Re: What makes a quiet system?
I think the worst noise is inconsistent noise. Like my PC now, fans are spinning but on every rotation it clicks. Driving me bonkers.
But anyway I think the worst would be your GPU fan. I once had a reference HD 7870 and boy it was loud. I switched over and the whole system "magically" went silent.
But actually the worst noise would be the current noise you get used to. I don't think it matters how much you damper or silence a system it will never be quiet enough until there is no running parts. My obsession over noise has adjusted to what I used to call "silence". Now its just loud :P
Isolate the noise or run slower running parts (slow fans, 5200RPM HDD + SSD, liquid cooling etc). Expensive really.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ulti
I'm just waiting for a NZXT Kraken G10 GPU bracket to test out the Corsair H55 on my R9 280X in both thermals and noise levels but you guys are putting me off with how loud pumps are. :eek:
A while ago I owned the CoolIT ECO CLC and I remember that was pretty loud. I hope things have improved since then.
Hey Ulti just wondering what card is that? The reference model? As I noticed you mentioned ASUS and Powercolor. I am looking at the Kraken to tune this 290 down so would be interesting to see its compatibility with custom PCBs (not sure how it mounts).
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Thought I would take some of the advice mentioned earlier in this thread and experiment with disconnecting/stopping certain components one at a time.
Seems the biggest culprit of noise for me is the mechanical HDD's - once they were not running the system noise was a lot better.
I also stopped the CPU cooler (stock AMD) and all the high pitched noise disappeared making it a much more pleasant tone, even with the side panel off.
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mikeo01
Hey Ulti just wondering what card is that? The reference model? As I noticed you mentioned ASUS and Powercolor. I am looking at the Kraken to tune this 290 down so would be interesting to see its compatibility with custom PCBs (not sure how it mounts).
I'm going to sell the Asus one back out even though it runs cooler as it's a little louder so I'm keeping the Powercolor. The Kraken should be able to mount on 99% of GPUs as it's simply a round bracket around the chip and that area is usually bare anyway. You then just mount the CLC to the bracket I believe and the round bracket is also attached to a little 92mm fan which is raised so it won't get in the way of things on the board. That fan is for cooling the VRMs etc.
I still haven't received my Kraken G10 yet though as I got it off eBay so I'm just going from what I've read in reviews. My Corsair H55 has been sitting here for a week now looking lonely and waiting to be used.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tyrannosaur
Thought I would take some of the advice mentioned earlier in this thread and experiment with disconnecting/stopping certain components one at a time.
Seems the biggest culprit of noise for me is the mechanical HDD's - once they were not running the system noise was a lot better.
I also stopped the CPU cooler (stock AMD) and all the high pitched noise disappeared making it a much more pleasant tone, even with the side panel off.
If it's the stock cooler, especially the one without the copper heatpipes and base, then yep, they got pretty loud. If your case allows, having a tower cooler with a slow spinning 120mm fan will keep CPU core temps under 50 easily most of the time and still be quiet. My CM V8 wasn't designed to be fanless but I use it fanless anyway and it keeps my CPU under 60 on games and it's only things like the Intel XTU or Prime95 that can stress it to 70 but I would say that's still safe as no games or other program will stress the CPU that much.
And yes, HDDs are pretty loud! SSDs are still pretty expensive though when compared with HDD but for me, they were the loudest in idle state as they would spin away when I was just opening files so the premium for SSDs was worth it for me.
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Cheers Ulti, I did buy a tower cooler a week or so ago but unfortunately it wouldn't fit with my memory. (see my thread about the Bequiet Slim). With the prices of some of the coolers out there compared to other components it got me to ask the question and find other peoples views about what makes a quiet system.
Re: What makes a quiet system?
As Ulti mentions, you definitely ought to swap out the stock AMD cooler for one with 120-140mm fans if your case allows. That'll make a huge difference, as you've already discovered.
Modern hard drives are actually not very loud at all; the noise is generally created in the interface between the drive and the case structure. As the drive platters spin vibrations are created and if the drive isn't decoupled from the chassis those vibrations will propagate to the entire case. The simple solution, if your case will accommodate it, as to buy a drive cage with noise/vibration reducing measures. Lian-Li make some excellent cages which are almost silent and no doubt other brands have similar products.
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Yep, going to look at getting another CPU Cooler soon and look at the various HDD solutions, maybe even the elastic band idea.
Re: What makes a quiet system?
I did try to put together a quiet system; Fractal case with foam on panels. Xilence fans(stock ones, horrendous), Corsair H80. It is pretty quiet, like a humm! Mostly fan noise as air comes out of case. No offence to old bikes, still got Guzzi T3, not quiet, thankfully!
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Out of interest, has anyone tried the after market sound dampening foam you can get?
Re: What makes a quiet system?
I have, about 4 or 5 cases ago. Today, with larger fans which create far less noise (80mm was still the standard when I foamed up that particular case) I really don't see the point. It wasn't all that effective either, although it did take the edge off the high-pitched whine that all high performance fans had back then. It certainly wasn't even close to being worth the added expense and hassle.
The main issue I've had after switching to 120/140mm fans has been to limit vibration noise propagation throughout the chassis, which has been the main noise problem in my last 2-3 builds. Foam and such would help with that as well, but gaffa tape is so much easier to use, rather a lot cheaper and all you really need (if the case is otherwise decent quality).
Re: What makes a quiet system?
As most people have said
All about the combination of Case, Fans, Air flow and graphics card.
They are the things to look at first and then you should be happy with the results if you get all that in order.
Re: What makes a quiet system?
What the hell GPUs are y'all running, that are so noisy, anyway?
My 780 Lightning is whisper quiet even during benchmarking and the only time I really hear those fans is when I manually turn them up past 85%!!
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ttaskmaster
What the hell GPUs are y'all running, that are so noisy, anyway?
My 780 Lightning is whisper quiet even during benchmarking and the only time I really hear those fans is when I manually turn them up past 85%!!
Well with HDDs, 9x 120mm fans and a pump, I doubt you'd hear anything over those. ;)
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ttaskmaster
What the hell GPUs are y'all running, that are so noisy, anyway?
My 780 Lightning is whisper quiet even during benchmarking and the only time I really hear those fans is when I manually turn them up past 85%!!
I once had a pair of 4890s in Crossfire which hit 115 degrees. They were, erm, noticeable.
Re: What makes a quiet system?
I've never heard my current GPU work, nor the previous one. In fact I can't remember off hand if I've ever owned a really noisy video card. 22 hard drives and 12 fans on the other hand....
Re: What makes a quiet system?
There's some interesting comparison charts showing RPM Vs sound level from fans, anything from 10-35 db. I think the foam insulation does work, as I can only hear fans, and very little internals. I can see this could get obsessive, where my stethoscope. I think you'll find it hard to beat the guy with the heat sinks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZoX7glIAS4
Re: What makes a quiet system?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ulti
Well with HDDs, 9x 120mm fans and a pump, I doubt you'd hear anything over those. ;)
I can turn the fans down, ya know...! :secret:
I have a Lamptron FC6, so I just dial the rpm down until each fan is hush-hush.
If I switch them all off (or just to ultra-low), the noisiest thing in the case is the H100 pump, followed by the HDD, then the PSU, then the 780L. Apparently there's an SSD in there too, but I've certainly never heard it....! :lol: