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Pcgaf i need help... my rig is way too loud... or hot... maybe both

draliko

Member
I've been away from pc gaming for a bit, and lately I've got the itch to get back. I'll probably try to get a rtx4000 series but in the meantime I'll need some help with "fixing" my rig, probably because I'm used playing on xsx I feel my pc is way too loud ATM and it's really annoying. I think part of the fault could be the case (corsair icue 220t) I brought it looking for something smaller and nicelooking but I'm sincerely not a fan after using it for some time (had a nzxt source 340 before and was probably better).. anyway here's my config:
Case icue 220t
Msi b450 mortar max mobo
Ryzen 5 3600
Arctic freezer 34 esports duo heating
Wd black sn750 nvme ssd
Red devil 5600xt gpu
16gb ddr4 3200mhz
2 noctua fans on top
Corsair 600w psu (don't remember which one)

Is there any "standard" test I could run to check for temps and decibels? Phone apps do have some kind of precision recording decibels? Where do I start looking for errors... anything could be of help from the fans positioning to whatever... while I wait to upgrade (if I ever will be able) I would like to get things "right"... thanks...
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
compared to a series X a PC is going to be a lot louder. the Series X is a super quiet console with only 1 fan (i think). your PC is going to have 3-4 in the case, 2 on your cpu cooler, and 2 on your GPU. there's really not much you can do about it except run them slower or remove some fans but then you're affecting cooling. your CPU cooler seems to have a 120mm fan which is going to be louder than a 135-140mm fan. my cooler has both a 135-140mm fan and it's super quiet and will even stop spinning sometimes.

download MSI afterburner as that will tell you your CPU/GPU temps but if you want to see temps of everything then get HWinfo. it will tell you temp of all your CPU cores, your GPU, RAM, ssds, motherboard chipset, vrms, etc, etc but you shouldn't really need to be worrying about the temps of all those except your CPU/GPU.

every PC is different obviously but my CPU sits about 25-35C when idle. my 9900K is currently at about 26C (ambient temp is 17C) and i'm just running a web browser + spotify. during gaming i would expect to see anywhere between 40-60C. during stress testing it can easily hit 90-100C! as for gpu, my 2080 is currently doing basically nothing and it's at 26C too. during gaming it could go to about 70-75C.

firstly, go into your BIOS and set your case fan speed. they don't need to be running too fast so you're alright to keep them on slow/normal or whatever it's called. make sure your CPU cooler fans are set to adjust with your CPU's voltage or temperature. in MSI afterburner, you can set a fan curve for your GPU but most gpus do a good job of keeping temps under control on their own. if your CPU is quite hot then maybe it's best to check your thermal paste application. you just need a tiny pea size blob of paste between the CPU + cooler. maybe your cooler already had some paste pre applied. again, every PC is different and where you are is most likely warmer than where i live but 25-35C is about normal for me when not doing anything. I don't know about your CPU but my old Ryzen would very rarely go below 35C and would bounce between 35-50C. that was apparently normal for those CPUs. as long as they don't get too hot when gaming you will be fine. for gaming i wouldn't like to see any CPU temp go beyond 70-75C.
 
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yamaci17

Member

use this software to tweak your fan profiles. no need to run them at max

undervolt your components, so that you can get away with lower speed fans. my CPU and GPU is heavily undervolted. if you want SX levels of quitness, then you have to undervolt/underclock your machine to achieve lower power consumption and lower temps and lower fan speeds. by default, all PC hardware is designed to run at maximum boosts, overclocked by default. it is your choice to use them that way. you may think you've paid for it and therefore you must utilize them to their max, but if you want more comfort and quietness, then you have to make sacrifices

let me give you an example

my cpu by default runs at 4 ghz (90 watts), my gpu by default runs at 1.95 ghz (240 watts). by default, i have to run my fans at a reasonably high speed where they're audible to keep temps under check (70 degrees or so)

by running my cpu at 3.7 ghz (60 watts), my gpu at 1.7 ghz+undervolt (170 watts), i can run my fans practically near-silent and get great temps (65-70 degrees).

reminder that sx could've operated at 2.6 ghz. it has a RDNA2 chip inside it. it is capable. they had to restrain it to 1.8 ghz to cool it in a small box and only 1 fan. you can do a similar tactic on PC. 5600x has ample rooms to underclock/undervolt. giving up a small 200 mhz should yield huge reduction in power consumption

so no: a PC does not have to be loud. you can make small sacrifices to gain huge amounts of quiteness. i literally can't hear my rig in gaming

lastly, consoles most likely operate continously at 75-80 degrees or so. gamers nexus did tests on this. this is another problem that PC gamers cannot accept, they think that 75 80 degrees is dangerous and they should get below 70-65 degrees to be safe. i have a friend that has a rx 480 that runs quite hot @80 degrees for 5 years. guess what, it still goes strong these days.

