Solved New laptop, constantly running fan, high core temp?

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

kelper said:
Give it a few days. As you kept agreeing to repairs and it seems to be ok now you are on weak grounds for demanding a refund.

Not sure I am on weak grounds. Is it ok now? It's still under warranty. What would you suggest I buy instead? Just need it for serious office multi-tasking. I think integrated graphics ok for my needs. Prefer 16" screen.

Have found thermal issues reported for a lot of them that I have found on a quick look yesterday...

itsme1 · Apr 17, 2026

This is exactly what the critical update for Dell Power Manager is about:
Fixes and Enhancements

- This release contains security fixes, as defined by Dell Security Advisory DSA-2026-149. Details of this advisory are posted on the Security Advisory, Notifications, and Resources page as they become available. For more information about the update schedule, see the Dell Driver and Client Downloads Update Schedule.

Version 3.18.0, A00 Release Date: March 31, 2026

Download Type: Applications Category: Applications

Importance: Critical
Dell Technologies strongly recommends that you apply this important update as soon as possible. It contains critical bug fixes and changes to improve the functionality, reliability, and stability of your Dell system. It may also include security fixes and other enhancements.

I have an 8th generation Intel processor. It's completely different from yours, which has a different architecture. I couldn't say if your temperatures are good.

gunrunnerjohn · Apr 17, 2026

itsme1 said:
I have an 8th generation Intel processor. It's completely different from yours, which has a different architecture. I couldn't say if your temperatures are good.

Well, anytime you see 100C as a temperature, that's NOT normal! I've never seen or heard of any configuration where those temperatures are OK. Intel Core 5 120U TJ Max is 100C. Thermal limiting starts at 100C, but that's not a place you ever want to willingly be.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

itsme1 said:
This is exactly what the critical update for Dell Power Manager is about:
Fixes and Enhancements

- This release contains security fixes, as defined by Dell Security Advisory DSA-2026-149. Details of this advisory are posted on the Security Advisory, Notifications, and Resources page as they become available. For more information about the update schedule, see the Dell Driver and Client Downloads Update Schedule.

Version 3.18.0, A00 Release Date: March 31, 2026

Download Type: Applications Category: Applications

Importance: Critical
Dell Technologies strongly recommends that you apply this important update as soon as possible. It contains critical bug fixes and changes to improve the functionality, reliability, and stability of your Dell system. It may also include security fixes and other enhancements.

I have an 8th generation Intel processor. It's completely different from yours, which has a different architecture. I couldn't say if your temperatures are good.

Thanks. I have installed them all, critical and recommended. No discernable difference so far.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

gunrunnerjohn said:
Well, anytime you see 100C as a temperature, that's NOT normal! I've never seen or heard of any configuration where those temperatures are OK. Intel Core 5 120U TJ Max is 100C. Thermal limiting starts at 100C, but that's not a place you ever want to willingly be.

Thanks for this. I will obviously use this when I speak to Dell again which may be sooner rather than later.

kelper · Apr 17, 2026

I would not buy a Dell because of the way they have treated you. I can't suggest what to buy as it is so personal. But do like buying on Amazon UK, because it is so easy to return goods. Even eBay is great for new items. If you have problems and are truthful they will resolve them.

itsme1 · Apr 17, 2026

gunrunnerjohn said:
Well, anytime you see 100C as a temperature, that's NOT normal! I've never seen or heard of any configuration where those temperatures are OK. Intel Core 5 120U TJ Max is 100C. Thermal limiting starts at 100C, but that's not a place you ever want to willingly be.

That's true. It might be an interpretation specific to HWMonitor and HWiNFO. In post 118, Hard Disk Sentinel and SpeedFan don't show 100°C. Also in post 118, HWMonitor indicates a maximum peak power (PL4) of 114 watts. The 100°C reading might be a very brief peak on the P-cores (the performance cores).

kevinboardley said:
Thanks. I have installed them all, critical and recommended. No discernable difference so far.

I think you should see the difference between the various thermal modes during heavy use (and after stopping that use) and over a longer period.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

kelper said:
I would not buy a Dell because of the way they have treated you. I can't suggest what to buy as it is so personal. But do like buying on Amazon UK, because it is so easy to return goods. Even eBay is great for new items. If you have problems and are truthful they will resolve them.

Thanks. I feel that sentiment! Do you buy from the actuall manufacturer store via Dell? Isn't that the only way to ensure warranty and RMA etc? Not asking you suggest an actual machine more the generality of laptops that are 'thin and light' these days if they are not fanless. I really do think I may run into this with other brands...of course there are thermal issues and thermal issues, not all of the same importance....

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

itsme1 said:
That's true. It might be an interpretation specific to HWMonitor and HWiNFO. In post 118, Hard Disk Sentinel and SpeedFan don't show 100°C. Also in post 118, HWMonitor indicates a maximum peak power (PL4) of 114 watts. The 100°C reading might be a very brief peak on the P-cores (the performance cores).

