How to Reduce (not stop) Dell XPS 13 9360 Coil Whine Issues

When Dell updated their XPS 13 in Fall of 2016 to the new 9360 model with Intel Kaby Lake processors we all assumed (and desperately hoped) that the dreaded "Coil Whine" issue would be resolved.  Alas, it was not to be.  I and many others have purchased a top of the line Dell XPS 13 9360 that has a coil whine issue, here's a video example I put together demonstrating it:

Others have also done some "nice" video overviews (cover your ears) of their new XPS 13 9360 screeching away:

There are also several threads in the Dell support forums with users complaining about this:

• http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/os-applications/f/4613/t/19992655
• http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19995934
• http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19992657

I could go on, but you get the point that there are a lot of people out there experiencing this screeching coil whine issue with their XPS 13, but there is no fix for it.  Dell is not offering to resolve the problem other than calling it a minor issue and that it is inaudible to all but a few.  That's rather disingenuous because I'm no longer young and my hearing is poor, yet I can clearly hear the coil whine on my 9360 even when the TV is on in the background. 

So, if you still want an XPS 13 for all the other good stuff it offers, what are you to do?  There are some options, for one it seems that the coil whine issue only affects the higher end models with an Intel Core i7 and the QHD+ Touchscreen display.  This indicates that the higher power draw has a lot to do with being a root cause.  You could simply buy a lower end Core i3 or Core i5 XPS 13 model with the 1920x1080 non-touch screen and save a few bucks and avoid the issue.  That's a disappointment to those of us who crave performance and a touchscreen display, but honestly I think most people would be better suited to get a mid-range configuration anyway, it will improve battery life, save you money and avoid the heat and noise issues with the most expensive XPS 13 configuration.

If you insist on getting the highest spec XPS 13 9360 (Core i7, QHD+ screen) you could attempt to apply thermal paste to the processor, some have indicated this helps to reduce the coil whine, but still does not eliminate it.

Finally, if you're always at the same desk using the XPS 13 you could get a fan or white noise machine and have it always running so it helps to at least damper the coil whine noise.  You'd probably still hear the screeching transistor, but it would at least be softened by the background noise of a fan or white noise.

None of these solutions are perfect, so here's to hoping the next XPS 13 9370 sees the issue fixed!