Considering Upgrading My PCS System Due to Loud Noise

[connor7]

Hi,

As the title says, I am considering upgrading my custom PCS PC to try to make it quieter during periods of demanding gaming.

I play at 1440p and with the highest settings I can. I have a good system for gaming (see specs below) and I get great performance. However, when playing some of the more demanding games (S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, Cyberpunk, etc) my system gets very loud, and I would like for it to be quieter if possible.

Currently, I have a DeepCool AG400 Performance CPU cooler, which does a fairly decent job of cooling my Ryzen 7 7800X3D, with idle temperatures sitting around 45c, never surpassing 80c during high intensity gaming. However, I am unsure if this cooler is ideal for my CPU going forward, or if I should upgrade it while I have the budget to do so (I was looking at some options PCS offer - such as Corsair iCue Link Titan 360 - as I will be using PCS's upgrade service).

My case is the Corsair 4000D AIRFLOW Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX which seems to have sufficient air flow. I also clean my system regularly, live in a cold climate, and my room is one of the coldest in the house.

I suppose I am just wondering if an upgrade to my existing CPU cooler would reduce noise during gaming (and if it improves cooling, that's a bonus) or if there are further considerations I should make before I make that upgrade. I do not have any strict budget constraints.

Specs:

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
20GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AG400 Performance ARGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

I truly appreciate any advice on this matter, my system is great, but this is the only 'downside' (and it's not a major issue, truly) I will be able to provide more information if necessary.

Thank you!

 

[Hix]

Hi,

As the title says, I am considering upgrading my custom PCS PC to try to make it quieter during periods of demanding gaming.

I play at 1440p and with the highest settings I can. I have a good system for gaming (see specs below) and I get great performance. However, when playing some of the more demanding games (S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, Cyberpunk, etc) my system gets very loud, and I would like for it to be quieter if possible.

Currently, I have a DeepCool AG400 Performance CPU cooler, which does a fairly decent job of cooling my Ryzen 7 7800X3D, with idle temperatures sitting around 45c, never surpassing 80c during high intensity gaming. However, I am unsure if this cooler is ideal for my CPU going forward, or if I should upgrade it while I have the budget to do so (I was looking at some options PCS offer - such as Corsair iCue Link Titan 360 - as I will be using PCS's upgrade service).

My case is the Corsair 4000D AIRFLOW Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX which seems to have sufficient air flow. I also clean my system regularly, live in a cold climate, and my room is one of the coldest in the house.

I suppose I am just wondering if an upgrade to my existing CPU cooler would reduce noise during gaming (and if it improves cooling, that's a bonus) or if there are further considerations I should make before I make that upgrade. I do not have any strict budget constraints.

Specs:


I truly appreciate any advice on this matter, my system is great, but this is the only 'downside' (and it's not a major issue, truly) I will be able to provide more information if necessary.

Thank you!

Are you able to show us the fan curves? It could be that they are set a little aggressive and don't allow much thermal headroom.

In addition, what conditions are your PC in? For example, is it in an enclosed space within the room with little/no ambient airflow? Are there windows nearby?

There is a lot of things which could mean your PC is potentially overworking to cool itself, or as mentioned, the fan curves could be too aggressive and are cooling too much when it's not strickly needed.

Lastly, do you have any additional fans other than I am guessing what the case provided plus cooler? If so, what are they? Are you maxed on them?

 

[TonyCarter]

Reducing the noise will depend on where the noise is coming from and whether tweaking the fan profiles can help without reducing cooling efficiency.

Did that case come with any case fans, or are you solely relying on the single 120mm fan on the cooler? There's also going to be a bit of heat/noise coming from the GPU, and if the GPU is being maxed out then the fan on the PSU will also be ramping up (which is one of the reasons we tend to over-specify PSUs, as the fan will rarely come on).

I'm surprised anyone recommended that cooler for that CPU though - it was the lowest of the 'better' air-coolers that PCS offered, and the lowest we'd have gone was an AK620...and that would have been for something like the 7600 or 7700 CPUs, not the hotter 7800X3D.

But to answer your question, yes a Titan 280 or Titan 360 would be perfect (280 version is a bit quieter as it has 2x140mm vs 3x120mm fans)...but that's assuming the case already has fans on the front to draw the air in.

 

[connor7]

Are you able to show us the fan curves? It could be that they are set a little aggressive and don't allow much thermal headroom.

In addition, what conditions are your PC in? For example, is it in an enclosed space within the bedroom with little/no ambient airflow? Are there windows nearby?

There is a lot of things which could mean your PC is potentially overworking to cool itself, or as mentioned, the fan curves could be too aggressive and are cooling too much when it's not strickly needed.

Lastly, do you have any additional fans other than I am guessing what the case provided plus cooler? If so, what are they? Are you maxed on them?

Hi Hix, I don't have access to my system at this moment, but I did briefly experiment with the fan curves and could adjust them to lower the temperature. However, when I lowered them, my system made an almost 'pulsating' sound and would get slightly warmer. Not sure why, but I reverted it and haven't touched the fan curves since.

