Install starts at 11:05 for those who just want the instructions!

This is some saint level content

This is going to be so helpful, much appreciated. Doing this upgrade in a couple weeks. Interested in your next install video as well.

Just wanted to thank you for this video. I got an XPS 8940 last summer, and only learned about the issues with this computer through troubleshooting it like it was my job. I used your video as a guide to replace the "pancake" cooler with the Noctua cooler and replace the case fan, and it went well. I had done things like swap out hard drives or upgrade RAM on other computers in the past, so this felt kind of "next level", but your instructions were clear and easy to follow. I probably still have some software issues to smooth out for the game I want to run, but I feel like my hardware is sorted. Thanks so much!

Because of your first videos I purchased a g5 made of couple of upgrades and I'm very happy with my purchase. Thanks man good job on your vids

Thank you so much J, you've helped me extend the life and performance of my G5. I'm a grubby American with my grub screws so I appreciated your dedicating a special section to it, it was extraordinarily easy even with little know how. The best resource for someone with the sad stock cooler.

Completed this tonight and your instructions were perfect… not a single surprise or snag ✌️

Really appeciate your video. I bought 3 of the Dell G5 5000's for myself and 2 grandsons. Your method worked like charm. You're the best!

Thank you for having multiple videos on this computer, it helped me a lot, and answered many of my questions

Thank you so much for the effort you put into this video. It is exactly what I needed to hear.

Thank you dude, this is a lifesaver for upgrading my g5!

Thanks for the video! I decided to upgrade form the stock pancake cooler to the Noctua with the grubscrew method and it worked flawlessly. I am running games 15c cooler! I am also far from being an expert on computers but was still able to follow the simple tutorial. If anyone has any questions on my upgrade feel free to ask

I'm loving every bit of your review.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I don't ever make comments on KZfaq, but you video made my fix so smooth. Got the screws all ready before attempting to setup and it took me just a whooping 30 mins from start to end!

This is a great video that has saved my life. I saw it before buying my xps i7 11700 and rtx3060. I ordered the u9s as soon as I bought the computer. This install was nerve racking just because it was my first computer work. However your guide made it simple. It wasn’t nearly as hard to find the screws for me In the US. But all in all my temps went from 95c(pancake cooler) to a max of 67c. I’m so happy my cpu isn’t trying to combust anymore. Thanks for this wonderful video!

Thanks a lot! I was looking everywhere for information on this topic. I think after all of this I'm going to upgrade and migrate all of my parts to a new case.

Thank You so much for this! I've seen many videos on this cooler upgrade but youre the only one to explain and clear up the confusion around the screws and spacers. I can finally orderr mmy parts and get this done. (i have the 11700 with a pancake cooler, wtf)

Thanks man very helpful I bought the stock pancake cooler as I didn’t really know what I was buying should of watched your last vid first haha. Think I will leave the it up to a computer shop but I will 100% upgrade it as soon as it arrives

Omg you are a god i was literally looking through these EXACT SAME POSTS figuring it out and i find this THANK YOU 🙏

This.is the video I needed! The m3 screw thread length! Amazing, new subscriber here

Thank you, this is actually really helpful!

Great walkthrough on fitting the noctua heatsink to that Dell G5. Linked to friend of mine to it and she fitted the cooler to her Dell G5 Pc i7-10700F. She's not that techy but had no problems thanks to your KZfaq, Thanks!

Thank you. Well put together video and extremely helpful.

Dude i can see that your work in making this video is very hard. Well done

Hi, nice video, thanks for make it, I suggest one more alternative to install easer the noctua, just cut the heads of the m3 screws, but put the nut first to redo the thread of the cut part, use m3 x 25 mm or longer

Bro. This is a quality video and just what I was looking for.

Bro, that was great for the beginner who pucharched the DELL XPS8940. really thx a lot.

Thank you so much for this video, it's super helpful. I should've paid more attention though because I installed it with the fan on the wrong side and I was wondering why my PC was still getting so hot o.O

Amazing video, really great instructions and extremely informative. Thank you for creating this. Context: I just bought the 8950 from Costco with the i7-12700 RTX3080 & 64gb ram. I plan on doing this upgrade will share notes. As I live in the US and used to have time to build custom cases, I may just go with the m3-20mm screws because I just have larger fingers and it’s always tough getting my fingers in that small space. Will share my experience.

