Darn it all, my PC is just too loud when gaming.. please help!

[Leijonasisu]

Hi guys.

I've had just about enough of my computer getting hot, and thus getting noisy that I've come here in desperate need for help.

Basically any time I want to game my computer gets seriously hot, and thus gets seriously loud. The case is a little cramped I know and I am looking at getting a new one at any time, but I want to know if it will make a big difference with temperatures, and thus with sound. As my wife is complaining that the PC is just too loud all the time.

Here is a look inside my case. I realise that it is cramped and that there are only 2 fans:




Both those fans you can see spin so slowly that they pretty much don't produce any airflow at all.

Here are the specs of my PC:

CPU: i7-2600
RAM: 12GB DDR3 1333
GPU: Nvidia GTX 560 Ti 448 Core Edition. ASUS Direct CU II
Motherboard: ASUS P8H67-M
Case: ASUS CM6650
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower XT 575W

Now if I got a new case, say this one:
Zalman Z11 High Performance Mid Tower Cases

And covered it in fans, would it help cool my GPU and CPU and prevent them from making loads of noise?

See the main problem here is that my wife is sick and tired of the noise. But for me the main problem is that my card is obviously getting so hot all the time that it has to up-the-ante and spin the cards fans up so fast that they create a lot of noise.

This happens no matter what game I play pretty much. I'm only gaming at 1920x1080. I don't use much AA or anything. I play stuff like Dirt 3 and Skyrim. The computer just goes mental if I turn everything up to Ultra or whatever.

The thing is, my card can play anything I want at usually over 60fps. So I can use vsync. But it's just so damn loud.

So would getting a case and filling it with fans to increase airflow help the problem? Is there anything I can do at all to shut this computer up? I've just finished getting a computer that I really like, and I can't enjoy using it at all, because I am scared that I am pushing it to its limits..

Thanks.

EDIT: Sorry in my frustration I realised I posted in the wrong section of the forums could someone move this to the relevant section please?

 

[drums101]

yes moving your system to another case would help alot with cooling...first off this case is small and very cramped that will cause things to heat up alot..second the case fans you do have are small (looks like 80mm) and as you said do not push alot of air....that case that you picked out would make your system run much much cooler....it has support for up to 7 case fans compared to the two you have now....and those fans are all 120mm or bigger....also in this new case you can mount the psu on the bottom facing down so that the fan sucks air from the outside and pushes it out the back thus eliminating it from heating up the rest of your components....if you really want to cool things down purchase a couple more quiet 120mm fans and fill them in the extra fan spots on this new case and you will be good to go

 

[Leijonasisu]

Thanks a ton for the fast reply. I really needed something like this to try and convince my wife that it's worth spending the extra 70€-ish amount to get a new case.

The case I have now only has support for 2 80mm fans. 1 of them is blocked by the front plastic cover so it's really getting no air from anywhere and the back one is set to pull hot air out of the PC because if it was pulling air in, there would be nowhere for the hot air to go.

The case is extremely cramped. There is barely 4-6cm of room from the bottom of my GTX 560 Ti (where the 2 fans are) to the floor of the case. I currently have it next to a window at the moment in the hopes that the breeze will be sucked into the case and it has made a bit of a difference with some games.

I know that these series cards can get very hot, but I am almost positive that 7 fans running at good speeds will still be much quieter than the 2 fans my GPU has running at 50%. Which sounds like a V8 engine...

I have 3 120mm fans already. They are these:
http://www.quietpc.com/products/120mmfans/ae-shark-120-blue

But I stupidly didn't realise that the max size my current case can take are 80mm fans. So they are sitting in a box not being used...

Is the airflow difference really that big going from 80mm to 120mm? I've also heard that bigger fans are indeed far, far quieter than smaller ones and that they don't have to spin as fast to generate the same airflow.

 

[drums101]

you are 100% correct in your last statement...bigger fans are always better because they can spin slower and produce less noise while pushing more air....those fans you got will serve you well in the new case you could put those in there and have 6 case fans going....that will be way more than enough for your rig and it will quiet it down alot

 

[Leijonasisu]

Well thanks for that mate. I'm going to show my wife this thread and get myself that case. Have a lovely rest of the week

 

[drums101]

will do and you do the same...good luck with your build post back on how it went

 

[voodooking]

While you are waiting to get a new case, take off the side cover. That will improve airflow. You can also get a large box-type room fan and put it right up against the open part of the case.