I think you should see the difference between the various thermal modes during heavy use (and after stopping that use) and over a longer period.

From my limited understanding of these apps, as far as I can tell, the 100 degree temps have only ever been brief MAX spikes. If I then reset the record, they do not show the 100 degrees again until something else spikes them. Is that acceptable? I think I have always (usually?) said the 100 degree temps are spikes. And this is why I am holding back on the RMA.... I need to know that I'm on solid ground in order to go at them... this may be about interpretation of the data the tools are providing.

kelper · Apr 17, 2026

I prefer to buy via Amazon or eBay because the customer is always right and returns are so easy. If I need to return an Amazon purchase, the postman collects the parcel and even brings the label with him. The refund is on the same day.
I've been happy with Asus and Acer products and my wife had a good Lenovo.
Dell make excellent computers but they like to customise the BIOS and the Windows OS which can make it harder to get independent support.

TairikuOkami · Apr 17, 2026

I do not think that anyone has mentioned undervolting? You might need to do some research, which app might work on your CPU. It can be a bit tedious. but since you have spent months on this issue, it is well worth. I have undervolted and overclocked my laptop by 100Mhz (from 1.9 to 2.0 GHz) and it was cooler by 30C under load, from 100C to 70C! Each CPU is different, manufacturers just lock the max voltage to keep it running stable and that is it, if you tinker, you can lower it and thus lower your temperature and fan speed. The easy solution is obviously a metal cooling laptop pad, a single big fan is optional, removing a bottom laptop cover will do wonders too.

kelper · Apr 17, 2026

TairikuOkami said:
I do not think that anyone has mentioned undervolting? You might need to do some research, which app might work on your CPU. It can be a bit tedious. but since you have spent months on this issue, it is well worth. I have undervolted and overclocked my laptop by 100Mhz (from 1.9 to 2.0 GHz) and it was cooler by 30C under load, from 100C to 70C! Each CPU is different, manufacturers just lock the max voltage to keep it running stable and that is it, if you tinker, you can lower it and thus lower your temperature and fan speed. The easy solution is obviously a metal cooling laptop pad, a single big fan is optional, removing a bottom laptop cover will do wonders too.

But he should not have to do this on a new laptop. It might be necessary on a self build but I expect a fully built laptop to operate properly at the processor's full capacity.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

TairikuOkami said:
I do not think that anyone has mentioned undervolting? You might need to do some research, which app might work on your CPU. It can be a bit tedious. but since you have spent months on this issue, it is well worth. I have undervolted and overclocked my laptop by 100Mhz (from 1.9 to 2.0 GHz) and it was cooler by 30C under load, from 100C to 70C! Each CPU is different, manufacturers just lock the max voltage to keep it running stable and that is it, if you tinker, you can lower it and thus lower your temperature and fan speed. The easy solution is obviously a metal cooling laptop pad, a single big fan is optional, removing a bottom laptop cover will do wonders too.

Thank you. Interesting.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

I've not touched the laptop or mouse in well over an hour now and fan is still running at low (audible) level. Ambient temp 21 degrees. This is what I mean, when I say 'constantly'. Obviously is does stop sometimes, usually briefly, but I would call that pretty 'constant'. Especially when I'm not even touching it.

giftwrapped · Apr 17, 2026

kevinboardley said:
Hi Thanks for the suggestion but my power options don't have th epower boost option which to me sounds remarkably like overclocking settings...? If it had been there I would have found it and experimented after researching it.

For the Boost Modes to show up you have to edit a value in the Registry. (Turbo) Boost Modes are not the same as overclocking your CPU.
For all the details, and how to edit the registry values, see the provided link:

Enable Processor Boost Mode Control in Advanced Power Settings

Enable Processor Boost Mode Control in Advanced Power Settings - processor-boost-mode.md

gist.github.com

Mark K · Apr 17, 2026

kevinboardley said:
I have a relatively new laptop (Dell 16250) on which fan runs almost constantly. Dell have replaced the fan to little effect.

Today I installed HWiNFO as I was looking for details on memory (thinking about upgrading from 16GB to 32GB as memory usage can be up in the 70% region most of the time) and whilst doing that I noticed core temperatures of 127 degrees C.

I have experienced on three occasions now since purchase of this laptop (August 2025), a 'catastrophic failure', black screen and message to that effect before machine reboots and proceeds to boot normally. I can't remember the exact message.

I hesitate to try to engage Dell on this because I think they are not really interested and seem make it so hard to get anywhere.

I can use HWiFO to send information on the laptop if that would help. I recognise some things but am not sure if I am reading the results properly.

Can anyone give me any pointers. Not even sure I am in the right forum board for this issue.

I have not read through many of these posts yet and I have the Dell 16 Plus DB16255 laptop (AMD Ryzen AI 350/32GB mem/1TB NVME) where I sent the laptop back twice to Dell without no correction or solution to the overheating of the laptop. The top of the keyboard where the CPU would get so hot that I could not type. The CPU fans would run high for some time, event when not being used with any apps open.

