Noisy new pc build

[edp33]

I have recently built a pc with the following components

Elite 330 Case - comes with 1 x 120mm fan at the back
Extra 120mm fan for the front
Gigabyte P31 Mobo
Intel e5200
Force3D 4830
Corsair VX450 PSU
2 x Samsung HDDs

As soon as it is switched on, and when idle in windows it sounds pretty noisy. I have heard 120mm
fans are quiet, and so is the Corsair so i'm assuming it is the graphics card.

I'm using the latest catalyst drivers.

I have tried using ATI Tray to control fan speed but it wasn't compatible, also tried RivaTuner but it doesn't seem to change the fan speed when hitting apply do you have to reboot? Can you set the fan speed just in 2D mode / windows, leave it normal for gaming?

Also is there a utility to check if my 4830 card supports powerplay or do I need to contact the manufacturer ?

I don' think any of the cpu power down features are working either, although i'm sure they are enabled in the bios.

Thanks !

[jim]

Can't you leave the case open while it's on and have a listen to each component to see which is making the noise?

[sammorris]

Coolermaster fans are rarely loud, Corsair VX units are quiet, and most Intel stock coolers are relatively good. It's either your extra 120mm fan or the graphics card. Looking at the graphics card, that's a distinct possibility. Fortunately the graphics can uses a two-pin connector, so you can unplug it from the board, get one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-PIN-PC-FAN-P...|39:1|240:1318

plug two of the pins into that connector, and the other end either into a fan controller, or into the motherboard and let that control the fan instead.

[dangel]

Can you not use http://www.guru3d.com/index.php?page=rivatuner to control fan speed on that card? Better to do it automatically and based on temp than manually really. Failing that it's new cooler time for the graphics card - assuming that it's the source of your woe?

[sammorris]

Not all two-pin cards support software. Some do, but many, like the Asus HD3870 I had, don't.

[staffsMike]

the intel fan at 100% is annoying, so make sure it's set to automatically throttle itself.

[sammorris]

Yeah, depends which one you have. Some are relatively subtle (2000rpm max) - but the one I got off ebay has reached 3600rpm before just on auto, with no hint that it stops there. I suspect it's an old Extreme Edition heatsink.

[edp33]

thanks for the suggestions. I forgot to mention I have an akasa 965 cooler for the cpu.

[sammorris]

That's a VERY noisy cooler at full speed, you'll want to make sure it's dropped down to a lower speed, or there's your issue.

[edp33]

opened the case, it seems to be the graphics card, akasa 965 isn't too bad.

It makes a strange noise when the mouse scroll wheel is used. I tried reducing fan speed to 25%
using Rivatuner no difference, is the fan mean't to be noticably slower to look at? - used gpu-z and it reported fan was 25% but no difference, also set the minimum clock to 500/750 and still no difference

I can try taking out the graphics card and reinserting it.

[sammorris]

That's GPU load-based capacitor whine, most GPUs do it, but you only usually notice it in a quiet system, or when you have the case off.
RivaTuner probably doesn't work with your fan, it didn't work for me with a two pin fan. Easy way to check, very gently hover your hand over the top of the fan to cause it to speed up. If it's the loudest fan in the system, the loudest noise will increase in pitch and you'll have found your culprit.

[edp33]

yep your right rivatuner doesn't seem to work, shame I didn't know about 2 pin fans before buying the card.

However, I have found a utility called Radeon Bios Editor (RBE) and that is the bee's knee's ! I extracted the bios from the card using winflash, loaded that into RBE and it confirmed that the fan is set to 100% all the time, i.e from 32C to 112C. I guess it doesn't have any powerplay settings predefined

Not sure if I want to mess with changing the fan speed/temperature in the bios just yet but at least I found out some more info!

Thanks for the tips

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have you tried CCC for controlling the fan speeds manually BTW?? My Powercolor HD4830 had a two pin fan but I could change the speed manually in CCC. However I replaced it with an aftermarket fan:

http://forums.hexus.net/graphics-car...k-warning.html

Another useful piece of software is ATI Tray Tools. I set custom 2D and 3D profiles for my card. I currently have the card at 160mhz GPU core and 250mhz for the RAM under XP in 2D mode. When playing games a different clocks are set under the 3D mode automatically. Idle temperatures have dropped a few degrees Celsius as a result.

[sammorris]

That would be handy for my X2s, but IIRC ATT doesn't work with Vista64.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

That would be handy for my X2s, but IIRC ATT doesn't work with Vista64.

This version should work:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/V...ay-Tools.shtml

[sammorris]

Interesting, I might take a look at that. Since 9.2, PowerPlay doesn't work properly, so I'll try and cut power usage, heat and therefore noise with this.