How noisy is your PC and what do you do to mitigate that noise?

[Zephy]

When I built my PC, I cut little squres of silicon that I perforated and put the screws through them between the case and the components that could generate vibrations such as the various fans and the PSU.

There is one fan inside my case that is a bit loud, but I can't figure out which one or what I could do about it, and it's annoying because it makes a pretty aggravating noise in an otherwise quiet PC.

 

[Izunavis]

I have a custom loop for mine, so it's practically silent. My external hard drive makes more noise lol

 

[Zoidn]

It's somewhat quiet since it's a silent case, though I of course did not optimize the silent aspect, just slapped a bunch of fans in the case. It's loudest when vibrations start to build up, then I slap it a couple of times and it's quiet-ish again.

 

[Deleted member 11479]

Very quiet. Silence is a huge factor for me when picking hardware. I don't buy loud parts. I am very likely not going to buy an X570 motherboard, because they use active cooling for chipset.

 

[JudgmentJay]

I have a custom loop for mine, so it's practically silent. My external hard drive makes more noise lol

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This. The sound level is the same whether it's idle or full load.

 

[p3n]

If you have a MSI Gaming X Trio GPU that is making that noise you should check if any cables are touching the fans. Only other reason I could see is your "silent" case suffocating all the components through bad air flow, therefore making putting the fans into overdrive.

 

[Interested Observer]

I'm building a new PC this week, my existing one is quite loud but the worst is that the bearing is gone in one of the fans and it has an intermittent squeak. It's awful.

 

[noomi]

Noisy because it has like 6 case fans, the 1080ti FTW3, and a hyper evo with push/pull.

How do I fix it? I wear headphones :p

 

[jett]

Not noisy at all, but I don't have a top of the line PC.

My CPU is a 4670K.
My GPU is a RX 570.
My power supply is a Seasonic 850W.

This is basically inaudible (my motherboard has a program that autoconfigures the fans to make them the least noisy possible).
The GPU's fans don't spin when idle, and even under load I can't hear it.
The Seasonic's fans don't spin either unless it gets to a certain threshold, and my computer basically never will.

I also (mistakenly) bought a huge case years ago (a HAF 932) that's like open everywhere so I guess that does a good job cooling the system on its own.

 

[Deleted member 2172]

Get the Kraken G12 and a compatible water cooler. That's what I did.

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Been thinking about doing this with my 2080. Daunting process or not as bad as some would think?

 

[Monkey Business]

I have a Powercolor Reference design blower cooler Rx 5700 XT and I do nothing to mitigate the noise because its a non-issue; there is little to no noise . 99% of reviewers said this card runs hot and very loud - sorry but that's bullshit. My PS4 Pro is FAR louder.

 

[Keikaku]

Been thinking about doing this with my 2080. Daunting process or not as bad as some would think?

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It's quite easy, routing cables and installing fans etc. are the hardest part. My Kraken X52 was probably overkill but at least it's practically silent and never have to worry about temps even with extreme overclocks.

 

[Bjones]

Been thinking about doing this with my 2080. Daunting process or not as bad as some would think?

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not too hard as long as you have a good toolset. Ifixit has some good ones.

 

[Cripterion]

My pc isn't noisy thanks to adequate profiles for my fans (5 fans controlled via iCue + 1 another exhaust fan controlled through my motherboard) but I recently was surprised to hear my GPU (MSI RTX 2080 TRIO X) while playing Borderlands 3. No other game pushes the card to 83°C... I played the Ghost Recon Breakpoint beta on the same weekend and card was averaging 70°C.

So the fans of the card were quite audible since my case is a Corsair 5700X. I did a custom fan curve in MSI afterburner and noise levels are better but the card is still running hot, I know I'm not past the thermal point but really dislike having the card run so hot while gaming.

 

[laxu]

Almost inaudible. Ryzen 3700X + 2080 Ti in a Fractal Design Define S case. On idle you can't hear it and on load it makes the tiniest bit of noise that is easily drowned by game audio.

• GPU has a Corsair H55 AIO + NZXT Kraken G10 bracket to mount it. To cool the VRAM and VRM it has a Noctua A9 92mm on one side and a Noctua S12A 120mm on the other, both set to go as high RPM as possible while remaining silent on load. Argus Monitor software is used to control them by GPU temp. AIO radiator is mounted on the front panel because that's the only place where it fits since the CPU air cooler is in the way.
• CPU has a bigass Thermaltake Macho Direct on it. The 140mm fan is set via BIOS fan curves so that it won't ever get to full speed where it becomes audibly noisy.
• Case fans are two 140 Fractal Design fans set to run as high RPM as is possible while not contributing to extra noise on load. One in the bottom front, one in the back.
• No mechanical hard drives. Can't stand their sound. SSDs only for me.

In my experience the biggest noise maker in most gaming PCs is the GPU. The stock Palit cooler on my GPU was noisy and completely mediocre for keeping the GPU cool. If you ask me, the top end cards should only come with AIO coolers or waterblock versions and nothing else. Manufacturers keep slapping on the same coolers that worked fine on GPUs that ran nowhere near as hot.

For fans it's best to invest in quality. Noctua is great if you don't mind the color scheme and price. Put the case under the table, that's where you won't hear it.

 

[OldDirtyGamer]

I usually play games at 60fps so my 2060 isn't always being pushed to the max , so generally not really audible .

The few games I did play that pushed it to max did cause audible fan noise but not really noticeable over game audio .

If my pc was on top of the desk I'm sure I'd hear it more.

 

[Fadewise]

My PC is quite loud, but it's also in a rackmounted case along with all of my consoles, av components, and other equipment on another room, so my actual play space is completely silent. HDBase-T and DisplayPort repeaters are wonderful things.

 

[Gaming_Groove]

deleted

 

[Serpens007]

Sometimes it's noisy, mostly the GPU though, if it gets above 65ºC so the fan curve goes 100%

 

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Hmm can't help, I'm afraid. Mine is very silent, but I run a CPU watercooler to OC my Ryzen 7 2700. Highly recommend it too.

 

[GavinUK86]

Just built a new PC, Ryzen 5 3600 with the Noctua U12S cooler and a Asus RTX 2060 Super.

Apart from the CPU fan spinning up faster and slowing down again every 8-10 seconds, which I understand is a Ryzen thing, it was pretty quiet until my GPU started to develop a coil whine. So now it's pretty annoying. I've started using headphones more to drown it out.

I might buy a new case with sound insulation. The Corsair 275r case I bought for the new build is shit, it vibrates when the non-SSD HDD spins.

I have a Fractal R5 for my old system, do people still recommend their cases or maybe a bequiet! one?

 

[sweetmini]

In desktop mode it is fairly quiet, you can hear my mechanical hdds easily.
When gaming the fans kick in and it's a little more noisy but less than my PS4 slim when its jet engine starts in God of War map.
It goes mostly unnoticed when i use nominal sound, a bit less when i play quietly (with windows open for example).
There's no rattling or vibrations.

I have a coolmaster case, it's well enough built in itself.
I use CPU throttling to keep the need for cooling low in desktop.
The computer is not stuck to something else, is in a space without a back plate to let airflow, and on a wooden structure to absorb shocks and vibrations.

 

[Xando]

My old one was loud as fuck because i set up the fans wrong. New one is whisper quiet even at 4k

 

[Bluelote]

2080 ti is overkill most of the time, so you could easily limit the power target I think and run a low fan configuration,

but, your case must be poorly ventilated if this is happening,

 

[Okabe]

Can get noisy...even when i set fan speed to 33 my gpu will still from time to time go WRRRRRRRRRR......WRRRRRRRRRR if i dont leave it at a constant 50 speed. Unless i change my mhz from 985 to 765 then its quiet.

 

[CyborgNumberBlue]

I just built a new computer with an AIO cooler, 2 case fans, plus a 2080 Ti, and even with the aggressive fan profiles I prefer to use, the noise doesn't really bother me. I use the PC connected to my TV, so I have the benefit of a full sound system to mask the fans, but even so, it's not enough noise to bother me. Cooling temps > noise IMO.

 

[exodus]

The trick is to run your fans conservatively, and avoid raising the voltage for minimal overclock gains. It's okay for your CPU and GPU to reach 85-90C.

I use MSI Afterburner to set a custom fan curve on my Gigabyte GTX 1070. With default settings, it likes to constantly stop and start the fan as it teeters around 40C, which results in a quiet but noticeably annoying clicking sound. I set it to 20% fan speed at base, which is inaudible over the rest of my system. I try to keep the fans speeds as low as possible and let the card top out at ~85-90C under a full stress test. My fans go to around 40% max.

The default fan curve is horrible. Once you start getting to 50%+, it gets whiney. At 40%, it's a nearly unnoticeable whoosh of air.

 

[FHIZ]

I've got a bunch of Noctua fans and cooler in a fractal meshify case and during games it's audible, but I think most of the noise is my GPU, but the sound is so a low pitch that I honestly don't manage to hear it much. I'd take that over the Corsair AIO I had, which was good, but anything above the quiet pump speed setting and I'd just be bothered by the high pitch noise.

if all else fails, headphones.

