This thread is more me socializing as most of my computing is me me and me. So I have a fully air cooled computer. I run my fans on PWM and I have not messed with custom fan curves beyond the options that ASUS gives within BIOS.
I have only ever had a “CPU Over Temperature Error” once, and that was recently when I was troubleshooting an unrelated problem and all my fans shutoff. That was an instant shutdown and crash so it never got consistently hot so no harm done. It was more of a “ooops something is wrong here, turn off now” type of error. My CPU is an AMD 5900X which has a thermal max of I believe 90°C before throttling and crashing so I guess a temp spike error that only lasts a second is ok.
However temperature is not my problem. One semi annoying thing about my PC is its reliability. It was my first real PC build I ever fully did myself and has been the most reliable trouble free (for the most part) computing experience I have ever had. So I didn’t get to really learn anything.
For me a CPU temp above 75°C is high and never goes above 80 even with all core spiked under full load. This system has just always been cold I had idle CPU temp in the 30’s. Full disclosure no overclocks.
However it can be noisy. At idle and while doing web surfing it is a dream, nearly silent except for an annoying wind noise drone. Under load it is not vacuum cleaner loud, but loud enough to be annoying.
So ride along with my ramblings on my quest for quiet computing while I go from swapping my current fans from this
Also I want people to know this. If you have a really cold running computer, if you experiment with the Noctua Low Noise Adapter. Be careful, you can actually have your fans just completely shut off because it drops the voltage below minimum.
Also don’t underestimate the stock case fans in a Fractal Design case. I actually believe my stock case fans were quieter then the equivalent Noctuas that I am about to replace.
Hey.
Sorry to interrupt but I want to add a few things.
It’s not just the fans.
Fans are a part of the equation, they do matter a lot, but it’s not just the fans.
The case is about as important as the fans.
A good case with good airflow will allow your fans to spin slower, therefore making less noise. Proving that concept my GPU fans are off the whole time, the case fans are keeping it under 65C so they never have a reason to turn on again.
Your cooling.
If you go a tiny bit overkill on your cooling that will keep your temps low and rising slowly enough that the fans won’t need any strong jumps in the fancurves and making sudden stron noises.
My CPU never breaks 65C cause I have 240 AIO cooling it and the fans on it are 30% speed cause any slower and they are turning off.
My point was, you don’t even need expensive fans to keep your system quiet.
You can go for cheap ass Arctic P12 and buy a pack of 5 for the price of one of those fancy Noctua F12A or whatever the name of it was.
You are absolutely correct. I should put emphasis on the fact that for case variables sake I am using a Fractal Design Define S2 which is designed to be a quiet case with sound deadening.
Secondly I am not using Noctuas because they are expensive. I use Noctuas because they are a good quality fan. The ones I am swapping to are designed to be a quiet fan at only 12.1 decibels.
Also fan cost is another thing. I work in manufacturing, I have a rough idea on what goes into making a product. Noctua fans really are not expensive. It is more that everyone elses fans are stupidly cheap.
My new fans cost equivalent to $20US each. Is that really that expensive when you are getting a fan to do an important job cooling components that cost hundreds - thousands of dollars.
This is marketing BS…
During the day there is such a thing as noise pollution which normally is around 20dBa or close to it. You won’t be able to tell the difference between 12.7 and 18 for example if you are in fairly quiet room.
Correct. That is my problem. Quiet room where I can legitimately hear the tick of a clock and even that bothers me. I should put a caveat that I am autistic with Asperger’s so this all could be a thing that would never make sense to anyone but me. But hey it will be fun.
If you can fit 140mm case fans, they can move more air at a lower RPM keeping it quieter.
Another silly way to solve this problem is to move the PC elsewhere where there is better airflow and where noise isnt an issue and use a weaker but quieter PC to where you are right now.
Another alternative solution is to increase the noisefloor with a white noise generator.
I understand but you have to be aware there may be more than one way to solve a problem and NUC+Remote host is a technically correct way to solve it if you just want abdute silence while using your PC.
You are not just limited to better fans and quieter cases.
Yeah but I am only interested in this way. The challenge is for this system to be quiet. You guys think this is nuts wait until I can afford to do the rack mount project I want to do and try and make that silent enough to be in a home office/bedroom.
No no, Moonlight is just literally move your noisy PC in the next available room and use a client to access it. I’ve literally used a cellphone to play when I had a similar requirement.
But anyway, I understand if you’d want a specific setup.
I just checked with a random DB meter I downloaded on my phone. So at full load my pc which is next to me under my desk with lots of air flow is 25-30db and 20db at idle but this meter app could be giving me garbage readings who knows.
I just think its an interesting project. I have an interesting fascination with the idea of making really powerful computers stupidly quiet.
I went on this same investigation years ago when nobody really cared about noise. Compared to that you’ve got it easy, but if you really push it you’re going to run into all the same problems. Once you get in the range of 10-20dba you’ve got to start isolating the flooring and walls from outside vibration and avoiding things like florescent lighting just to get the noise floor down a bit lower.
If you dig it, cool. Everyone thought I was a bit… eccentric at the time also.
An interesting comparison regarding fan design can be looking at submarine propellers. During the cold war the Americans and soviets realized that listening to the sound of the propellor can be a way to locate each others submarines. So both sides really focused on propellor design so that you could have a quieter propellor without losing propulsion efficiency.
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