[Solved] Silencing my PC

[gx_saurav]

Hello, I am using an Intel Core i5 7500 CPU + Cooler Master Hyper 212X with default fan.

I have used this CPU cooler on my previous AMD FX 6300 build for 3.5 years already.

I want to replace the fan with something more silent. When gaming or encoding video, my CPU reaches temperature of around 52C with CPU fan running at 1500 RPM which generates lots of noise.

I read reviews and I am shortlisting between the following Noctua Fans considering what is available here.

1. Noctua NF-F12 PWM 2000 rpm
2. Noctua NF-F12 iPPC PWM 3000 rpm

Is 2000 RPM going to be enough? There is only an $ 8 difference between them but I don't want to buy something i won't get to use.

Or should i consider some other silent fan?

Other then these, I have the following

1. 1 x Cooler master megaflow 200 mm front intake fan connected to molex connector and always running at full 700 rpm.

1 x bitfenix spectre 140 mm side intake fan. 3 pin connector.

1 x 120 mm Cooler master sickleflow top exhaust. This came installed in cabinet. 3 pin connector

1 x 120 mm Cooler master sickleflow rear exhaust. This came installed in cabinet. 3 pin connector

 

[UsandThem]

If you are wanting to make your computer quieter, the Noctua 3000 RPM is not the model you want to get. And before someone says "But they don't always run that high", I know. However, they are designed to move more air at the expense of higher noise.

The regular Noctua NF-F12 is plenty to cool a i5 7500. At it's loudest, it is 22.4 dBA. The industrial 3000 RPM fan is 43.5 dBA at its loudest.

Another good way to make your PC quieter is to get rid of the top exhaust fan. That should cut down your noise quite a bit.

 

[XavierMace]

If you are wanting to make your computer quieter, the Noctua 3000 RPM is not the model you want to get. And before someone says "But they don't always run that high", I know. However, they are designed to move more air at the expense of higher noise.

It's got a higher top end, yes. At low RPM's they are nearly silent. I've got 7 of them in my PC.

 

[bigboxes]

Put the computer under your desk to cut down on the noise. I use Noctua fans for my intake and exhaust. There is noise, but it's not intrusive when it's quiet. With the TV on or when playing music you'd never know that thing was on. It's a hum that I can live with. I remember back when I moved from 60mm fans to 80mm. I bought these Vantec Stealth fans. I was so happy when I moved to 120mm fans. Even used Noctua for the cpu hsf for a couple of builds. I used a fan controller and just dialed down the noise. I was more about silence than o/c'ing. Today, I use the pair of 120mm fans that came with the Cooler Master Nepton 240M AIO. Quiet and move lots of air.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

If you are wanting to make your computer quieter, the Noctua 3000 RPM is not the model you want to get. And before someone says "But they don't always run that high", I know. However, they are designed to move more air at the expense of higher noise.

The regular Noctua NF-F12 is plenty to cool a i5 7500. At it's loudest, it is 22.4 dBA. The industrial 3000 RPM fan is 43.5 dBA at its loudest.

Another good way to make your PC quieter is to get rid of the top exhaust fan. That should cut down your noise quite a bit.

I'm wondering if I'm the "somebody" to which you refer!

I use a combination of techniques for reducing noise. The iPPC 3000 fan I use is deployed at the rear exhaust port. It is entirely noise-isolated with rubber-mounts and a rubber-accordion duct accessory to my TR LG Macho cooler. I've given a lot of attention to this, but basically tuning the iPPC 3000 so that it is still barely audible when temperatures reflect CPU stress has not been so much of a problem. I'd have to run a test to show how far it spins up. Of course, at some point in some upper temperature range, you're not going to care so much about the noise if the system never ever never reaches those temperatures under normal real-world loaded conditions. So the fan's highest potential for airflow with more noise is almost irrelevant except for severe stress-testing and conditions you'd hope would not otherwise occur in normal operation.

As for the dBA rating, as demonstrated by my accessory duct and ducts I've custom-built for similar function between cooler exhaust and rear-exhaust intake, focused application of Spire acoustic padding can reduce a lot of it.