Thanks for this video!

Really appreciated! Thank you for your honesty keep up the good work!

Another great tutorial. I’ve saved 20 degrees Celsius now. Thanks so much

Thanks so much for this video! Made upgrading a breeze. By the way, I figured out a work around for us fellow Canadians. If you buy the 3M-0.5 x 25 mm machine screws (instead of the 20 mm size you showed in your video), you can use a pair of wire cutters to cut off the screw heads. From there, use the provided thumb screw hardware to work back in any warped threading. To do that, you simply screw and unscrew the thumb screws several times on the side you cut the head off from. Now you have homemade grub screws (without the Allen key hole). Worked perfectly for me to screw into the mother board, place the spacers and brackets over top, then secure with provided noctua thumb screw.

Good job! I followed everything in this video, and had no issues at all. The i7-10700F CPU in my G5 is running around 30C cooler than before.

Good video. Thank you !

I've upgraded the stock cooler on a Dell XPS and HP Envy with the Noctua NH-U9S using the stock back plate. Just used the correct spacers for the socket and M3 x 20mm screws. Everything went together with no problem or modification.

thank 'you so much for this video

Have an aio, have a fan adoater for my case. But only you gave us the screw sizes THANK YOU SO MUCH

Fellow Canadian here with similar lack of access to the 3m screws. I ended up making the hole on the two metal plate bigger with my drill and used the thumb screws and plastic washers that came with the CPU cooler. worked like a charm.

Huge help my man! Kudos to you for life! Definitely a life saver! Liked and subscribed! Keep it up! Wish I could produce videos like this! I have the content but the delivery isn't there just yet. What did you do about the rattling/buzzing power supply unit? HUGE THANK YOU!

Thank you great information.

Excellent content. I have the G5500 with the less powerful fan and was looking for a way to reduce CPU heat. I know virtually nothing about the inner workings of the computer other than adding RAM and hard drive space, but I may try the fan upgrade by following your video. 🇨🇦

Doing the good lords work! Thank you, seriously.....

Before watching this video I already purchase the d9l so I'm installing it today and going to use this video to sort of help me because they should be relatively the same install process

I just want to say thank you for making this video! I was pretty uninformed about the problems with this computers design when I purchased it a few months ago and was getting very concerned about the running temperature. Your videos gave me the confidence to take on this solution and it's making a huge difference, my cpu temps have dropped 30ish degrees since replacing that pancake cooler. Thank you so much and I wish you well.

Conclusion honesty is great. 👍🏻

I am planning to buy a XPS desktop in the future for video editing, recording and multitasking in general and I was afraid that my CPU would overheat after hearing about the horrible cpu cooler but now thanks to your video I know what to do.

I'm about to do this very upgrade on my Dell 8940. I've been active in those Dell forums and even printer a few of those fan brackets for people (PETG). M3 screws were hard for me to source locally. I wound up cutting the heads of some M3x30 screws. I've been running all sorts of benchmarks so I can have a before/after comparison

Super helpful 👍

I just installed a Vetroo V5 out of the box. It is fantastic.

Great video. I had to spend hours on dell forums and reddit to learn the exact same things mentioned here. This is the best video on this topic, clear and covers everything. I already did my upgrade from pancake cooler to Noctua and can clearly see the difference (I used 25 mm grub screws, as I got them easily here in the UK). On a side note, do you know if Dell sells the internal light bar? I bought a CPU with no clear side panel or internal lighting and so trying to find them.

The Arctic Freezer i13X is also a direct replacement, no need to buy washers and screws. You'll still get the pre-boot system performance check if you connect the freezer i13x to the cpu fan header. This is easily solved if you use the stock cpu fan as an exhaust /intake fan. You then use a pwm fan splitter from the cpu fan header. The connector with 4 pins goes to the exhaust/intake fan and the connector with 3 pins goes to the freezer i13X.

Thank you!!!

you do a great job

Brilliant! Clear, concise and comprehensive video - thanks very much! I feel for you in putting in (literally) the blood, sweat and tears into doing this video upgrade. I'm thinking of also getting a XPS 8940 so this really helps - including going through all the great comments. As a fellow Canadian, I so agree that Canada is a parts wasteland - you can only get the most common stuff :( I haven't build a PC from scratch since the PIII days so I'm kind of a noob and I have a dumb question: can you please tell me what app you used to run your temperature, fan speed, etc., benchmarks? Looking forward to more videos with your G5 in the future.

