Making the PC quieter (GPU mostly)

Pirate_PL · July 28, 2022

Hi, everyone!
I have recently built my first PC since like 2009 (I used gaming laptops for many years due to my job). It's working pretty well, but it turned out to be a bit too loud. I am kind of at a loss on what to do about this and it's a really hard thing to google useful information about such broad topic.

SPECS:
Case: SilentiumPC Armis AR6 TG
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR5
CPU: i7-12700KF LGA1700
CPU Cooler: SilentiumPC Fera 5 Dual Fan 2x120mm
GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3070 GAMING OC
PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum 850W 135mm

I would like to lower the noise the PC makes without sacrificing performance.
My first idea was to replace the fans on the case for better and quieter ones and maybe add a few so I can run them at lower RPM. How much can I improvement in noise level can I expect from just case fans? I can theoretically repace the fans on the CPU cooler as well, but I don't think it's necessary - CPU usually does not run at a 100% and the improved airflow through the case should be enough.
My only concern is that the GPU fans will still be a problem. I was considering water-cooling, but from what I can tell the GPU is the main noise-maker. A brief search revealed that there's really no GPU AIOs avialable, so that's not really an option yet - I don't want to delve into any custom loops and stuff yet. That's going to be a last resort here.
Any tips and/or links to good resources about the topic appreciated.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Pirate_PL

Origami Cactus · July 28, 2022

The easiest solution is actually the cheapest. Don't buy anything, but tune the fancurves. It will take you a day, but will give you the best results.

Turn off all other fans, and one by one test each fan, to see at which speeds they are quiet enough, and then set them at those speeds.

GPU is actually the easiest thing to make quiet. For some reason on Nvidia RTX 3000 series cards, AIB's are targeting 60c, which is frankly insane, and that is why GPUs are so loud this generation. Just download MSI afterburner, make a custom curve, and it will be whisper quiet. The 3070 will run at the same speed on 84c so no reason to run it at 60c. It doesn't boost longevity or anything, just completely pointless.

So get tuning, and your PC components will be a little warmer, but honestly who cares. Tune them to sit about 84c under load, and you will be completely fine, but everything will be much quieter. Set CPU and case fans through bios, GPU fans through MSI afterburner.

Pixelfie · July 28, 2022

Have you tried undervolting? That sends less power to the GPU without sacrificing clock speeds, so performance is the same. Less power = less heat = less noise.

Also tune the fan curve in MSI Afterburner. Chances are that it's set up to run at about 60c, even though you can easily tune it to go into the 70s without any issues.