I've even got some Gentle Typhoon AP-30 fans in other systems used the same way. But for real-world conditions of gaming, encoding and other tasks, I might wager you would be impressed with how noiseless my system functions without water-cooling.

 

[gx_saurav]

I have decided to do the following. Let me know what you think.

1. Remove the top exhaust fan. With the old AMD build the heatsink used to throw air towards the top exhaust. With Intel the same assembly throws air towards the rear side of case hence the top exhaust fan is not adding much now. This will reduce some noise.

2. Replace rear exhaust and side intake fan with Arctic F12 120mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Case Fan. They are PWM and run from 300 to 1,350 RPM and they are supposed to run at a very low noise.

3. Install a Noctua NF-F12 PWM on my Cooler Master Hyper 212X Heatsink.

4. Leave the front intake fan as such. It already runs at whisper silent speed of 700 RPM.

Since I will be taking the heatsink out of the CPU, I was also thinking to use Arctic Siler 5 as currently the thermal paste is the one which came with my CPU cooler.

 

[gx_saurav]

I inquired about what is available in the market here and made some changes to system.

1. I am ordering a Noctua NF-F12 PWM fan which I will install on my Cooler Master Hyper 212X Heatsink.

2. I will install the existing 120mm fan which came bundled with Hyper 212X as rear exhaust. Since this fan also supports PWM, Motherboard can control its speed.

3. On the side, I have a BitFenix Spectre 140mm (Non PWM) intake fan which always runs at around 600 RPM and doesn't make any noticeable noise.

4. I will leave the non PWM 200mm Cooler Master mega flow front intake fan as it is. It is near silent already.

 

[UsandThem]

I inquired about what is available in the market here and made some changes to system.

1. I am ordering a Noctua NF-F12 PWM fan which I will install on my Cooler Master Hyper 212X Heatsink.

2. I will install the existing 120mm fan which came bundled with Hyper 212X as rear exhaust. Since this fan also supports PWM, Motherboard can control its speed.

3. On the side, I have a BitFenix Spectre 140mm (Non PWM) intake fan which always runs at around 600 RPM and doesn't make any noticeable noise.

4. I will leave the non PWM 200mm Cooler Master mega flow front intake fan as it is. It is near silent already.

Sounds good. The nice thing about quality fans is you can tweak the RPM to your liking. I have 3 of my fans on a fan controller running about 750 RPM, and the motherboard controls my CPU and exhaust fan. While there are other really good quiet fans out there, I personally like what Notctua puts out and their customer service is top-notch in case you ever have an issue.

Good luck!

 

[rchunter]

For super quiet I like Noctua NF-A14 ULN. I have 2 of them running in my kraken x61 radiator...and if my stock fractal design case fans ever die I will probably replace them with this also.

 

[gx_saurav]

For super quiet I like Noctua NF-A14 ULN. I have 2 of them running in my kraken x61 radiator...and if my stock fractal design case fans ever die I will probably replace them with this also.

Sounds good but my Cooler Master Hyper 212X can only use a 120 mm fan.

 

[UsandThem]

For super quiet I like Noctua NF-A14 ULN. I have 2 of them running in my kraken x61 radiator...and if my stock fractal design case fans ever die I will probably replace them with this also.

Sounds good but my Cooler Master Hyper 212X can only use a 120 mm fan.

@rchunter

Are you sure you aren't running a different version, say like a NF-A14 FLX? I also have a couple of the ULN versions I use as exhaust fans on a couple of the PCs, however they have a very low static pressure rating of .69 mm H2O at full speed which I can't imagine work that well through radiator fins. However, the FLX version is rated at 1.51 mm H2O at full speed (and even at .89 H2O with the ULNA adapter).

Maybe you really are using the ULN versions, I just was curious as I don't think I have seen anybody else here using them on radiators/heatsinks due to their low static pressure.

 

[rchunter]

@rchunter

Are you sure you aren't running a different version, say like a NF-A14 FLX? I also have a couple of the ULN versions I use as exhaust fans on a couple of the PCs, however they have a very low static pressure rating of .69 mm H2O at full speed which I can't imagine work that well through radiator fins. However, the FLX version is rated at 1.51 mm H2O at full speed (and even at .89 H2O with the ULNA adapter).