Great vids, I just lurched the XPS 8940 special edition with 11 gen i7-11700K, I made sure it was the K version as my sons XPS SE from 2019 the previous XPS Design with a non K version 19 processor and really regret not spending the extra $100 back then. My sons version has the worst fan setup I have seen, the new one I just purchased seems to have a lot more open air space for better air flow, even with the 3070. I should have it it about 2 weeks, so I’m thinking of the quickest way to improve my air flow from day 1, I really don’t want to change the K version processor cooler just yet, so I’m thinking to go with a larger back fan, and possibly mounting a front intake fan ( I did opt for a 2nd 2TB HDD, so I think that may need to be relocated ( correct?) or is there a workaround, if I need to move to another bay then I will. Have you come across any simple to install front mount intake fan setups since this video or the other fan video for XPS/g5 you had made? Also is there anyway to install an additional fan on the outside of the stock processor cooler that can create a push/pull setup using the existing setup? Creating more flow through the cooler? What would you recommend as a start to adding efficient / proper cooling from the start with out replacing the upgraded stock K cooler setup? Can the fan in the stock configuration be replaced while retaining the existing cooler setup? Thank you and appreciate and advise, tips offered in advance. I’ve used many XPS setups throughout the years and been happy but I plan on using this machine a little harder then those other XPS ones over the years ( with my first one being a fully loaded XPS M1710 laptop back in 2006, was a beast at the time). My main computer for my business is actually a 2014 Precision T7600 with dual xeon 6 cores just put a P1000 gpu just to run my 4 monitors without any adapters and that thing gets hammered at work daily, ( but can’t play a simple game on it, my son thinks it’s funny but can take up to 20 minutes every night closing every program and chrome tab that gets opened daily, not because it’s slow, because I literally don’t close anything during the day and running several graphic design programs). That workstation is like my old reliable 1970’s V8 Caddy when it come to reliability Well enough on that, so basically I’m just trying to get as much simple bolt on power to the new much smaller, but more tech infused computer, and like most things MORE AIR ( used properly) MORE POWER

Hello JSyntax, good video. No problem to wobble a bit the CPU cooler, if not too much Thermal paste is applied. Half of your big pea, so it can't fall too much from the CPU heat spreader. With your Noctua Cooler, you need to install Intel extreme tuning utility, in order to boost the CPU burst period to 128 seconds, instead of 20 seconds. Since the Main Board is limited for overclocking. Better buy pre-built, only for the GPU. Regards

What is funny the Vetroo V5 cooler I bought for my XPS 8940 fit with no additional hardware, pulling the motherboard, or anything like that. Mine was a non K version so didn't have the upgraded cooler to start with, just the pancake one. I have no more thermal throttling now that is installed, and I think it cost me around $30, as they included thermal paste too. My video was more of a review, not a how to. Good information in your video.

Dude the fact you reference and had a montage of all the forum posts/videos made me laugh so hard because I went through the struggle trying to consolidate all the necessary info. Thank you for compiling the information. Quick question, I dont have the same exact model as you, i have an i5 10400f and a 1650 super (Dell G5 5000) Should this install should be compatible with mine as well?

For a cheaper Fully compatible screw in option, Silverstone KR02 comes with compatible screws just screw mounting hardware straight into the backplate. 100% compatible. only $35 AUD in Australia and readily available. Temps will be about 80degrees.

@JSyntax Just did the rear fan upgrade and moved the stock to the front to help cool the GPU, on benchmark I got about 9C cooler! Any recommendation for newer GPU and CPU?

hey. got a verry similar 8940 last spring. complained that all the marketing material shows the larger premium cooler & the computer was only supplied with the cheaper pancake & they replaced it quickly with no problem. looks like the fan can fit on either side of the noctua - worth a try running it with 2 fans 1 each side - maybee even some tube to funnel it directly to the case exhaust fan?

thankyou！

Regarding those m3 screws, I have them. Yay!! So, here is the question. How far do I insert them? Do I screw them until they hit the floor, as in touching the backplate of the case? Or is there a different depth ? Maybe just enough so they stand up? (Is it cool if screws from the top of the motherboard touch the back wall? It seems ill advised to me; but I don't actually know.) Also, did you use the lock nuts on the screws? If so, do you still need the black spacers ? Got the screws. Hoping for some additional details. Can you please help?