so if you can also make peace with that and target 75-80 degrees as an upper bound limit of what you find acceptable, then you can also make reduce fan speed by quite a margin


so;

install fan control software
install hwinfo
make sure you get the reading of your gpu and cpu temps and power consumption
name your fans, and then check the thermals and fan RPMs
undervolt/underclock where it is necessary (for 3600, my recommendation would be to 1.1v 3.8 ghz. for 5600xt, you can settle on a decent 2 ghz undervolt+underclock (severe drop in voltage)
then you can tweak fans in a game that heavily hammers both GPU and CPU. i would say target 70c

according to GN, xbox sx operates at 26-28 db in cod cw;



you can install a soundmeter app on your phone and keep track of how many DBs your PC pushes out

this is what a heavy undervolted system looks like @28 db (per my phone) 1620p high 70 fps . you can notice slow RPMs

finally, make sure your case stands firm. sometimes shaky cases can create extra noise. to confirm this, push your case around a bit and see if it reduces the noise. if it does, then it means it does not stand firmly on the ground or on the table

U6weMFi.png



as i've said though, if you really realy want this levels of quietness, you have to accept

a) not only undervolt but also heavy underclocks
b) get used to 75-80 degrees

in my case, i can get away with 70-72 degrees with relatively slow fans. i have a corsair 4000d btw but its not a lower midrange case so its nothing to boast about. but it gets the job done

Finally (really), more fans do not equal better equaling. sometimes more can be actually harmful. a very decent, powerful, quiet exhaust fan and a decent single intake fan from the front can do the exact job 6-7 fans can do. 2 fans are a given, but if you go beyond that, returns are diminishing.

I simply don't care about getting maximum performance out of my PC. I prefer having quieter fans. I have no troubles running my 3070 at the 3060ti levels for the comfort of quietness. if you can make your peace with that like me, a quiet PC you shall have

just the usual undervolt will also help immensely though.
 
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Wohc

Banned
The others already had some good ideas. Also check if the thermal paste is applied correctly. Good Airflow: https://www.bequiet.com/en/insidebequiet/25

If the above doesn't help at all and you are not afraid of the extra work, i would sell the case and go for a silent one. For example Fractal Design Define R6 + (quallity) 140mm fans. Bigger fans = less noise. Maybe also replace the cpu cooler with Scythe Mugen 5 [Rev. B].
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
The others already had some good ideas. Also check if the thermal paste is applied correctly. Good Airflow: https://www.bequiet.com/en/insidebequiet/25

If the above doesn't help at all and you are not afraid of the extra work, i would sell the case and go for a silent one. For example Fractal Design Define R6 + (quallity) 140mm fans. Bigger fans = less noise. Maybe also replace the cpu cooler with Scythe Mugen 5 [Rev. B].
i have a fractal define s with 4x140mm fans. i have it sitting on top of my desk and it's super quiet. so are my CPU fans (be quiet dark rock pro 4). the only noise comes from my 2080 gpu cause it has those small fans that always spin since it's a founders card :messenger_grimmacing_
 

draliko

Member
As soon as i get home I'll test some bench to have a baseline, then I'll tweak fans and then undervilt and see how much it changes. Thanks everyone for the info, I'll keep you updated
 

Bragr

Banned
My PC was super loud, I just tweaked the voltage down a bit and it's been quiet ever since with low tempratures.
 

Soodanim

Member
Custom GPU fan curves are good, my MSI 1660ti Armor turns off the fans at below 60 by default, but of course the temp always rises back over 60 again so it’s a cycle of spinning up with a loud start, several seconds of spinning, then off again until the temp rises again. But with a custom tan profile, the baseline is a low RPM that is silent in my Fractal R4 case.
 

yamaci17

Member
As soon as i get home I'll test some bench to have a baseline, then I'll tweak fans and then undervilt and see how much it changes. Thanks everyone for the info, I'll keep you updated

if you had an nvidia gpu, i could give direct voltages and frequencies, but i have no idea about 5600xt

but i can give some examples so you can understand what I actually mean and apply it to 5600xt

stock
1950mhz + 1.05v + 250 watts of hotness + 81 frames
s1VBOOW.png


undervolt+overclock (the most common undervolt type). you lower your voltage, while targeting the same frequency;

1935mhz + 0.95v (hello) + 209 watts of hotness + 80 frames

see? 40 watts easily gone up. reduced to atoms!
krdTbB5.png



but... we can do more. if we gimp the card back to 0.837v..

