reply - look forward to engaging with ya so I can be well on my way to a better/upgraded system.

 

[dean7]

It sounds like you are getting some EMI from a device that's close to your computer. I've seen things like this happen with GSM phones when you get a text message or a call. Try putting your phone next to your computer and calling it and see if your monitor freaks out.

 

[Peffse]

another thing that caused my monitor to flicker was old video card drivers. I never understood why, but apparently the Geforce 4 drivers that I had updated to were not entirely up to date. I think it may have been Windows Update that caused that trouble.

As for the fan, that depends on whether or not you are talking about a case fan, or a processor fan. Case fans are pretty standard, even for a Dell... Processor fans on the other hand, are harder to match, or at least from my experience they are.... you have to know which socket type your processor is. Since you said Pentium 4, it is most likely a Socket 478. But it may be something else. Then you have to check and see where the clips are, since some motherboard have proprietary clips on their processor fans.

 

[goldragon_70]

Wondering if any fellow or past Dell users can give me some advice for fans and monitors out there to go with my current system,

a new fan your just looking for the one that uses that connector weather 3 pronged or 4 pronged, and the monitor is either analog or DVI, with all computers it's either one or the other in both cases.

 

[StevieD]

Your system is 36 months old?

Remember Moore's Law ..... doubling of speed every 18 months .....


I would not be too eager to sink a lot of money into your old system when that money could go towards a much improved (state of the art) new system.


That said, your monitor is a CRT, correct?

Changing out the monitor could be a huge improvement all by itself. There is nothing wrong with CRT's, but when CRT's go, they get funky ... flickers, wavy displays and production of electrical noise is quite common. There is a chance that the electrical noise could be reacting with other systems.

I would change out the CRT, at least temporarily changing out the CRT with another (newer) monitor to determine if the problem is common the CRT or the system in general.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Any DVI / VGA monitor will work with the Dell (if the monitor needs replacing).


The fan is not the standard 80mm fan, but a 92mm 4pin connector. Though Dell, the fan is 50$ or more since it has a heat sensor built in, and depending on the model, a standard fan will not work. This is because the system will not boot if it can not read sys temp.


What is your Dell model?

 

[trevorbelmont]

Hello, thanks for the responses.

My monitor is a CRT. I was thinking of getting a nice LCD - theres some great deals on newegg.com that I've seen recently.

My Dell model is a Dimension 8300 - i wouldn't know exactly what kind of fan I would need (i am pretty sure i need a case fan). I'd have to open it up to be certain.

Thats interesting about the cell phones - I do in fact keep a cell phone on my desk - and my wife has her phone nearby charging usually as well...

 

[delluser1]

Here's a fan assembly, if the shroud doesn't fit you can take the fan out of the shroud and swap it, but I'm pretty certain you won't have to.

http://www.centrix-intl.com/details.asp?productid=816

 

[dean7]

Just do some testing with it and I bet you'll find that it has something to do with the tweakage.

 

[jeepn]

"As for my fan, its just not as quiet anymore as it used to be - its been acting up for sometime now - its loud for a min or so, than goes back to a somewhat normal tone for a long period of time to go back to a louder, faster tone..."

I would first look into buying a nice cheap can of compressed air, seems to me that your CPU could be overheating; thus speeding up your fan. Try getting the dust out of your CPU and case.

As far as your Monitor... it could be dying, interference, or your VGA may need some fresh drivers. If you really want to upgrade now, definitly get a LCD of your choice. My .2 Peace :twisted:

 

[goldragon_70]

The fan is not the standard 80mm fan, but a 92mm 4pin connector. Though Dell, the fan is 50$ or more since it has a heat sensor built in, and depending on the model, a standard fan will not work. This is because the system will not boot if it can not read sys temp.

trevorbelmont,

If you need something that Dell Propriatary you can find them on several sites (I listed a few below), and you can find then by searing for Dell parts in Google. You might find what you are looking for as far as the fan. If you can't then try looking up the part number At dells support website, just enter your tag and you might be able to find all the parts listings (not sure if you can get that specific), you might find the part number on the fan somewhere, you can call dell's sells and see if they can find the fan part you are looking for (long shot too).

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