@jsyntax i know this is an older video, but how did you get rid of the system fan failure error on booting up the computer?

Has anyone run into an issue where the motherboard doesn’t pick up the fan. Cause mine isn’t picking up the fan therefore causing my computer to restart cause the cpu is “getting too hot” but the fan itself is spinning. I did do the noctua cpu cooler upgrade but ever since it can’t even use my computer now

Great video! Thank you. Question, did you have to change any system settings for the noctua cooler? You mentioned tweaking fan curves but I didn't get if that meant fo the cooler or extra vent fans you added later. I have the basic i7 11700 which has the stock pancake cooler and runs super hot. So I want to upgrade the cooler, just don't know if the swap will work the same or if there's different socket depths or incompatible power needs since they are different. Also, did the noctua bracket still work with the vrm heatsink or did you have to remove it? Dell won't answer any of these questions.

I find it funny how so many videos talk about trying to find screws to fit the existing stand offs under the mother board. I broke them all off and then installed my cooler as it was intended. No issues at all.

for me, the vwd01 heatsink is TONS better than the stock pancake. im using a precision t1500 that was being thrown out, upgraded from the i5 650 to the i7 870 and without turbo technology its hitting 100°c, and i did change the thermal paste several times. the vwd01 keeps it from throttling at a nice 70-75°c so it depends what cpu you’re using for it

Hey JS, This was an outstanding instructional video!! I did sends hours on this topic via the forms stated with more confusion and questions that you clarified. BTW what is your thought on liquid cooling, such as Cosair H80i v2 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler or H60?

Thanks for the video, really useful. What kind of temperatures are you seeing under load? I've an XPS with a 11700k and when gaming, HWinfo tells me I'm running between 75c to 82c. I typically play flightsim and racing games so it can be GPU amd CPU heavy but I'm curious to know what temps I should expect. Note that I've changed the rear fan for a 92mm Artic fan and have managed fit a 120mm Artic fan at the front of the case to get airflow through the unit. Cheers again.

I just made the upgrade to the Noctua CPU cooler. Just like you, it took me a few tries to get that cooler to sit on the base correctly. It did make a huge difference thermally and audibly as well. I am sitting at about 35-40 degrees idle and 60-70 during gaming. I am surprised though that your PSU was making that much of a squealing sounds.

Really appreciate the video! It's very helpful. I used the grub screw method (easy to get in Australia) and replaced the stock fan for a non-K i7 CPU inside XPS 8950 without any trouble at all. After the replacement, do I need to do anything to adjust the fan speed?

The pea sized amount is good; too much thermal paste is better than less if its non conductive Also yes you can shuffle the heatsink with no issues. If anything its good for the mount to make sure the whole ihs is covered Also you could just have the m3 screws all positioned onto the bracket before you mount it, and hand tighen before you use a screwdriver. Also you'll need to check if youve mounted the cooler with enough pressure. I think theres a reason why people have recomended the 16mm screws with different standoffs. Your first mount looks like there was not enough pressure on the CPU.

I had a G5000 with that original intel fan, what I did to upgrade to a U9S was simply cut off that 4 radiator supporter which fixed on case, then you will realize you are able to install any kind of cooler in the market, put things right once and for all.

You can also watercool the cpu with the asetek 645LT. Thats the route I took. Under load i'm looking at temps of low 50C.

Thanks for the video mate, quick question, where did you get the small black heatsinks from?

Dang it, I have a noctua cooler and buncha case fans almost ready to go. Just ordered a bunch of parts recently to give it a shot. If I knew it wasn't going to make much of a difference, I'd have franeknsteined this case and put in a 240mm watercooler.

Hi, thank you for the video. I have the RTX3060Ti with the 11400F i5 CPU (did not know about the K series fan before ordering sadly). I was looking at potentially upgrading the CPU fan for the Noctua. What are the graphs you are referring to at the end? Do you need to do a lot of calibration after installation? I live in Canada as well.

@2:49 - Maybe just change to a Noctua fan may help the noise level on the upgraded Dell CPU cooler.