 

[cyress8]

Pretty quiet. Not much put that much stress on it right now besides Star Citizen. Only game that makes my 9900k cpu scream when it is overclocked. It does give great performance though.

Even water cooled the fans on the radiators are going full throttle.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I don't really hear my system unless it's completely quiet in my room.

Even then, it's just a normal, soft wooosh.

 

[Massicot]

My GPU (Strix 2080TI) can make a fair bit of noise under full load (4K high framerate, so not too surprising I don't think), but the rest of my case are Noctua fans and water cooling on the CPU, so those are relatively quiet.

I think I might try out a custom afterburner curve.

 

[Gaming_Groove]

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[Cloudst69]

I think a combination of factors. In general have a pc case with good airflow, preferably some PWM fans and a speed curve defined based on temperature. I find the CPU box coolers (both AMD and Intel) quiet enough even in higher speeds. VGA depends, I currently have a very quiet 1060 MSI Armor, usually I don't even listen to. Another important thing is to clean the PC case interior and coolers from time to time. Dust can be a silent killer.

 

[Deleted member 7948]

Mine is pretty quiet unless I'm overclocking, which I rarely do.

I ended up selling my Corsair H100i because the pump was too loud for me.

 

[laxu]

The trick is to run your fans conservatively, and avoid raising the voltage for minimal overclock gains. It's okay for your CPU and GPU to reach 85-90C.

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Both will usually start to throttle way before those temps. Especially GPUs.

 

[exodus]

Can get noisy...even when i set fan speed to 33 my gpu will still from time to time go WRRRRRRRRRR......WRRRRRRRRRR if i dont leave it at a constant 50 speed. Unless i change my mhz from 985 to 765 then its quiet.

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Yeah I've seen that with GTX 1660 I got for someone's build. Bad PWM fans. Really annoying. Basically had to keep the fan at 0% until the cards hits 70C because 50% was unacceptably loud for idle use.

 

[Shalashaska]

Noise doesn't really bother me, since I wear noise cancelling headphoens with my PC.

 

[exodus]

Both will usually start to throttle way before those temps. Especially GPUs.

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CPUs shouldn't thermal throttle until 100C. You might get a reduction in Turbo but since Turbo is typically used sporadically throughout a game the real world implications are usually slight.

I've never seen my GPU throttle and mine caps out at around 88C in 3DMark. Still runs with higher than base clocks.

 

[exodus]

Mine is very quiet, although I have the impression it is making a low intensity high-pitched sound sometimes. Or I'm developing tinnitus.

It is a 1070, i7-6700k @4.5Ghz water-cooled, 2 intakes in the front, 1 intake at the bottom and 2 top/rear exhausts

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That would be coil whine. Usually PSUs and GPUs are the culprit. STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl's main menu screen is my standard coil whine test. I've never seen a system not whine on that screen.

 

[Wraith]

When gaming, my build isn't particularly quiet, and I think it mostly comes down to the GPU.

Case is Fractal R5. CPU cooler and fans are all Noctua (though I dialed up the fan curves since my CPU gets a bit hot). OS and games all installed to SSDs; 4TB HDD is there, but only spins up as needed. GPU is an EVGA GTX 1080 (non-ti) with a 2-fan iCX cooler. While it never really reaches "jet engine," it's quite noticeable.

I leave the top fan slots on my case covered; I could always try moving a fan up to the top to see if that helps with airflow.

 

[senj]

My PC is barely audible. 140mm case fans and a Noctua DH-15 on the CPU make just kind of low air movement noise, like a barely audible whoosh. I can't even hear the twin fans in my 1080Ti over that.

 

[exodus]

God this drives me crazy on my RX 570. You'll notice in the WattMan settings I posted above that I have zero RPM mode off for this exact reason. The clacky startup of the fans is possibly the most annoying sound my computer makes...much prefer to just keep them constantly running at the 800 RPM minimum. Gigabyte sucks at their zero RPM stuff.

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It drove me nuts for like 1-2 months before I figured out exactly what that sound was. I thought I had a stray cable somewhere and one of my fans was hitting a cable or something.

 

[Xiaomi]

Not loud, quieter than my PS4. The loudest it gets is just a rush of air when the GPU hits 70, but it's not really noticeable unless you listen for it.

 

[MrH]

Pretty loud but I can't hear it over my headset and air con.

 

[exodus]

When gaming, my build isn't particularly quiet, and I think it mostly comes down to the GPU.

