Quiet spec PC arrived and it's not quiet at all

[jergil]

No, I had the louvres on. I was going to go with the solid top if it ended up noisy but it was ridiculously quiet.

Don't sort this with a bandaid. Get it all functioning as it should. If you get the system running properly you'll not only have an aha moment when you recognise how it should sound..... but you'll also have immense pride.

It's something that everyone should do, get their hands in about the system and see how it all works.... but I can understand that a lot don't have the confidence. It's not a positive that you're having to go through this, but it is a positive that your understanding and appreciation for how it all comes together will be realised.

Tis a mystery!

To be fair I have taken a fair bit of satisfaction in learning how some of this stuff works. I'll probably have a go at a build myself for the next PC.

For now, looks like I have to remove the *expletive* front fans in order to get the cables into the right place...

Anyway, pretty sure this will do the trick. Many thanks to you, and @SpyderTracks for your patience and help throughout the process!

 

[Scott]

Just double check as the cables are at quite the stretch to get to the hub. You may need to come through a different cutout on the case to get to them.

I would be surprised if you had to remove them to get any slack, unless you mean you need to remove them to rotate them?

 

[jergil]

Just double check as the cables are at quite the stretch to get to the hub. You may need to come through a different cutout on the case to get to them.

I would be surprised if you had to remove them to get any slack, unless you mean you need to remove them to rotate them?

No you're right and luckily I came to the same conclusion and plugged em into CHA_FAN 2 and 3. Switching on now...

 

[Scott]

This is more exciting than the dross my GF watches. Proper cliff hanger. If you go to your bed without feeding back I will find you!

 

[jergil]

@Scott

 

[jergil]

This is more exciting than the dross my GF watches. Proper cliff hanger. If you go to your bed without feeding back I will find you!

🤣

Alright so the details:

Left them all on AUTO mode as the RPMs were being reported, so figured it was working fine already. Stuck them all on 20% where they are still on and doing their jobs but it's low enough that they are barely audible. Incidentally, 20% appears to be where the RPM is low enough that the BIOS reports it as N/A. Anyway, now I can actually hear the pump! Which, surprisingly, I'm genuinely happy about as it's not being totally drowned out by the case fans. Once I've put the sides back on I'll fine tune a bit more, but job well done and I appreciate your efforts very much.

Also, turns out you can change and apply the fan speeds while still in the BIOS.

Cheers dude! I will let you know if anything else exciting (or disastrous) happens.

 

[Scott]

That's great, that's exactly what you should expect.

With the sides on check the pump on balanced and extreme. Either should be fine to be honest, the cooler has more than enough for the chip. If you don't notice any audible difference with it fully enclosed then just go with extreme.

With the AIO fans I would suggest doing a custom curve. Balanced would be the best default setting for you as it should go super silent regardless when not being pushed. I would always do a custom curve though where it builds gently but ramps up quickly when there's a significant change. The fans should be controlled via the coolant temperature rather than the CPU temperature. The fans don't do squat to the CPU, it's all in the coolant. You just want them to react quickly to change that's outwith the norm hence why a custom curve will always offer the best of both worlds.

For the chassis, honestly I would have them low. You're just looking for a gentle breeze going through the rig. The AIO will create enough of a turbulence when ramping up as required.

Once you're happy with the general setup. Download/install HWmonitor, open it and go about a day of tasks. Take note of your maximum temperatures across the CPU and the GPU.

Remove the louvre panel and replace with the sound deadened panel.

Go through the same testing.

One will have free air and more efficient at lower speeds.
The other will have more restriction and possibly less efficient at lower speeds having to adopt higher speeds.

As long as the temperatures are OK (post up the screenshot of HWmonitor for confirmation) you can base your selection of setup on the acoustics of the fans.

In order to have the option I had the AIO on the front of the case drawing air in, I had an exhaust fan at the rear and 2 exhaust fans at the top. This allowed my CPU to be as cool as possible with the only concern being the GPU. I had nothing to worry about though, even in the warmer months as it always ran great.

 

[jergil]

That's great, that's exactly what you should expect.

With the sides on check the pump on balanced and extreme. Either should be fine to be honest, the cooler has more than enough for the chip. If you don't notice any audible difference with it fully enclosed then just go with extreme.

With the AIO fans I would suggest doing a custom curve. Balanced would be the best default setting for you as it should go super silent regardless when not being pushed. I would always do a custom curve though where it builds gently but ramps up quickly when there's a significant change. The fans should be controlled via the coolant temperature rather than the CPU temperature. The fans don't do squat to the CPU, it's all in the coolant. You just want them to react quickly to change that's outwith the norm hence why a custom curve will always offer the best of both worlds.

For the chassis, honestly I would have them low. You're just looking for a gentle breeze going through the rig. The AIO will create enough of a turbulence when ramping up as required.

Once you're happy with the general setup. Download/install HWmonitor, open it and go about a day of tasks. Take note of your maximum temperatures across the CPU and the GPU.

Remove the louvre panel and replace with the sound deadened panel.

Go through the same testing.

One will have free air and more efficient at lower speeds.
The other will have more restriction and possibly less efficient at lower speeds having to adopt higher speeds.

As long as the temperatures are OK (post up the screenshot of HWmonitor for confirmation) you can base your selection of setup on the acoustics of the fans.

In order to have the option I had the AIO on the front of the case drawing air in, I had an exhaust fan at the rear and 2 exhaust fans at the top. This allowed my CPU to be as cool as possible with the only concern being the GPU. I had nothing to worry about though, even in the warmer months as it always ran great.

Thanks this all sound very sensible and I will do all the things... after some Helldivers 2...

 

[SpyderTracks]

Bravo guys, really pleased you found a solution

 

[jergil]

Bravo guys, really pleased you found a solution

Thanks Spyder! After work I'll do some more fine tuning and post some temp comparisons with and without the solid panel. Either way, you can consider this issue resolved