I tried doing the fan + CPU cooler upgrade, and I am getting bios errors. I am using the Noctua A9 92mm fan (Chromax) and Noctua U9S cooler (Chromax). I found a workaround for the case fans where I need to plug in the OEM 80mm fan as intake, however I can getting a bios error for the CPU cooler.

you can change the fan onthe premuin dell cooler. I can see in the video at 6:47 the its held at the bottom with 2 screws and the cap plate is screwed to the fan at the top. that might something to consider for anyone want a simple bolt-and-go solution.

I'm quite ignorant about Canada so you should correct me but I really expected Canada to be all Metric? America uses freedom units, like 3/5UNF, they have an inch which is slightly different to an actual inch and a gallon that is different to an imperial gallon and here in blighty we mix units for no apparent reason. For example its -5C to make it sound cold and 90 degrees (F) when we want it to sound hot. For aircraft separation we use feet for the height and km for the horizonal distance in the official rules.

I don't know about computers so this might sound dumb, but can you upgrade the motherboard later on without losing a bunch of stuff that may be attached to it?

Love the video. Just gotta ask, how did you rig a third fan to the front of the case (where the 3.5" HDD would have been)? Going to replace the stock pancake cooler with the Noctua, but I still want to put the old fan to use somehow. Also, have you noticed reduced temps for your GPU after the upgrade? I'm more concerned about my GPU temps than my CPU because my GPU is consistently hitting the 70-80 C range when gaming, so wondering if adding the Noctua cooler will make a difference there.

Thanks for your helpful video because I am also a fellow Canuck! You saved me so much time and money with your advices!! I have a Noctua NH-U9B SE2 (the predecessor of the U9S) bought from NCIX in 2012 for $34 in storage for many years and who would have thought it is now back in commission! As for thermal paste application, I always follow the guide from Artic Silver (the original enthusiast aftermarket thermal paste). In this case, a vertical line for any 3rd - 11th Generation Intel Core Processor. By the way, have you tried contacting Dell Support and see if they would replace that buzzy PSU under warranty?

Im in canada so i appreciate the shoutout

If you use 2 fans on the nh-u9s will u see a difference. It only comes with 1 fan but I'm thinking of putting a 2nd fan

So am I just able to buy the K series cooling unit and put it on my F series CPU. If the Noctua cooler doesn't help at all? I think that's what's being said at the beginning. I'm going to put a 92mm fan at the back, not sure if that will be enough

Just an FYI, m3 machine thread screws are very popular in the RC community so if you're in Canada and need m3 screws/bolts/nuts/washers of all different lengths/depths/thicknesses, try an RC hobby store. Since I build both PCs and RCs, I have a huge collection of m3s ranging from 5mm to 100mm in length, all from hobby stores both local and online.

Great video and information! You mentioned it would be great to upgrade from the stock pancake cooler to the Noctua. I will assume you would recommend upgrading the Dell K variant tall cooler form the pancake as well. I need help in determining if one of the upgraded K variant coolers will work in my Inspiron 3670. It also has the tiny stock pancake cooler. I believe it will bolt right on in the Inspiron 3670. What do you think??? Thanks!

You could have also used a second fan on the CPU cooler

How much to tighten the screws of the cooler? After installation T'C max is 84. ( gaming -Call of duty) I don't see any difference.I tried with less thermal paste and a little bit more - same result.

Thanks a lot for pointing this. I will stay will K.

I bought an XPS 8960 with the 13700 (non - K). The thing is it has liquid cooling which is very loud and annoying. Should I replace it with a noctua?

Good day sir, question, can I do the same for a DELL VOSTRO 200? (Modding my PC).

Trying to install a Thermaltake RGB CPU Air Cooler. Just wondering if the "feet" would go in. Thank you & have a GR8 day.

Did you remedy the power supply noise?

Hey thanks for the extremely helpful video. Upgrading my G5 with a i5 10400f eith the stock pancake cooler and 1660 Super.Im buying the Noctua U9S Cooler and a Noctua A9 PWM fan. However, I plan on skipping out on the step of removing the HDD bay for the intake fans( future upgrade maybe). Im planning on just swapping out the stock cpu cooler and stock fan. Im curious as to whether there will be any issues with this regarding airflow. What will adding intake fans exactly do?

Are you going to make an upgrade video for the xps 8960?