What is the loudest part in a system?

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whitenack

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Jun 26, 2012
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Is it the CPU cooler fan? Is it the PSU? I guess it depends on the particular parts, but is there a typical offender?

I have been thinking about piecing together a Frankenstein HTPC and need to purchase a PSU for it. I would like a nice and quite PSU in case I decide to put it in my bedroom instead of my living room, but wonder if the stock cooler on the AMD Athlon 64 X2 will be the loudest thing anyway, and therefore not worth spending the money on a fancier, quiet PSU.

I have looked for decibel ratings on the stock coolers and haven't found anything. On my main desktop, I have a corsair CX430 and it is rated at 17 decibels at idle. The desktop isn't loud but it is audible, but I don't know if that is the PSU or the stock cooler on my Intel i5-3570k.
 
Solution
Shneiky
The stock cooler should be the most audible in your situation. In my case, when my system is under 100% CPU+GPU load, the loudest part is the hard drive followed by the front 20 cm intake fan. Some tips to get a quiet system:

Always have a PSU load of less than 50%. So basically if you have an HTPC that takes around 150W, take a 300W-400W PSU. At loads under 50%, most PSUs are inaudible. A good brand for silent PSUs is be quiet!. I use one - it really is damn quiet.

Get enough airflow. Even though my noisiest part is the front intake fan, when I remove it, the system is actually noisier than without it. Because it is the main intake and provider of cold air, without it, all the internal fans have to spin a lot faster to keep temps in...
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Shneiky

Shneiky

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Aug 21, 2011
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The stock cooler should be the most audible in your situation. In my case, when my system is under 100% CPU+GPU load, the loudest part is the hard drive followed by the front 20 cm intake fan. Some tips to get a quiet system:

Always have a PSU load of less than 50%. So basically if you have an HTPC that takes around 150W, take a 300W-400W PSU. At loads under 50%, most PSUs are inaudible. A good brand for silent PSUs is be quiet!. I use one - it really is damn quiet.

Get enough airflow. Even though my noisiest part is the front intake fan, when I remove it, the system is actually noisier than without it. Because it is the main intake and provider of cold air, without it, all the internal fans have to spin a lot faster to keep temps in check. My Hyper Evo is at the lowest speed at CPU full load and my GPU is at the lowest speed at full load. Without the intake, they start spinning like crazy.
 
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pcgaming98

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Jan 24, 2014
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Stock coolers are always loud so it will probably be the loudest thing in your system unless you have a low grade PSU as well, or you have your case fans running at 100%, those will probably make noise too. There isn't a "particular loudest part in a system", maybe the audio but we want that right? Depending on quality, one thing will always be louder than the other.
 
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millwright

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It will depend on the parts, but generally the 2 offenders are the CPU, and the GPU.
I just built a case, from an old one.
I have a 160mm fan in front and a 120mm side fan.
2 rear 80mm all pretty slow.
A Corsair 500watt.
No GPU yet

The only thing I can hear is the stock Intel heat sink.
It will be replaced sometime soon.
 
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