Which is louder: Stock C2D Fan or ASUS 9800GTX+?

Buffalobiian · Post by **Buffalobiian** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:35 pm

Hey SPCR folks!

I'll cut to the point - I've got the following system already:

CPU: E6600 (2.4GHz Intel Dual Core) - Stock cooling/speeds
RAM: 3GB Kingston 667 DDR2 - no active cooling
VGA: ASUS 9800GTX+ - Stock asus cooling
HDD: Western Digital Cavair? (WDC WD2500AA......) 250GB
PSU: Corsair 520W
Case: Antec P182 (2x120mm exhaust set on low, taped up PSU vents)

I'm looking into a ThermalRight HR - 01 PLUS and maybe a Nexus 120mm fan to go with it (set on 7~9v). I might go passive.)

I'm not sure what's the loudest parts in my system, so will the HR01 PLUS do much acoustic-wise, or is the 9800GTX+ the noisy one? Or does the WD suck at acoustics?

I don't think I'm interested in an aftermarket cooler for the VGA, just wanting to know if the heatsink will be a waste of money if I want to lower system noise.

Thanks in advance guys.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:05 am

Hi welcome to the SPCR!

I am willing to say that 85% certainty noise culprit is the CPU stock cooler. 9800 GTX+ is very quiet and effective for stock cooler. Much better than what Ati has to offer. So in the sense I really think its the CPU cooler, after hearing years of horror stories of C2D and C2Q stock cooler noise....

protellect · Post by **protellect** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:56 am

I'd agree about the stock fan.

Stick your finger in the spinning fan to see if thats the noisiest part.

Buffalobiian · Post by **Buffalobiian** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:00 pm

Yeah, I'll give that a try. Another reason I was considering replacing heatsink/fan was that the fan's actually stopped once or twice, making temps soar and the CPU go into throttling.

While I'm opening my computer up, I remember the manual said not to screw the HDDs on too tight, or the dampening rubber won't be effective. How tight is too tight? Do I just tighten it to a point where I can still twist if I wanted to, or am I supposed to let the HDD "wobble" a bit?

AZBrandon · Post by **AZBrandon** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:39 pm

Asus has had a couple different coolers. I've owned at least one of them, or at least the 9800GT variant, although they offer a GTX+ with the same exact cooling fan. This one is the one I had, and that same cooler is used on several models. I found it to be exceptionally quiet, but mine had a problem where it refused to ramp up the fan speed, so in a dual-GPU configuration it ran pretty warm (85-95*C). At any rate, it was very quiet, so if that's the same kind you have, it's unlikely the fan noise is coming from the video card.

Buffalobiian · Post by **Buffalobiian** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:26 pm

AZBrandon wrote:Asus has had a couple different coolers. I've owned at least one of them, or at least the 9800GT variant, although they offer a GTX+ with the same exact cooling fan. This one is the one I had, and that same cooler is used on several models. I found it to be exceptionally quiet, but mine had a problem where it refused to ramp up the fan speed, so in a dual-GPU configuration it ran pretty warm (85-95*C). At any rate, it was very quiet, so if that's the same kind you have, it's unlikely the fan noise is coming from the video card.

My fan (and whole card) actually looks identical to the 9800GTX+ on Nvidia's site, save for the ASUS artwork. I've heard of the cooler you're talking about, and I've got that on the ASUS HD 4850 that's currently in my brother's computer.

Buffalobiian · Post by **Buffalobiian** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:19 am

Double posting is bad, I know, but I'd thought I'd update:

I stuck my fingers into the fans one by one to figure out what's noisy (CPU fan hurts!), and the main things causing the noise was the Antec 120mm TriCool fans themselves. They've always been on low, and according to Antec's specs, they're rated 25db each.

I don't know if that means I've got defective fans, or my ears are super sensitive, but I'll be purchasing some Noctua P12 fans to replace them. (It's 37CFM as opposed to Antec's 39CFM, but rated at 12dBa!!!)

Unfortunately, it's price is as much an eye-popper as its noise rating.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:17 am

well, antec tri-cools are #Â¤%&/ for silencer. Get Nexus, Scythe etc fans from recomended list and you will see great improvement.

loimlo · Post by **loimlo** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:02 am

nVIDIA stock blower cooling is very quiet if you were to reduce fan rpm at idle - use Rivatuner to make a perfect combination/coordination of temperature and fan speed. Afterwards flash the fanmod bios to your 9800 - GPU-Z, nVIDIA Bios Editor, NVFlash - will be your best friends. Btw, DOS operating experience required.

SPCR has done excellent fan roundups here http://www.silentpcreview.com/section12.html
Though I think Tricool is decent in terms of a stock cooling fan, Scythe Slipstream 800RPM is my favorite. Yateloon D12SM12/D12SL12 is good for people on a tight budget.