How silent can I make my RTX 4090 build?

CSharpDev · Dec 10, 2023

I couldn't find the hardware section so I decided to post it here

So anyway I have an RTX 4090 and 7900x build. I have a 360mm AIO Deepcool LT720, 3 120mm fans connected to it, 3 120mm fans in the front and 1 120mm fan in the back

If I change the 4 case fans *not connected to the AIO* to 140mm, how much more silent can I make my PC for the same performance and same cool temperatures?

trumpy81 · Dec 10, 2023

Look at the individual fan specs and make a note of the stated sound output, which is usually listed in dB (Decibels).

The lower the dB rating the better or quieter the fan will be.

If you can, water cool the GPU and try to choose quiet fans for the radiator.

Then use the available software to make the fans spin up only when the temperatures rise.

Fan Control v174 is a free software that lets you control all of the fans in your system. You can set all kinds of curves for ramping up the fan speed according to various temperatures in your system.

Your BIOS probably allows setting the fan speeds also and the software from your motherboard manufacturer will probably allow you to set fan speeds based on temperatures also.

It is up to you to decide which app/method suits you best.

CSharpDev · Dec 10, 2023

trumpy81 said:
Look at the individual fan specs and make a note of the stated sound output, which is usually listed in dB (Decibels).

The lower the dB rating the better or quieter the fan will be.

If you can, water cool the GPU and try to choose quiet fans for the radiator.

Then use the available software to make the fans spin up only when the temperatures rise.

Fan Control v174 is a free software that lets you control all of the fans in your system. You can set all kinds of curves for ramping up the fan speed according to various temperatures in your system.

Your BIOS probably allows setting the fan speeds also and the software from your motherboard manufacturer will probably allow you to set fan speeds based on temperatures also.

It is up to you to decide which app/method suits you best.

Is the BeQuiet brand optimal for noise minimalization?

trumpy81 · Dec 10, 2023

That depends, what do the other manufacturers list as their fans rated sound level output compared to BeQuiet?

BeQuiet are generally good and usually quiet, but you may find fans of similar size etc. that have a lower sound level output.

There are plenty of YouTube videos covering fans and their sound levels.

Catnip · Dec 10, 2023

CSharpDev said:
I couldn't find the hardware section so I decided to post it here

So anyway I have an RTX 4090 and 7900x build. I have a 360mm AIO Deepcool LT720, 3 120mm fans connected to it, 3 120mm fans in the front and 1 120mm fan in the back

If I change the 4 case fans *not connected to the AIO* to 140mm, how much more silent can I make my PC for the same performance and same cool temperatures?

Noctua fans are the quietest that I have found. I have three 120mm Noctuas in the front of my case, one in the back, and a Noctua 140 mm dual fan CPU cooler. If it weren't for the screaming fans on my RTX 3070 Ti, I would never hear my PC at all.

CSharpDev · Dec 10, 2023

Catnip said:
Noctua fans are the quietest that I have found. I have three 120mm Noctuas in the front of my case, one in the back, and a Noctua 140 mm dual fan CPU cooler. If it weren't for the screaming fans on my RTX 3070 Ti, I would never hear my PC at all.

How loud does your GPU get in games? What % of the fans of it spin (speed)? How hot does it get, what degree Celsius max?

PerpetualCycle · Dec 10, 2023

What is the loudest component? Case fans, radiator fans, GPU fans?

For radiator, the best performance (air movement) / db I have used are the Phanteks T-30 120mm. They will cost you about $100 for 3.
There is often not much you can do on the GPU.
There are numerous brand case fans that are relatively quiet yet move air well.

My setup has three t30 radiator fans pulling air into the case and one 140mm Noctua as exhaust. The case is a Fractal Design meshify 2.

