I see no reason to remove the cooler to expose the processor heatspreader.

The fan is running fast because the heatsink is clogged with dust and the fan is thermally controlled to increase its speed to provide sufficient airflow over the heatsink.

You need to pull back the cover shroud so that the heatsink is exposed, and brush or blow out the heatsink with compressed air. It may help by loosening the dust with the brush then blowing out the heatsink with the compressed air. Next, clean the fan blades with a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol until they are clean.

If the fan is still noisy after cleaning it may have a bad bearing or the thermistor may be bad in which case the fan would need to be replaced.

The fan is not a standard 92mm x 25mm fan. It will either be 92mm x 32mm or 92mm x 38mm and should have a special 5 pin connector that connects to the motherboard fan header. It will be mounted with rubber shock mounts (unless the original configuration has been changed). If the fan is changed the rubber shock mounts (called rubber screws) should also be changed.

It appears in pic #1 that the power supply air intake is also badly clogged and it also should be cleaned. I clean all my chassis with a vacuum with a plastic nozzle and plastic brush, however I ground the chassis before using the vacuum. If your vacuum has a metal nozzle I would take the cardboard center from a roll of paper towels and cut it and attach it to the metal nozzle with duct tape to prevent metal to metal contact.

 

Also might be worth using

http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

It lets you control the speed of your onboard fans and monitors the temperature accordingly. I wouldnt use it while playing games or something processor intensive, but if you're just watching movies or using the net it would be fine.

Pentium 4 heatsinks are typically quite noisy and tend to spin to fast, last time i actively used that prog was with my old P4. Hope this helps

 

it's a dell, everything has a clip.

get a vacume cleaner with a small atachment, it will eat the dust

if you clean the fan, be carfull not to apply too much 'un-even' presure on the blades, by the same token, get them clean (quieater and more efficient)

p.s. rebelmusic.. simpsons quote, very cool.


c...

 

Also might be worth using

http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

It lets you control the speed of your onboard fans and monitors the temperature accordingly. I wouldnt use it while playing games or something processor intensive, but if you're just watching movies or using the net it would be fine.

Pentium 4 heatsinks are typically quite noisy and tend to spin to fast, last time i actively used that prog was with my old P4. Hope this helps

Why would you recommend Speedfan for a passively cooled Dell machine with a thermally controlled fan?

 

ANd please do not use a vacuum cleaner inside your computer case. Vacuums are a giant generator of Static Electricity. And inadvertant touch to the wrong place can cause an ElectoStatic discharge to occur causing sometimes severe damage to your computers electronics. Possibly rendering it as a boat anchor.

 

I see no reason to remove the cooler to expose the processor heatspreader.

The fan is running fast because the heatsink is clogged with dust and the fan is thermally controlled to increase its speed to provide sufficient airflow over the heatsink.

You need to pull back the cover shroud so that the heatsink is exposed, and brush or blow out the heatsink with compressed air. It may help by loosening the dust with the brush then blowing out the heatsink with the compressed air. Next, clean the fan blades with a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol until they are clean.

Okay, so getting the cover off the heatsink wasn't as hard as I thought. It is COVERED in dust... no wonder it was so noisy. Before I blow some compressed air in, is there anything I need to know? Is it safe to blow the air in wherever, or are there some delicate parts?
Thanks everyone!

 

Blow away. Don't let the air spin the fan(s) as they might exceed the allowable RPM.
With a machine this filthy you might want to take it outside.
Remove the front cover and you will find an additional landfill worth of dust.

 

Awesome. So it's okay to blow through the layers of metal sheets? I'll do it as soon as I finish baking this cake...
EDIT: Thanks for your help, guys! I went ahead and got as much dust out as I could, and now it's running much quieter.

 

ANd please do not use a vacuum cleaner inside your computer case. Vacuums are a giant generator of Static Electricity. And inadvertant touch to the wrong place can cause an ElectoStatic discharge to occur causing sometimes severe damage to your computers electronics. Possibly rendering it as a boat anchor.

Sorry dude, I have vacked 100's of pc's, never a problem, have even used plastic atachments.

and yes, i do understand the theory behind what you are saying, however i am not suggesting that people shove vacume atachments deep into the receses of there motherboard, just suck up the dust that exists on the surface or in the heatsinks, (heatsinks are not susceptible to ESD)

as a side note i bet you think that water will also destroy electronic equipment, not when used correctly, i have washed and dryed even my own computer (was needed because the cat marked my pc), the more pure the water the better, dry properly with a compressor then alow to air for about 4 hours in a warm DRY enviroment, (I find on top of my CRT monitor is a good spot)

Am I Crazy, probably, but i am also right...

 

You're absolutely right about the water, but I allow more drying time.
I've been putting keyboards in the dishwasher for years, and even a few motherboards. The electronics industry uses this technique regularly, although I think they're big on distilled water.
Now, if you could just spell, or punctuate, or capitalize...

Sorry dude, I have vacked 100's of pc's, never a problem, have even used plastic atachments.

and yes, i do understand the theory behind what you are saying, however i am not suggesting that people shove vacume atachments deep into the receses of there motherboard, just suck up the dust that exists on the surface or in the heatsinks, (heatsinks are not susceptible to ESD)

as a side note i bet you think that water will also destroy electronic equipment, not when used correctly, i have washed and dryed even my own computer (was needed because the cat marked my pc), the more pure the water the better, dry properly with a compressor then alow to air for about 4 hours in a warm DRY enviroment, (I find on top of my CRT monitor is a good spot)

Am I Crazy, probably, but i am also right...

 

Hughv is exactly correct about removing the front cover. This a pic of a Dell 2350 after the cover was removed.

 

With 21+ years as a Microminiature Elctronic Component Repair Technician/Instructor until I retired from the Navy, I think that ESD has been a major concern in my expreience. I hope that one day you don't have an inadvertant mishap with ESD while using your vacuum. And cleaning with Distilled Deionized Water is actually a very good method for Cleaning Electronic Assemblies, even those emersed in salt water briefly. Followed by drying in a controlled heat environment.

There are ESD safe vacuums on the market but the average technician usually can not afford them. When the Navy was paying for it though my shop had one.

 

And here's another:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jK5nPWOhTyE/Sh96cxs4h7I/AAAAAAAAHb0/XBcC6DBng7I/s1600-h/P5292909.JPG

 

If that one didn't have heat problems it was unplugged!