How to make my system quieter?

[IAmAndre]

Hi,

 

I have a Ryzen 5 2600X CPU and a blower style MSI Vega 56 on my system, both of which tend to get loud on load. I have 3 120mm fans in front of my case and one in the back. My CPU cooler is an Arctic Freezer 33 TR.

The fans are audible at idle but that's okay. The main issue is when I start rendering a video and the CPU cooler gets very loud. Do I have any option other than switching to water cooling? As I currently have only one fan CPU on the CPU cooler, would adding a second one help with the noise? I can also add two fans on top side of the case. Would that help?

 

I believe that for the GPU not much can be done, but do you think there's any trick with blower style GPU's?

 

Thanks

[Constantin]

4 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

I can also add two fans on top side of the case. Would that help?

Yes!

5 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

As I currently have only one fan CPU on the CPU cooler, would adding a second one help with the noise?

Yes put a second one push/pull

And set a fan curve from the bios for the case fans and CPU fans

As for the GPU, install Afterburner and set also a fan curve. 

[Sir0Tek]

How's cpu-temperature?

[BlastLast]

Switching to water cooling is still as loud as air cooling, probably even louder because of the pump. I don't know a lot about Ryzen processors but I heard they tend to get really hot so I don't recommend tuning the fan down. But if you think you could you can use the fan's software to make it spin slower during high usage, but that would give you performance lost. My fans on the watercooling system also get loud when I am rendering a video so it's probably normal and not a big deal.

[Vishera]

Replace the fans with Be quiet! fans.

[RollinLower]

5 minutes ago, BlastLast said:

Switching to water cooling is still as loud as air cooling, probably even louder because of the pump. I don't know a lot about Ryzen processors but I heard they tend to get really hot so I don't recommend tuning the fan down. But if you think you could you can use the fan's software to make it spin slower during high usage, but that would give you performance lost. My fans on the watercooling system also get loud when I am rendering a video so it's probably normal and not a big deal.

the loudness on watercooling is highly dependant on the dissipation rating you build into your rig.

basically, more radiators means you can spin your fans slower which means you get less noise.

[BlastLast]

1 minute ago, RollinLower said:

the loudness on watercooling is highly dependant on the dissipation rating you build into your rig.

basically, more radiators means you can spin your fans slower which means you get less noise.

Totally forgot about that! You are right.

[AndrewB121]

You could get a much larger air cooler like an nh-d15, those are quiet. 

[AngryBeaver]

11 minutes ago, BlastLast said:

Switching to water cooling is still as loud as air cooling, probably even louder because of the pump. I don't know a lot about Ryzen processors but I heard they tend to get really hot so I don't recommend tuning the fan down. But if you think you could you can use the fan's software to make it spin slower during high usage, but that would give you performance lost. My fans on the watercooling system also get loud when I am rendering a video so it's probably normal and not a big deal.

 

So lets take a minute to cover the basics of cooling. When your cpu or gpu gets hot it transfers that heat to a radiator or heatsink. The way those items actually keep the CPU/GPU cool is by dispersing that heat into the air. Now to do that you have 2 big factors (ill keep this simple) surface area and the amount of air moving through or around the surface.

 

So if you use a tiny radiator you will need lots of air movement (high rpm fans) which results in more noise. Now if have a correct amount of surface area your fan speeds can be barely audible to completely inaudible at any distance that matters.

 

Now when it comes to water-cooling there are some pretty big advantages it has over air cooling. First it has much more control over where it gets the air to cool it and where it directs the hot air it creates. This means it can be used to take in cooler air or vent the hot air straight from your case (both helping your component temps). It also can absorb much more heat and takes longer to get saturated... so a few minute spike in cpu temp doesn't really affect anything. Also with current case design you can have much more surface area with a water cooling loop. Which as we discussed suface area + fan speed = cooling power. The more you have of one, the less you need of the other.

 

So for example I am running a 420mm Radiator for your setup above. I have enough surface area to comfortably handle the heat from these 2 components. I can then mount this radiator so it pulls in fresh outside air which is goin to be on average 2-5c cooler than the ambient air inside the case. Yes it will vent some warm air in the case, but it will be pulled out by exhaust fans and the components that matter are already getting nice cool temps from the water in the loop. Now under full load with a push configuration the fans might spin up to a point they are audible. They would however probably be much more quiet than the blower on the gpu. Even still there is another trick we have in our sleeves. We can add push/pull to the radiator and reduce our speeds even more since it will get more flow for the same effort. This reduces the rpms needed and makes it even quieter. If we want to make it silent then we can easily add another radiator.

 

Now your argument on the pump noise can be valid depending on the pump you choose. If you choose something like a D5 you will never hear it... not unless it has air in the loop or is dying that is. Both of which aren't a usual occurrence.

[BlastLast]

2 minutes ago, AngryBeaver said:

Now when it comes to water-cooling there are some pretty big advantages it has over air cooling. First it has much more control over where it gets the air to cool it and where it directs the hot air it creates. This means it can be used to take in cooler air or vent the hot air straight from your case (both helping your component temps). It also can absorb much more heat and takes longer to get saturated... so a few minute spike in cpu temp doesn't really affect anything. Also with current case design you can have much more surface area with a water cooling loop. Which as we discussed suface area + fan speed = cooling power. The more you have of one, the less you need of the other.