Case is Fractal R5. CPU cooler and fans are all Noctua (though I dialed up the fan curves since my CPU gets a bit hot). OS and games all installed to SSDs; 4TB HDD is there, but only spins up as needed. GPU is an EVGA GTX 1080 (non-ti) with a 2-fan iCX cooler. While it never really reaches "jet engine," it's quite noticeable.

I leave the top fan slots on my case covered; I could always try moving a fan up to the top to see if that helps with airflow.

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What case fans are you running? And what are your CPU/GPU temps? You should be able to get a really quiet PC with that case and Noctua cooling. You're probably just a bit too aggressive with your cooling.

 

[Trieu]

I am very sensitive to noise aswell, but I do not have a 2080 Ti which generates more heat that needs to be dissipated and thus requiring better cooling which mostly comes from fan speed.

But what I do is set my case fans to an acceptable level in UEFI/BIOS. I think I have mine at 38% at all time. Two intake fans one directly aimed at the CPU and one at GPU. I have the Fractal Design Meshify C case so airflow is amazing and not obstructed.
The CPU cooler I can never hear even at 100%, but I think that is normal for big air flow coolers like the Scythe Mugen I am using. I left it at auto because it cools well and I can't hear it during gaming.

GPU is where I spend the most time with fiddling in the fan speed curve in MSI Afterburner. On default my GPU always stayed below 70°C and I could hear the fans of my Gigabyte graphics cards when it hit that 69°C and started to ramp up. So what I did was changing the fan curve to allow for it to go up to 79°C. I am aware that means the clockspeed is a tiny bit lower, but it is less than 1% performance difference for a noticeable noise difference.
So basically I have the card running at 40% fan speed (you have to test for yourself what % is acceptable for you) all the way from 55°C to 79°C and can't hear it and it starts to ramp up after 80°C but that never happens. I am mostly around 74-77°C during gaming.

It also helps to move your PC away from you. I have it under my desk on the left side as far away as possible so my cables still have some room, but the case is as far away as possible.

TLDR : manual fan curves for slower fan speed at the sacrifice of higher temperatures and moving case away

 

[Gaming_Groove]

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[laxu]

CPUs shouldn't thermal throttle until 100C. You might get a reduction in Turbo but since Turbo is typically used sporadically throughout a game the real world implications are usually slight.

I've never seen my GPU throttle and mine caps out at around 88C in 3DMark. Still runs with higher than base clocks.

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Just because it runs higher than base clocks doesn't mean it's not throttling. Temps will limit the highest sustained speed usually above 60-70C for GPUs. While both CPUs and GPUs will vary their speed depending on the workload, temps, voltage limits and other factor having good cooling will help maximize performance by allowing your components to run at higher sustained performance. If you are happy with your performance then it's fine.

For noise the biggest issue is running fans well above 1000 RPM for most 120mm models, that's where you start to hear even the best of them. Something not easily found out is the character of fan noise. The worst is high pitched, very audible noise. The best is low hum or what sounds just like a breeze.

 

[exodus]

Just because it runs higher than base clocks doesn't mean it's not throttling. Temps will limit the highest sustained speed usually above 60-70C for GPUs. While both CPUs and GPUs will vary their speed depending on the workload, temps, voltage limits and other factor having good cooling will help maximize performance by allowing your components to run at higher sustained performance. If you are happy with your performance then it's fine.

For noise the biggest issue is running fans well above 1000 RPM for most 120mm models, that's where you start to hear even the best of them. Something not easily found out is the character of fan noise. The worst is high pitched, very audible noise. The best is low hum or what sounds just like a breeze.

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By that metric not running your fans at 100% at all times results in thermal throttling.

But yeah, new hardware is pretty smart about managing voltages and clock speeds with regards to temps.

In the end, you're right, it is about managing noise/performance levels. However, I would argue that you can get 90-95% of the performance while running your hardware at near ambient noise levels with good cooling. Those last 5-10% of performance generaly A LOT of noise.

I think the best advice I would give it tune your performance to reach a noise level you find comfortable and acceptable. Set your fan curves to meet the noise levels you deem acceptable, and then tune performance to match (most of the time, this will be done automatically, unless you want to overclock further). Personally, I like my PC to be as inaudible as possible. So in the end, I targetted the highest temperature I'm comfortable with and let the fans take over at that point. 90C is a nice ceiling, IMO, since it gives you a 10C buffer below thermal throttle.

 

[mxbison]

pretty much silent

fractal design case, gtx1070, ssd, good fans etc.

I'm not very sensitive with noise though, other people could probably hear it