Maybe you really are using the ULN versions, I just was curious as I don't think I have seen anybody else here using them on radiators/heatsinks due to their low static pressure.

Yes the ULN. My cpu is a Xeon 1650v4. Not overclocked. I have my kraken x61 profile set to silent and my temps still rarely get over 35c even at 100% load for extended periods of time. Idle temps are usually 16-18c
For somebody that's running a hotter cpu and actively overclocking the ULN fans probably aren't the best choice.

 

[HerrKaLeu]

That CPU only has 65 w TDP, right? I use similar cooler really quiet on my 91 W TDP (see my signature). Why are you running the fan so fast? At 1500 rpm you will hear most 120 mm fans. But you have 52°C. I run mine at 70°C at full load (multiple handbrake instances all 8 threads at 100% and 4.4 GHz). You maximum junction temperature is 100°C, and all sources tell me anything under 80°C is good on the long run. So 70°C is more than safe. Especially when you are not at 100% load it is less.
I'm pretty sure with your smaller CPU than mine you should not need to upgrade

I assume all your case fans are slow and you don't have a noisy GPU fan.

Do you control CPU fan with MB? check in BIOS or their windows software if you can change the profile to lower fan speed. Some boards limit the % you can reduce speed to. So never buy a high-speed fan. Maybe your board can run the 2000 rpm fan at 1000 rpm. but if you buy a 3000 rpm fan, the lowest will be 1500 rpm and so on.

 

[gx_saurav]

That CPU only has 65 w TDP, right? I use similar cooler really quiet on my 91 W TDP (see my signature). Why are you running the fan so fast? At 1500 rpm you will hear most 120 mm fans. But you have 52°C. I run mine at 70°C at full load (multiple handbrake instances all 8 threads at 100% and 4.4 GHz). You maximum junction temperature is 100°C, and all sources tell me anything under 80°C is good on the long run. So 70°C is more than safe. Especially when you are not at 100% load it is less.
I'm pretty sure with your smaller CPU than mine you should not need to upgrade

I assume all your case fans are slow and you don't have a noisy GPU fan.

Do you control CPU fan with MB? check in BIOS or their windows software if you can change the profile to lower fan speed. Some boards limit the % you can reduce speed to. So never buy a high-speed fan. Maybe your board can run the 2000 rpm fan at 1000 rpm. but if you buy a 3000 rpm fan, the lowest will be 1500 rpm and so on.

My CPU is 65W, yes. My problem is not the temperature. Running Prime95 stress testing increases CPU to around 50°C and even during heavy gaming my CPU only reaches 45°C. But, Ambient temperature of my room is also low right now due to winter. However, you are right. Even in summer my temperature will not cross even 55 °C which is still within safe limits.

My GPU doesn't start its fan until it reaches a temperature of 60°C which only happens during gaming. At that time noise doesn't matter as I am anyway using headphones.

My problem is and why I started this thread was noise. The current Cooler Master fan on CPU heatsink makes a lot of noise at anything over 1000 RPM. I am assuming that replacing it with Noctua will give me similar performance at less than 1000 RPM.

Then I will install existing 120mm fan which came bundled with Hyper 212X as rear exhaust. This fan supports PWM so it will run at low RPM automatically via motherboard. Right now my CM SickleFlow installed as rear exhaust cannot be PWM controlled.

 

[HerrKaLeu]

what is nominal rpm of your fan (at 12V)? how low can you MB control it? did you try running it under 1000 rpm?

Temperature is the problem, because you control your fan to maintain an unrealistic 52°C. if you control it to maintain 60 or 70°C it will be less noisy with the same fan.

Temperature and noise are compromises, you still have room in temperature to get less noise. Do that before you spend money on a new fan. If you insist on cooling to 52°C, you need to spend more $ to do that quietly. Better to give up some °C to get less noise with the fan you already paid for.

 

[gx_saurav]

what is nominal rpm of your fan (at 12V)? how low can you MB control it? did you try running it under 1000 rpm?

Which fan are you asking about? And how do I find it out?

Temperature is the problem, because you control your fan to maintain an unrealistic 52°C. if you control it to maintain 60 or 70°C it will be less noisy with the same fan.

I am not controlling anything. Everything is at default.

Here is HWMonitor with my PC doing web browsing, chatting etc. http://imgur.com/a/g9MvQ

 

[HerrKaLeu]

The CPU fan. Often the nominal rpm is written on a label. Or on the label of the cooler it came with.
On your HW monitor screenshot there was a "Fasn PWM". Is that the CPU fan? Is that where you came up with 1500 rpm? Is it powered via MB connector? Can you set a speed/temperature profile for that?
Provide more information and we can help to enable speed control.

it sounds like you just run the fan at 12 V constant speed. Yes that will be loud for almost all fans. Normally fans are controlled based on a temperature. So they only run as fast as necessary.

Edit: Google tells me the fan is 600-2000 rpm
did you look in your MB manual or online if it can control the fan speed? I'm pretty sure you should be able to cool your CPU with under 1000 rpm and that should be silent.

 

[gx_saurav]

My case fans cannot be controlled using motherboard. Even in BIOS if I manually apply fan profile to them, nothing happens as they are not PWM. But they run at around 1000 RPM for rear exhaust and 600 RPM for Side intake so they are well within their noise limit. They don't bother me. In fact, it is good that they run at these speeds and exhaust/intake as much hot air as possible.

Since CPU fan is PWM based, I set "Silent" profile in BIOS for this fan. After 15 minutes of Prime95 stress testing maximum temperature is at 52C. 30 minutes of Deux Ex resulted in maximum temperature of 45C only.

http://imgur.com/a/2bXEV

I believe these temperatures for both gaming load and stress testing are well within safe limits.Right?

At this point I don't think I need to buy a that Noctua fan. At 1200 RPM all I hear is a slow hummmm and and regular usage, the humm is even lower and something which doesn't bother me.

I will check again during summer to see if I need a better fan or not. For now, my problem of high amount of noise is solved.

 

[HerrKaLeu]

anything under 80°C is OK (per Intel the limit is 100°C). Not sure what your fan ran at when you did Prime at 52°C, but if you slow it down so it goes to 70°C or slightly less it will be silent.
Do you have 3-pin case fans and the MB has 4-pin case fan connector? Maybe your MB does not support 3-pin PWM. But I assume your CPU cooler fan is 4-pin. I have a cheaper board where I have the same problem. My "good" board (signature) can operate 3 and 4-pin fans.

I recommend setting your own profile in BIOS if you have the option to customize. For my board the default "silent" profile still is too loud. I assume MB manufacturer overdo the cooling to be safe.
There is a 0.0000000001% chance to damage the CPU (it will thermal-throttle when too hot), but a 99.99995 chance to damage capacitors etc. with long time heat.

 

[gx_saurav]

anything under 80°C is OK (per Intel the limit is 100°C). Not sure what your fan ran at when you did Prime at 52°C, but if you slow it down so it goes to 70°C or slightly less it will be silent.

I am ok with the performance to noise ratio right now. I will check this again in summer.

Do you have 3-pin case fans and the MB has 4-pin case fan connector? Maybe your MB does not support 3-pin PWM. But I assume your CPU cooler fan is 4-pin. I have a cheaper board where I have the same problem. My "good" board (signature) can operate 3 and 4-pin fans.

My motherboard is Gigabyte B150M-D3H. All my case fans are 3 pin and all fan PINs on motherboards have 4 pins. CPU cooler fan is 4 pin as said earlier.

I recommend setting your own profile in BIOS if you have the option to customize. For my board the default "silent" profile still is too loud. I assume MB manufacturer overdo the cooling to be safe.
There is a 0.0000000001% chance to damage the CPU (it will thermal-throttle when too hot), but a 99.99995 chance to damage capacitors etc. with long time heat.

I am fine with the way things are right now. I will check back in summer if temperature rises a lot. If it does, I will invest in better Fan at that time.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I am ok with the performance to noise ratio right now. I will check this again in summer.



My motherboard is Gigabyte B150M-D3H. All my case fans are 3 pin and all fan PINs on motherboards have 4 pins. CPU cooler fan is 4 pin as said earlier.



