Noctua air cooling vs aio with noctua fans

[Skelld]

Hello people

I was wondering what's the most silent option. Noctua d14 or aio liquid cooling with noctua fans? I want my computer in the living room and I need it to be quiet.

[tryphaa]

Noctua fans arent the quietest,  I would go for some Gentle Typhoons, and the AIO if it's a 240/280mm one. If its not, then get the NH-D14

[helping]

An NHD14, PHTC14PE, Dark rock pro 2/3 will all be acoustically better than an AIO with any given set of fans.

If you were to choose an AIO, Noctua fans are still not the quietest, but it won't matter to a point because you have to deal with the pump.

[Izaya Orihara]

The Bequiet! Dark rock 3 is more silent that the NHD 14 and more sexy. Also it's amazing. 

[Skelld]

Thanks for the replies. I'm gonna build in a define r4 and everyone's been telling me that noctua air cooling is the most quiet option so I am relieved to see that there are other options.

[KamiKatze]

An NHD14, PHTC14PE, Dark rock pro 2/3 will all be acoustically better than an AIO with any given set of fans.

 

Really? I was thinking about replacing my Dark Rock 2 non-pro by a H100i (ors imialr) + bequiet shadow wings medium-speed, to clear the area around my CPU (for the bling) and get lower temps for OCing while maintaining silence. Do you think that setup will be louder?

 

A DR Pro 3 etc. won't fit over my vengeance pro mem.

[helping]

Really? I was thinking about replacing my Dark Rock 2 non-pro by a H100i (ors imialr) + bequiet shadow wings medium-speed, to clear the area around my CPU (for the bling) and get lower temps for OCing while maintaining silence. Do you think that setup will be louder?

 

A DR Pro 3 etc. won't fit over my vengeance pro mem.

 

Go for a dark rock pro 2 or 3.

 

Both will definitely be quieter than an h100. Keep in mind, this is only true under low load and with a hybrid fan PSU and aftermarket air GPU cooler.

 

If there are other noisy components in the case, the acoustic performance difference between an AIO and high end air cooler don't exist.

 

If you have a quiet GPU and semi-fanless PSU, putting the dark rock pro 2/3, Phanteks dual tower, or NHD14 will effectively

 

Under high load the AIO will more likely be quieter if you have your fan speed manually set, with high quality fans. Under high loads is usually pointless though since your GPU will be making more noise than either system anyway, so the value is in idle and low load temperature, in which an air cooler with good fans (all high end air coolers come with great stock fans) will beat an AIO in acoustic performance.

 

The AIO will cool better, but it's usually <4-8c load, so it won't be that big of a deal unless you're pushing your chip to it's limits.

 

Keep in mind, the order of thermal performance is PHTC14PE > NHD14 > Dark rock pro 2 in terms of thermal performance, with the differences being a degree or two.

 

In terms of acoustic performance, Dark rock pro 2 > NHD14 > PHTC14PE, which are within 1db range as well.

[KamiKatze]

Go for a dark rock pro 2 or 3.

 

Both will definitely be quieter than an h100. Keep in mind, this is only true under low load and with a hybrid fan PSU and aftermarket air GPU cooler.

 

If there are other noisy components in the case, the acoustic performance difference between an AIO and high end air cooler don't exist.

 

If you have a quiet GPU and semi-fanless PSU, putting the dark rock pro 2/3, Phanteks dual tower, or NHD14 will effectively

 

Under high load the AIO will more likely be quieter if you have your fan speed manually set, with high quality fans. Under high loads is usually pointless though since your GPU will be making more noise than either system anyway, so the value is in idle and low load temperature, in which an air cooler with good fans (all high end air coolers come with great stock fans) will beat an AIO in acoustic performance.

 

The AIO will cool better, but it's usually <4-8c load, so it won't be that big of a deal unless you're pushing your chip to it's limits.

 

Keep in mind, the order of thermal performance is PHTC14PE > NHD14 > Dark rock pro 2 in terms of thermal performance, with the differences being a degree or two.

 

In terms of acoustic performance, Dark rock pro 2 > NHD14 > PHTC14PE, which are within 1db range as well.

 

 

My problem with the DR 2 is the fan mounting. I was dumb and tried spraypainting some parts of the fan, but it looked shit, so i removed it all with some ethyl acetate. While doing that, the rubber rim around the fan came off, and now the fan rattles everytime it ramps up (gaming etc.). 

 

I thorught about a DR 3, but that wouldn't improve temps much, and a DR Pro 3 is too big imo. I can't even see my RAM over that monster. I hate to say this, but after silence comes looks, for me. The problem with bequiet's CPU coolers are the fans, with their centered mounting. I have not found a single fan with adequate performance, to replace my stock fan, because the mounting holes are just too far away or too close for the brackets.

 

As far as noise goes, i have a seasonic G-series PSU, i haven't heard it ever. 3 x bequiet silent wings 140mm as case fans, inaudible at idle, subtle woosh at full load. Then the DR 2, which is subject to change. And my GPU is also just temporarily. I am looking forward to get a maxwell card and put a Prolimatech MK-26 Black edition on it, with even more bequiet fans. So i think the noise coming from my CPU will matter again.

 

My HDD is actually the loudest part at idle atm. Will change it for a 500 gig EVO soon.

[helping]

U14S?