1725mhz (a sacrifice of 200 mz) + 0.837v + 153 watts of hotness + 75 frames

KMC05oj.png


we have reduced the power consumption by %37 (210 watts vs 153 watts), and our frames only dropped by %6. mind you, this is a safe undervolt. some other people are able to achieve 1800 mhz @837v. my GPU cannot do that, for example

with reduced power consumption, you can run immensely aggresive low RPM fan profiles and still get a cool card. that's why it works.
 
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It's probably a combination of your case being a loud bastard and loud gpu cooling.
I have a Fractal Design Vector RS and it's quiet as fuck, while also keeping temps down. In idle it's actually more quiet than my XSX in idle, I can actually hear my xsx turn itself on when it does an update or whatever.

Many others in here have already talked about fan curves and undervolting, but ymmv with how effective that will be, especially if your case doesn't block any noise.
Your best bet would probably to replace the gpu cooling with water cooling, but your case might not have the space for that.

but my CPU sits about 25-35C when idle. my 9900K is currently at about 26C (ambient temp is 17C) and i'm just running a web browser + spotify. during gaming i would expect to see anywhere between 40-60C. during stress testing it can easily hit 90-100C!
That's weird, my 109k sits at 40C idle, but never hits higher than 80C under load, though 100C isn't really a problem for intel cpus I guess; my 4670k would hit the same 90-100C temps.
 

Toots

Gold Member
I've been away from pc gaming for a bit, and lately I've got the itch to get back. I'll probably try to get a rtx4000 series but in the meantime I'll need some help with "fixing" my rig, probably because I'm used playing on xsx I feel my pc is way too loud ATM and it's really annoying. I think part of the fault could be the case (corsair icue 220t) I brought it looking for something smaller and nicelooking but I'm sincerely not a fan after using it for some time (had a nzxt source 340 before and was probably better).. anyway here's my config:
Case icue 220t
Msi b450 mortar max mobo
Ryzen 5 3600
Arctic freezer 34 esports duo heating
Wd black sn750 nvme ssd
Red devil 5600xt gpu
16gb ddr4 3200mhz
2 noctua fans on top
Corsair 600w psu (don't remember which one)


Is there any "standard" test I could run to check for temps and decibels? Phone apps do have some kind of precision recording decibels? Where do I start looking for errors... anything could be of help from the fans positioning to whatever... while I wait to upgrade (if I ever will be able) I would like to get things "right"... thanks...

giphy.webp

(and maybe loud too)
 

jaysius

Banned
There could be dust in your case on your fans.

You can get silicone fan anti-vibration screws for your fans, that might work a little to reduce noise.

It's possible that your GPU is the culprit for noise.

You should have another case fan though in the front(2 in front in total), and then one in the back. Suck in the front blow in the back. I'm guessing you were told that your CPU cooler was enough to blow the air out? It's true in some cases, but the GPU is adding extra head to the case, if you can't fit one in the back of your case put another in the roof.

Also as mentioned work with fan curves in your bios or with the MSI app, that will make things a ton quieter.

Getting phone apps to test the DB isn't a great idea because DB testing is hard to do properly if you don't know exactly where you're placing the mic, and you need to have mic placement every test to get accurate changes in DB.

If you PC was ever quieter, than give the thing a good cleaning, dust can make the fans nosier a little by adding strain on the bearings.
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
It's probably a combination of your case being a loud bastard and loud gpu cooling.
I have a Fractal Design Vector RS and it's quiet as fuck, while also keeping temps down. In idle it's actually more quiet than my XSX in idle, I can actually hear my xsx turn itself on when it does an update or whatever.

Many others in here have already talked about fan curves and undervolting, but ymmv with how effective that will be, especially if your case doesn't block any noise.
Your best bet would probably to replace the gpu cooling with water cooling, but your case might not have the space for that.


That's weird, my 109k sits at 40C idle, but never hits higher than 80C under load, though 100C isn't really a problem for intel cpus I guess; my 4670k would hit the same 90-100C temps.
depends on the weather/climate. all my intel cpus have idled at about 30C cause it's usually always cold here! seen it go as low as 17C but it was like -10C :messenger_grinning_smiling:
 
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