I am fine with the way things are right now. I will check back in summer if temperature rises a lot. If it does, I will invest in better Fan at that time.

that's good if it's true. I looked at your motherboard specs: 1x CPU and 3x case fans, but all PWM.

I've got ASUS boards and they're all built to allow either DC or PWM control. PWM can be controlled by voltage (as if 3-pin) on a 3-pin port, but 3-pin fans can't be controlled on a port that uses exclusively PWM thermal control. And sometimes you can't find PWM fans that are preferable to the 3-pin offerings. If I suggested anything at this point, it would cost a few bucks. Personally, I'd replace the 3-pin fans with PWM. There might be a possibility of some 3-pin fan controller that communicates with motherboard and CPU temperature sensors via its own processor and USB connection. That could be even more expensive, but you could investigate the NZXT GRID controller-hubs.

I did a search and turned up this without even trying other links:

GRID+ digital fan controller

I'm pretty sure I saw those and related models at Egg. That's not so bad, though -- $33. If this bundled CAM software and the micro-USB cable don't mean anything other than what I'm sure it means, the GRID is powered directly from the PSU via a Molex-to-barrel-plug. It communicates with the system via USB, managed by the software. If you can create the mentioned profiles as "fan-curves" linked to motherboard temperature sensors, it should work to alleviate the motherboard shortcomings. It would be good to hear from someone with firsthand experience or frustations, even if it's only a $33 gamble.

 

[peonyu]

Years ago, i used to fret over this issue to. I got the huge 120mm fans - they do rock, very good CFM and are quiet. I got a large aftermarket cooler for my videocard, a large heatsink and fan for my CPU [mostly quiet but i overclock so its slightly audible]...ok so far so good right? Well the slight buzz still annoyed me, im very picky. I ultimately put my computer tower in my closet in the corner of the room - shut the door to, bought a 20 foot long HDMI/DVI cable, and a equally long USB cable with 2 USB 5v powered hubs. Problem solved, its been solved for 4 years now. If you have the space for it i reccomend that, its sort of out there but you cant beat it since it completely removes the problem.

And as a added bonus, you can also not be as picky about fan noise - ie: "silent" marketed fans since you probably wont hear it anyways..

 

[gx_saurav]

that's good if it's true. I looked at your motherboard specs: 1x CPU and 3x case fans, but all PWM.

I've got ASUS boards and they're all built to allow either DC or PWM control. PWM can be controlled by voltage (as if 3-pin) on a 3-pin port, but 3-pin fans can't be controlled on a port that uses exclusively PWM thermal control. And sometimes you can't find PWM fans that are preferable to the 3-pin offerings. If I suggested anything at this point, it would cost a few bucks. Personally, I'd replace the 3-pin fans with PWM. There might be a possibility of some 3-pin fan controller that communicates with motherboard and CPU temperature sensors via its own processor and USB connection. That could be even more expensive, but you could investigate the NZXT GRID controller-hubs.

I did a search and turned up this without even trying other links:

GRID+ digital fan controller

I'm pretty sure I saw those and related models at Egg. That's not so bad, though -- $33. If this bundled CAM software and the micro-USB cable don't mean anything other than what I'm sure it means, the GRID is powered directly from the PSU via a Molex-to-barrel-plug. It communicates with the system via USB, managed by the software. If you can create the mentioned profiles as "fan-curves" linked to motherboard temperature sensors, it should work to alleviate the motherboard shortcomings. It would be good to hear from someone with firsthand experience or frustations, even if it's only a $33 gamble.

Here in India I will not get that Grid+. However, I can get 120mm PWM fans.

The thought is that during summer if I see a rise in temperature then I will install Noctua NF-F12 PWM in CPU Heatsink. I will install the existing CPU fan which is PWM as rear exhaust.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Here in India I will not get that Grid+. However, I can get 120mm PWM fans.

The thought is that during summer if I see a rise in temperature then I will install Noctua NF-F12 PWM in CPU Heatsink. I will install the existing CPU fan which is PWM as rear exhaust.

It's too bad your board doesn't offer dual PWM/DC control from the same ports. Balancing the controller against alternative PWM fans, I suppose that's the best option you have if it matters. To me -- it matters.