I agree with you. But for some reason. My water cooling fans don't care about the temperature but rather about the CPU load even when my CPU temperature is 40 degrees, starting minecraft ramps my fans a lot because the new version of minecraft uses 100% CPU usage to load. (even though i have a 6 core 4.7ghz processor)

[IAmAndre]

34 minutes ago, Constantin said:

Yes!

Yes put a second one push/pull

And set a fan curve from the bios for the case fans and CPU fans

As for the GPU, install Afterburner and set also a fan curve. 

Actually I have SpeedFan installed and I think that because these are 3-pin case fans, it won't allow me to tweak their speed. However I might be able to tweak those settings in the BIOS. With that said, I have no idea what the fan should look like.

34 minutes ago, Sir0Tek said:

How's cpu-temperature?

Interesting question. I think I have an issue at this level because when I first built this PC, the temperatures would stay under 40°C at idle in summer. The CPU is currently at 50 at idle. The cooler might have moved a little bit when I moved my office to another room. I took this screenshot 5 minutes ago while rendering a video.

24 minutes ago, RollinLower said:

the loudness on watercooling is highly dependant on the dissipation rating you build into your rig.

basically, more radiators means you can spin your fans slower which means you get less noise.

I believe I cannot fit a particularly large radiator in my case. It's an Aercool Shard.

7 minutes ago, AndrewB121 said:

You could get a much larger air cooler like an nh-d15, those are quiet. 

Not sure if it would fit in my case.

[IAmAndre]

16 minutes ago, AngryBeaver said:

So for example I am running a 420mm Radiator for your setup above. I have enough surface area to comfortably handle the heat from these 2 components. I can then mount this radiator so it pulls in fresh outside air which is goin to be on average 2-5c cooler than the ambient air inside the case. Yes it will vent some warm air in the case, but it will be pulled out by exhaust fans and the components that matter are already getting nice cool temps from the water in the loop. Now under full load with a push configuration the fans might spin up to a point they are audible. They would however probably be much more quiet than the blower on the gpu. Even still there is another trick we have in our sleeves. We can add push/pull to the radiator and reduce our speeds even more since it will get more flow for the same effort. This reduces the rpms needed and makes it even quieter. If we want to make it silent then we can easily add another radiator.

 

Would it be possible somehow to water cool my GPU? It's an MSI Air Boost VEGA 56.

[AngryBeaver]

6 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

Would it be possible somehow to water cool my GPU? It's an MSI Air Boost VEGA 56.

It would 100% be possible. It just comes down to the case you are using and your budget. There should be some nice AIO adapters that you use a basic AIO and there adapter to put it on your card. For a gpu even a 120/140mm radiator is generally enough to improve on stock and even more so on the blower.

 

If you are wanting to do a full loop... then price and your case are the major issues. A decent GPU block is going to set you back 100-150USD that doesn't even account for the other components. If you are piecing together a custom loop for a cpu and gpu plan on spending in the $500-$800 range.

 

*edit* looks like Alphacool has a very nice solution with either a 120 or 240mm rad. The problem is it comes in around 180USD. Thought the waterblock on it is pretty much a custom block connected to an AIO setup.

[tech.guru]

the basic noise from fans usually is from higher RPM.

you can do a few things,

         move to bigger fans that can move more air

         increase the number of fans so one fan doesnt have to work as hard

         ensure you buy fans that can be PWM so they dont run at full speed

 

for more information about PWM see, https://www.ekwb.com/blog/what-is-pwm-and-how-does-it-work/

[IAmAndre]

6 minutes ago, AngryBeaver said:

It would 100% be possible. It just comes down to the case you are using and your budget. There should be some nice AIO adapters that you use a basic AIO and there adapter to put it on your card. For a gpu even a 120/140mm radiator is generally enough to improve on stock and even more so on the blower.

 

If you are wanting to do a full loop... then price and your case are the major issues. A decent GPU block is going to set you back 100-150USD that doesn't even account for the other components. If you are piecing together a custom loop for a cpu and gpu plan on spending in the $500-$800 range.

 

*edit* looks like Alphacool has a very nice solution with either a 120 or 240mm rad. The problem is it comes in around 180USD. Thought the waterblock on it is pretty much a custom block connected to an AIO setup.

I've never done any water cooling in the past. How much would the most bang for the buc solution cost for a GPU? And how much for cooling both the GPU and the CPU?

[AngryBeaver]

13 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

I've never done any water cooling in the past. How much would the most bang for the buc solution cost for a GPU? And how much for cooling both the GPU and the CPU?

 

Honestly, for what it would cost you are probably better off getting a beefier air cooler for your CPU and selling your GPU for something with a better air cooler on it. You could do the AIO route for both, but again that might be limited by your case.

