Troubleshooting - How the hell do I find out what's making so much noise in my computer? - Hardware & Software

My computer is basically loud as shit. It's one of the fans but I can't figure out which one. I've reason to believe it's the GPU fan (HIS Radeon HD4850), or possibly the CPU 45W 3.2GHz Phenom II Black Edition, Deneb. Both are using stock coolers, but Speedfan doesn't seem to be compatible with them. Holy shit though, this damn computer can get loud. How can I test these? Also, when I narrow it down, how do I reduce the noise?! I am looking into a Hyper 212+ anyways, and possibly a Zalman replacement for the GPU. Though it's out of date so I thought I'd get one of these: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568[/url] This is one of the most annoying noises ever. I can't tell if it's the fan itself or the rattle that comes in later. But I've completely removed all the wiring mess and have everything secured and dusted and cleaned. I just wish I knew what it was that was making the noise. Also, is it better to have my case on Hardwood or carpet?

Stop the fans individually with something while the machine is running.

Belongs in the technical support sub forum man.

It's probably a combination of both I had a Stock AMD fan and it was loud

Is your motherboard passive?

For your video card, use Catalyst Control Center to manually turn the fan to a very low setting (Disable Aero to be safe). Don't keep it like this, since it will probably overheat if you forget about it. If the video card is causing the noise, you can get an aftermarket cooler. I can't really recommend any, since the cooler is something I look at when buying the card. One thing to keep in mind is that the smaller the fan, the louder it will end up being. An 80mm fan needs to spin faster to move the same amount of air that a 92mm or 120mm fan can, so they will end up being louder. If you have other fans in your case besides the one on your PSU, CPU and GPU (I sure hope you do), then you could disconnect them individually and see how that effects the noise. Stock CPU coolers do the job, though not always the best job. I picked up a $20-ish Cooler Master Hyper TX3 for my Q8400 and saw the temperatures drop 20°C in some cases. Noise was also reduced. As for carpet vs hardwood, the carpet would help dampen the vibrations, reducing noise.

Okay, I turned down my GPU fan, it didn't affect it whether it was all the way down or up. However, I ran the CPU OverDrive application also included with the AMD catalyst software, and it ran some test clocks and the fan is spinning like a motherfucker. It is loud! I'm guessing I need something other than the stock fan. I read that the Hyper 212+ is supposed to be quite and really good with cooling. I can't tell you how annoying it is to sit here in silence with this damn computer on. Also, my case is an NZXT Tempest Evo. It has 4 x 120mm fans and 2 x 140mm's. I don't think they contribute an awful lot to the noise factor. I'll have to plug it in sans mobo soon just to compare noisiness.

It is most likely your CPU fan. As I post that you apparently have found that out already. Heatsinks are loooouuuuddd. Unless you spend money on a quiet one.

[QUOTE=Archonos 2;32404379]It is most likely your CPU fan. As I post that you apparently have found that out already. Heatsinks are loooouuuuddd. Unless you spend money on a quiet one.[/QUOTE] Any suggestions for a quiet one under $50 that may also positively increase performance?

Hyper 212+ all day every day unless you want to spend quite a bit more money. It isn't silent, but it's whisper quiet compared to the stock one.

[QUOTE=demonguard;32405204]Hyper 212+ all day every day unless you want to spend quite a bit more money. It isn't silent, but it's whisper quiet compared to the stock one.[/QUOTE] Thank you, I heard it's quite the behemoth, but I believe my case can handle it. I'll probably upgrade to either Cooler Master or Antec silent case fans soon too. I seriously can't handle the noise this thing has been making. I'm already deep into the night working on college work, this is killing my concentration like no other right now.

I highly recommend it. It's a bitch to install, but it gives fantastic temps for the price. I don't understand people who complain about it being loud though. I've got mine in push/pull with the fan that came with it and a $5 CM fan and it's easily quieter than the rest of my system (even my case fans if they're all the way up.) [editline]21st September 2011[/editline] It's at least a reasonable airy hum instead of the god awful whine from tiny stock fans.

Definitely, this thing is so small and spins so fast that it's making a ton of noise. I don't care how hard it is to install, anything's better than this.

I've got the arctic 7 freezer pro on my phenom, it's pretty quiet. Certainly nowhere near as loud as my stock AMD cooled server