After dealing with Dell for six months, I gave up. Until I just tried putting a thermal pad over the CPU unit in the laptop:

This has helped a lot in the laptop. The laptop fans barely run when lightly used and it remains much cooler now.

Side note: Dell Support could not figure out this problem after having the laptop for months in repair. I finally found a solution (this happens on many new Dell laptops):
Dell/W11 Pro - Copy data to USB drive in USB-A port only causes Internet/network disconnections and computer freezes (very strange problem)

The laptop seems to run better without all that heat. I may add another thermal pad in the laptop to see if it makes it cooler when running on intense processes.

itsme1 · Apr 17, 2026

kevinboardley said:
From my limited understanding of these apps, as far as I can tell, the 100 degree temps have only ever been brief MAX spikes. If I then reset the record, they do not show the 100 degrees again until something else spikes them. Is that acceptable? I think I have always (usually?) said the 100 degree temps are spikes. And this is why I am holding back on the RMA.... I need to know that I'm on solid ground in order to go at them... this may be about interpretation of the data the tools are providing.

I think that's normal. As already mentioned in post 118, second screenshot (HWMonitor), you have a PL4 of 114 watts (max peak power). That's enormous for a laptop. I don't know if Dell could have chosen not to configure PL4 on this processor. The other PL1 and PL2, in watts, are more reasonable for a laptop. So if the fan noise doesn't bother you, you can keep it. Otherwise, you would need a laptop without a configured PL4 or without PL4 at all.

Look at this NotebookCheck test of the same computer as yours but with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor. Go to the stress test section and look at the HWInfo64 screenshots. This processor on this Dell doesn't have PL4, only PL1 and PL2. The temperature never reaches 100°C.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-16-Plus-laptop-review-A-wave-goodbye-to-the-Inspiron-series.1028836.0.html

PL1 is the processor's normal continuous operation. PL2 is the short operation of a few seconds I believe, when you can perform a task requiring a lot of resources the processor increases its frequency/watts for a few seconds then returns to PL1 even if the task is not finished/closed.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

giftwrapped said:
For the Boost Modes to show up you have to edit a value in the Registry. (Turbo) Boost Modes are not the same as overclocking your CPU.
For all the details, and how to edit the registry values, see the provided link:

Enable Processor Boost Mode Control in Advanced Power Settings

Enable Processor Boost Mode Control in Advanced Power Settings - processor-boost-mode.md

gist.github.com

Thank you for this. I will make a note. I don't want to try anything like that until I have read about what it is I am actually doing. And also probably asked Dell. I expect they won't want to advise though. And as kelper said in post 132, not sure I should have to do this on a new laptop.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

Mark K said:
I have not read through many of these posts yet and I have the Dell 16 Plus DB16255 laptop (AMD Ryzen AI 350/32GB mem/1TB NVME) where I sent the laptop back twice to Dell without no correction or solution to the overheating of the laptop. The top of the keyboard where the CPU would get so hot that I could not type. The CPU fans would run high for some time, event when not being used with any apps open.

After dealing with Dell for six months, I gave up. Until I just tried putting a thermal pad over the CPU unit in the laptop:

View attachment 169105

This has helped a lot in the laptop. The laptop fans barely run when lightly used and it remains much cooler now.

Side note: Dell Support could not figure out this problem after having the laptop for months in repair. I finally found a solution (this happens on many new Dell laptops):
Dell/W11 Pro - Copy data to USB drive in USB-A port only causes Internet/network disconnections and computer freezes (very strange problem)

The laptop seems to run better without all that heat. I may add another thermal pad in the laptop to see if it makes it cooler when running on intense processes.

My God, would never have anticpated that buying a laptop would be such a jungle....but thanks for the suggestion.

kevinboardley · Apr 17, 2026

itsme1 said:
I think that's normal. As already mentioned in post 118, second screenshot (HWMonitor), you have a PL4 of 114 watts (max peak power). That's enormous for a laptop. I don't know if Dell could have chosen not to configure PL4 on this processor. The other PL1 and PL2, in watts, are more reasonable for a laptop. So if the fan noise doesn't bother you, you can keep it. Otherwise, you would need a laptop without a configured PL4 or without PL4 at all.

Look at this NotebookCheck test of the same computer as yours but with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor. Go to the stress test section and look at the HWInfo64 screenshots. This processor on this Dell doesn't have PL4, only PL1 and PL2. The temperature never reaches 100°C.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-16-Plus-laptop-review-A-wave-goodbye-to-the-Inspiron-series.1028836.0.html

PL1 is the processor's normal continuous operation. PL2 is the short operation of a few seconds I believe, when you can perform a task requiring a lot of resources the processor increases its frequency/watts for a few seconds then returns to PL1 even if the task is not finished/closed.

I will follow this up with Dell to see what they say but unless I can actually get through to a 2nd/3rd level support person I doubt I will get much sense...

Solved New laptop, constantly running fan, high core temp?

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