Which brings me to the next point in that how you chose the fans, directions of air flow etc., depend a lot on the case you have,

pparks1 · Dec 10, 2023

I have a ryzen 5900x, with a bequiet dark rock pro 4 cpu cooler. I have a fractal meshify s2 with 3 x 140mm fans. I have an evga 3080 ftw 3 ultra, with fan set to always run the fans. I cannot even tell when my pc is turned on.

Dru2 · Dec 17, 2023

CSharpDev said:
I couldn't find the hardware section so I decided to post it here

So anyway I have an RTX 4090 and 7900x build. I have a 360mm AIO Deepcool LT720, 3 120mm fans connected to it, 3 120mm fans in the front and 1 120mm fan in the back

If I change the 4 case fans *not connected to the AIO* to 140mm, how much more silent can I make my PC for the same performance and same cool temperatures?

It's really about controlling the fan speed to get a balance of both cooling and low noise. Also, my opinion, loose the 120mm fans in favor of 140mm wherever possible as 120mm fans can get loud because they require higher RPMs than say a 140, and definitely a 200/220mm fan.

If you read my system specs, I run two 140mm Corsair fans for my AIO, and one 140mm for the rear fan. The front is two 220mm stock Cooler Master fans. The case is a Cooler Master H500M. My system is extremely quiet unless I game, which then ramps up the GPU fans.

The reason I require such a quiet system is I've built an audiophile system around it, so I don't want to hear anything but music playing when in front of the PC. I also don't have any HDD drives in the system either to further minimize noise. I also don't overclock so that means I don't need higher fan RPMs or more fans - I only have 3 case fans, and two AIO fans.

Catnip · Dec 17, 2023

CSharpDev said:
How loud does your GPU get in games? What % of the fans of it spin (speed)? How hot does it get, what degree Celsius max?

Loud. Quite loud. I don't have info on the other questions as I have never looked, but the fans almost scream when playing something really demanding. I can definitely hear it from under my desk. However, when just doing normal computing tasks, I can't hear the PC at all.

It might be time to redo the thermal paste on my GPU and check my temps whilst gaming. I suspect that your 4090 gets pretty loud too.

Dru2 · Dec 17, 2023

Catnip said:
It might be time to redo the thermal paste on my GPU and check my temps whilst gaming. I suspect that your 4090 gets pretty loud too.

Changing the Therma paste is not going to do anything for noisy fans per se. Yes, if the thermal paste is worn, replacing it would allow lower temps and thus lower fan speeds. BUT.... it not like that's an everyday occurrence thing.

Additionally, the chances that changing the thermal paste results in drastically lower fans speeds would have to be in the extreme range where there was virtually no paste, and the fans were running max RPM to keep the system cool. In short, changing the thermal paste isn't going to make a difference is fan noise, unless there was no paste.

The better solution is to tune the fans - balance the fan speeds where they keep the system cool, while also staying silent except when the system is under heavy load. This can be accomplished via BIOS control of fan speeds (which I use) or via third party hardware/software fan controller.

PurSpyk!! · Dec 18, 2023

Have you noticed any coil whine from your graphics card while gaming, especially if the card is running at high clocks?

Dru2 · Dec 18, 2023

PurSpyk!! said:
Have you noticed any coil whine from your graphics card while gaming, especially if the card is running at high clocks?

For me no. And if there is any coil whine its masked by the fans ramping up. At idle or normal PC use the system is quiet.

PurSpyk!! · Dec 18, 2023

Dru2 said:
For me no. And if there is any coil whine its masked by the fans ramping up. At idle or normal PC use the system is quiet.

Hi, which RTX 4090 do you have? My MSI Suprim X, has coil whine when stressed, pc is quite so its noticeable even when the other fans in the system are at full speed

Dru2 · Dec 18, 2023

PurSpyk!! said:
Hi, which RTX 4090 do you have? My MSI Suprim X, has coil whine when stressed, pc is quite so its noticeable even when the other fans in the system are at full speed

I think you have me mixed up with the OP. Please see my system specs as I don't have a NVidia GPU.