 

I love custom water, but I don't think it Is the solution for everyone and I don't want to push you down that path when you have cheaper options that would be easier and serve your purpose.

 

*Edit*

 

Looking at your build in profile It appears you are using the stock AMD cooler. You could easily toss in something better for 30-40 bucks that would also be much quieter and give better temps.   Looks like you already have one. I would just toss a second fan on it and that should help temps. You can play with the fan profile in Bios (if you have that ability) to get the sound levels down via rpms.

 

As for the GPU the problem is it is blower style. That means it will be loud and run hot. Your best bet is going to be to just sell it and add some funds to either getting a different variant of that card or maybe just moving to a 5700 or 5700xt with a good cooler on it. You will gain some FPS and have a much quieter and cooler running card.

 

Looks like those cards are going for around 200USD Used on ebay (when they sell). A good 5700 is about 340 USD and a good 5700xt is about 400 USD. So total you are looking at anywhere from $170-$240 to go this route... vs 600+ if you go custom water. Which with an already older gpu it isn't really worth it. If you wanted to go custom water I would just wait until your next major PC build.

[IAmAndre]

18 minutes ago, AngryBeaver said:

Honestly, for what it would cost you are probably better off getting a beefier air cooler for your CPU and selling your GPU for something with a better air cooler on it. You could do the AIO route for both, but again that might be limited by your case.

 

I love custom water, but I don't think it Is the solution for everyone and I don't want to push you down that path when you have cheaper options that would be easier and serve your purpose.

That's what I thought. For now I think I'll just an extra fan and replace the thermal compound. And I guess I should also put my headphones when gaming.

[AndrewB121]

41 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

Would it be possible somehow to water cool my GPU? It's an MSI Air Boost VEGA 56.

Yeah I've done it, it's fairly easy. 

 

You will need the NZXT kraken G12 bracket and any compatible AIO. 

 

If you care less about looks you could get one of the arctic air coolers to replace your blower fan, they'll be a lot quieter. 

[IAmAndre]

3 minutes ago, AndrewB121 said:

Yeah I've done it, it's fairly easy. 

 

You will need the NZXT kraken G12 bracket and any compatible AIO. 

 

If you care less about looks you could get one of the arctic air coolers toreplace your blower fan, they'll be a lot quieter. 

Any link for all this please?

[AndrewB121]

5 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

Any link for all this please?

Kraken G12 and any cooler, this'll do.

You'll also need a couple of fan splitters if you don't have any headers left on your motherboard and an adapter for the gpu fan. 

I managed to get a used cooler, which greatly reduced the price. However it's still a fairly expensive modification, you have to decide whether it's worth it. 

 

Arctic cooler, either the accelero extreme or twin turbo would be an upgrade over your blower, just depends on how much space you have. 

[AndrewB121]

21 minutes ago, Caroline said:

The Arctics aren't compatible with Vegas.

BUT I bet you can probably get a Morpheus Vega and a nice set of bequiet fans for less than what the NZXT bracket alone costs

 

 

That, a bigger CPU cooler and decent case airflow and everything is ready to go

Ah shit didn't know that.

 

You might be able to find a cheap morpheus vega, I know when I looked it was actually going to be more expensive for the morpheus + fans, as well as being too large for my system. But it's worth a try. 

[IAmAndre]

1 hour ago, Caroline said:

The Arctics aren't compatible with Vegas.

BUT I bet you can probably get a Morpheus Vega and a nice set of bequiet fans for less than what the NZXT bracket alone costs

 

That, a bigger CPU cooler and decent case airflow and everything is ready to go

That's pretty cool (pun intended)). However I can see at $75 on Newegg while the Kraken is at $30, although it requires an extra piece. What's the best deal?

[IAmAndre]

2 minutes ago, Caroline said:

$30 and a 120mm AIO (which isn't great) is over $50 for sure so I'd go air, overall easier to install, less failure chance (only the fans)

 

no need to get premium fans btw

Interesting. However would it be possible for an AiO to cool both the CPU and the GPU using the Kraken?

[IAmAndre]

1 minute ago, Caroline said:

No, you'd need to mod them as an AIO only has a single block, in that case what you need is a custom loop which *is* expensive, you'd need

• Pump
• Reservoir or tank
• 360mm rad
• CPU plate
• GPU block
• Tubing (2m)
• Coolant

Alright air cooling it is. Thanks for your replies.

[StarsMars]

18 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

Hi,

 

I have a Ryzen 5 2600X CPU and a blower style MSI Vega 56 on my system, both of which tend to get loud on load. I have 3 120mm fans in front of my case and one in the back. My CPU cooler is an Arctic Freezer 33 TR.

The fans are audible at idle but that's okay. The main issue is when I start rendering a video and the CPU cooler gets very loud. Do I have any option other than switching to water cooling? As I currently have only one fan CPU on the CPU cooler, would adding a second one help with the noise? I can also add two fans on top side of the case. Would that help?

 

I believe that for the GPU not much can be done, but do you think there's any trick with blower style GPU's?

 

Thanks

There are many quiet cpu coolers.

add the second fan and change the fan curve in bios.