 

[jsrudd]

Have you thought of getting a new CPU cooler? If you get a larger cooler with large fans then the fans will barely need to spin to cool off the CPU.

Second, whatever case you get, get one that has a bottom mounted PSU, that way most of the heat from the PSU will exhaust outside the case.

 

[Maxx_Power]

If you are up for a bit of reading, www.silentpcreview.com is the place to visit for choosing silent components and ideas about how to quiet things down.

 

[JamesSneed]

First which fan is making the most noise? Is it from one of the case fans, the graphics card, or the CPU cooler? Before you buy a new case I suggest you figure out the source of the noise first. I would suspect the CPU cooler which would be loud in a new case as well.

Was going to recommend silentpcreview as well, I have been a member for years, good site.

 

[Sunius]

Did you try playing with sound on? That helps me not hear my PC .

 

[Maxx_Power]

First which fan is making the most noise? Is it from one of the case fans, the graphics card, or the CPU cooler? Before you buy a new case I suggest you figure out the source of the noise first. I would suspect the CPU cooler which would be loud in a new case as well.

Was going to recommend silentpcreview as well, I have been a member for years, good site.

Excellent site. One of the better review sites that actually targets a real need (or niche, I suppose). Very scientific and thorough, usually in great depth.

 

[JamesSneed]

If you do find its the CPU cooler then may I suggest the Prolimatech Panther. It is a higher quality and better performing cooler than the old stand by CM 212. Its not the quietest or best performing but for is size and cost is pretty hard to beat.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242010

 

[Maxx_Power]

If you do find its the CPU cooler then may I suggest the Prolimatech Panther. It is a higher quality and better performing cooler than the old stand by CM 212. Its not the quietest or best performing but for is size and cost is pretty hard to beat.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242010

Why not a Thermalright Macho HR-02 ?

http://www.amazon.com/ThermalRight-HR-02-MACHO-Thermalright-Macho/dp/B005ERSN7G

Is even cheaper than the Panther, and quiet as a kitty.

 

[Leijonasisu]

Hey guys thanks.

I got the case that I linked in the first post. It's only 70€ here which is a total steal. I'll have to wait probably 2 weeks for it because it's only coming in stock next week, and then I'll have to wait postage but I will finally be able to make use of all of the fans that I have lying around. Though I'll be able to make use of the 3 Shark fins that I posted I'm going to probably buy another 3 of those depending on their performance and sound.

Could anyone recommend some good quiet fans with a lot of airflow that are within the 120/140mm range? No smaller.

This is such an amazing forum. I have no idea why I didn't register and ask for help here before. Maybe because the layout looks quite... simple. But hey it does the job and the answers are quick and fantastic.

I am aware of that website also, they write amazing reviews indeed!
I will post back later so the thread can be solved if buying a new case fixes my sound and heat problem. Hopefully it will help people who have cramped cases in the future.

For anyone else, it's my GPU fans that spin up like mad and get really loud. My GPU pops up to almost 90C which is okay, seeing as it's designed to warn me at 105C but it still spins the fans up like crazy and really, REALLY spins them up at almost 100C. Either way it's not good at all to have the fans spinning as fast as possible, and the temp just staying where it is instead of getting cooler.

I've taken the side of the case off for now, I've never done that and the temps seem a tiny bit lower at the moment. It's now completely open next to the window and the breeze goes right into it.

With more room, far more fans and far bigger fans as well as better cable management and component displacement I should be a happy gamer and my wife should be far happier with the lack of noise. I've read some amazingly positive reviews of the Z11 Plus. I almost got the Z9 because I could have had it by tomorrow, but you can't rush a good decision right? And I don't need the temperature display and little fan controller knob that lets you change the speed of 2 fans. I'd rather the design of the Z11 because it looks significantly improved and the vents look far more rational.

Thanks again everyone! Really thanks so much for the helpful replies! Everyone have a lovely week!

I just wish I could find out how to mark the best answer here :/ no idea how to do that...

 

[voodooking]

I can't recommend any quiet fans but they can: http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/120mm_and_140mm_fan_comparison,22.html

 

[JamesSneed]

Please update us when you get the new case.

Im surprised its the graphics card as that Asus card has tested to be fairly quiet. I would have had my money on the little CPU cooler you have.

You can find lots of fans, some better than others but remember 90% of the noise is from the rotation speed at the outside edge of the blades. The point is you want slow big fans. I personally use the Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentPro PLPS (the PWM version). Read this conclusion to get an idea about fans: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1266-page7.html

maxx_power I cant argue against the Thermalright HR-02 Macho.