And I replied to your coil whine post as it addressed no one in particular so I didn't know who you were asking

abactuon · Dec 18, 2023

You will have a quiet computer unless you use a 4K monitor.

Dru2 · Dec 18, 2023

abactuon said:
You will have a quiet computer unless you use a 4K monitor.

How so???

And yes, we all know gaming will increase system noise as the GPU fans (and case fans) ramp up to keep things cool. Yes, a 4K monitor will demand more GPU power than a standard monitor given it produces a higher resolution.

Still if no demand is made to push those higher resolution for extended periods, the system would be no nosier than with a standard 1080P monitor. Additionally, you're overlooking the fact that GPU's (as well as motherboard/fan header) have fan curves based on temperatures, meaning unless the GPU Is pushed beyond that curve the fans won't ramp up.

Given the market is flooded with 4K monitors, I doubt today's GPU would ramp up further by mere presence of 4K monitor. Yes, the GPU "might" run a little hotter, but not enough warrant fan speed increases (and thus fan noise) throughout the system.... unless pushed as in gaming for example.

And yes, there are no hard and fast rule as it clearly depends on what you're doing that places a demand on the system. But that can also be said with a standard monitor.

bobkn · Dec 18, 2023

abactuon said:
You will have a quiet computer unless you use a 4K monitor.

I have a 4090 driving a 4k monitor. (3840 X 2160, to be precise.)

The 4090's fans do not spin at all when the card isn't stressed, which is the case most of the time.

The card's fans are pretty loud when they're fully spun up. But the card does have to eliminate 450W (or 600, for some models).

Catnip · Dec 20, 2023

Dru2 said:
Changing the Therma paste is not going to do anything for noisy fans per se. Yes, if the thermal paste is worn, replacing it would allow lower temps and thus lower fan speeds. BUT.... it not like that's an everyday occurrence thing.

Additionally, the chances that changing the thermal paste results in drastically lower fans speeds would have to be in the extreme range where there was virtually no paste, and the fans were running max RPM to keep the system cool. In short, changing the thermal paste isn't going to make a difference is fan noise, unless there was no paste.

The better solution is to tune the fans - balance the fan speeds where they keep the system cool, while also staying silent except when the system is under heavy load. This can be accomplished via BIOS control of fan speeds (which I use) or via third party hardware/software fan controller.

I agree that it won't do anything for a noisy fan, but it may help keep the temps down so the fan doesn't need to work as hard. It's only the GPU, the system at idle is virtually silent. It's even mostly quiet when I use Prime95. But when I game...

ROAR!!!!!

Lol

Dru2 · Dec 20, 2023

Dru2 said:
Changing the Therma paste is not going to do anything for noisy fans per se. Yes, if the thermal paste is worn, replacing it would allow lower temps and thus lower fan speeds. BUT.... it not like that's an everyday occurrence thing. ....

Catnip said:
I agree that it won't do anything for a noisy fan, but it may help keep the temps down so the fan doesn't need to work as hard. It's only the GPU, the system at idle is virtually silent. It's even mostly quiet when I use Prime95. But when I game...

ROAR!!!!!

True, but if you have to change thermal paste that much to control fan speeds, I submit you aren't applying it correctly in the first place. And while paste can wear, if you're changing paste once a year, perhaps you might look at what you're using?

I built my current rig back in 2019, and only re-pasted once.... and that was because I removed to CPU cooler get at something. And in doing so, there was virtually no change from when I applied the thermal paste then to 3 years later when I had to re-apply.

That said, and where the GPU is concerned, I will agree that (depending on age of GPU) re-applying thermal paste can help in lowering heat and fan noise there. But even there, it's typically going to be years in use before a need develops where you might need to re-apply thermal paste. This, however, will be beyond most users' skills as in entails disassembling the GPU.

But yes, your system can turn into a jet engine when gaming