Regarding the environment my PC lives in, I live in a cold climate, my room is the coldest in the house, my system has enough room, and my window is almost always opened (I like the cold )

Reducing the noise will depend on where the noise is coming from and whether tweaking the fan profiles can help without reducing cooling efficiency.

Did that case come with any case fans, or are you solely relying on the single 120mm fan on the cooler? There's also going to be a bit of heat/noise coming from the GPU, and if the GPU is being maxed out then the fan on the PSU will also be ramping up (which is one of the reasons we tend to over-specify PSUs, as the fan will rarely come on).

I'm surprised anyone recommended that cooler for that CPU though - it was the lowest of the 'better' air-coolers that PCS offered, and the lowest we'd have gone was an AK620...and that would have been for something like the 7600 or 7700 CPUs, not the hotter 7800X3D.

But to answer your question, yes a Titan 280 or Titan 360 would be perfect (280 version is a bit quieter as it has 2x140mm vs 3x120mm fans)...but that's assuming the case already has fans on the front to draw the air in.

Hi Tony, I was going to select an AIO when buying my computer, but I frankly misunderstood what AIOs were and opted for the 'best' air cooler that PCS offered as a safe bet...Bit of a mistake on my part looking back.

 

[Scott]

Hi Tony, I was going to select an AIO when buying my computer, but I frankly misunderstood what AIOs were and opted for the 'best' air cooler that PCS offered as a safe bet...Bit of a mistake on my part looking back.

It's a shame you never took on the advice as the H115i recommended at the time is the equivalent of the Titan 280 now, you wouldn't know the difference in operation.

To get some silence and airflow through the system the Titan 280 is also what I would recommend.

 

[connor7]

It's a shame you never took on the advice as the H115i recommended at the time is the equivalent of the Titan 280 now, you wouldn't know the difference in operation.

To get some silence and airflow through the system the Titan 280 is also what I would recommend.

100%, one of those decisions that I cringe a little bit when thinking about it
But hey, you live and learn. Thank you for the recommendation Scott

 

[Hix]

I should have also answered your question too! As Tony & Scott mentioned, the Titan 280 or 360 would be a better cooler than your current. There is an argument that a bigger AIO is quieter than a smaller one as it'll achieve better cooling with less effort, thus less RMP. Though the actual results are pretty close together (~5 dB variance).

JayzTwoCents has an excellent round up on cooler size versus temperatures.

GamersNexus also has an excellent round up on noise-normalised thermals. Although the Corsair is not in the list, you can see generally 360mm is quieter than 280mm.

Therefore I'd personally recommend the 360mm as your case can fit it.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Though the actual results are pretty close together (~5 dB variance).

5dB is HUGE!

dB isn’t linear, for each 3dB you double the sound pressure, at 10dB gain you’ve doubled volume

Also, Radiator size doesn't equate to lower noise floor, fan size does, so 140mm fans in a 280mm radiator will be quieter than 120mm fans in a 360mm radiator at the equivalent temp (as they're operating at lower RPM to achieve the same airflow.

You have to bear in mind, with those noise normalised tests, they're testing on a 3950x OC'ed which would overwhelm a 280mm radiator anyway, so to normalise noise between a 280mm and a 360mm you'd have to run the 280mm quite out of it's normal threasholds.

If you have a suitably paired radiator size for the CPU, 140mm fans will always run quieter.

 

[Hix]

5dB is HUGE!

dB isn’t linear, for each 3dB you double the sound pressure, at 10dB gain you’ve doubled volume

You are absolutely correct, dB is a logarithmic scale and thus as you mentioned a 3 dB increase is in effect a doubling of sound, your doubling relatively low sounds levels.

Most coolers were within 3 dB in the source video, the 5 dB was to cover more coolers.

 

[Scott]

I would be surprised if the Corsair offering 360mm was quieter than the 280mm, they certainly never have been in the past. The 280 has always been the go-to for silence since the ML range came into effect.

Keep in mind that most of the noise from the corsair coolers is from airflow. The fans are almost silent (certainly not 5dB of difference) when operational as they are magnetic levitation. The 360mm runs 3x120mm fans which need to spin faster to create the same airflow. There's actually very little surface area difference between the 360 and 280 radiators (280x140 vs 360x120, less than 10%).

It also comes down to the CPU. Neither the 360 nor the 280 will be worked overly hard with the likes of the 7800X3D so going with the quieter fans as standard will lead to less configuration being required to hit optimal levels.

 

[TonyCarter]

 

[Scott]

View attachment 43637

Not bad for doing it in my head

 

[TonyCarter]

Not bad for doing it in my head

That's what I used to say to my boss after he'd sent me off to do a day's research to get an 'exact' figure...which came in within about 2% of my 'back of a fag packet' calculation...by which time the price had changed anyway...usually by more than 5%.