My core i7 is loud when crunching but fairly quiet when idle. I'm sure this is because the internal case temperature increases along with the CPU and motherboard NB. I've installed the following items in the case. What else can I do to keep this thing quiet while crunching?

HD fan:


Case fans:


CPU fan:


Sound insulation:


PS I really wish this case was sold in the USA, so I could swap what I have with this:
http://www.aerocool.com.tw/case/aerocube/aerocube.htm

My ASUS MB comes with AISuite (QFAN = optimal, silent or performance modes) and PCProbe monitoring software. If yours does and you have those installed you could check to see what temperatures are being reached and you may be able to reduce the fan speeds to a lower level and keep the temperatures to an acceptable range.

Have you got a good airflow through the machine e.g. front case fans blowing in and rear case fans blowing out rather than all blowing out and no obstructions from the cases surroundings.

Another option is to reduce CPU usage via BOINC GUI to a lower % to reduce the heating effect of the crunching.

You seem to have done all the right things by adding fans to keep it cool but they do generate noise.

Water cooling is another expensive option which reduces the needs for fans.

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GPU Users Group

There is a 120mm intake fan on the front of the case too. I have the fan settings at optimal (set via the BIOS). All of the fans I bought were less than 20 db at max speed.

I also noticed that the northbridge temp is far-and-above the hottest component of the system. Do you think I need to spot-cool the northbridge? NB temp is around 60C at idle. Does the BIOS speed up all the fans because NB gets too hot? It only has a passive heatsink.

There is a 120mm intake fan on the front of the case too. I have the fan settings at optimal (set via the BIOS). All of the fans I bought were less than 20 db at max speed.

I also noticed that the northbridge temp is far-and-above the hottest component of the system. Do you think I need to spot-cool the northbridge? NB temp is around 60C at idle. Does the BIOS speed up all the fans because NB gets too hot? It only has a passive heatsink.

Assuming you have the fan plugged into the NB socket rather than just a power output then the fans speed will be set dependant on the NB temperature but if that fan is not directly cooling NB then it wont slow down. In this case directing at the NB heatsink should help. I have heard of instances where the contact between the heatsink is poor and so doesnt cool correctly.

Also the location of the "pretty large" NB heatsink from your picture trapped between cpu block and graphics card means there isnt much direct airflow across this area.

Interestingly I just saw on the link you gave is this comment :-

Other Thoughts: Easy build (my 6th). Fit a i7 930 w/H50 in a Lian Li AO5N case. North and South Bridge ran fairly hot so I spot cooled them w/side panel mounted 120mm pushing air down on them...current NB/SB temps are 44c and 38c respectively.

So perhaps a high temp is a feature of this MB?

P.S. Excellent set of links to see what your set up is. A picture paints a thousand words ...........

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GPU Users Group

Also the location of the "pretty large" NB heatsink from your picture trapped between cpu block and graphics card means there isnt much direct airflow across this area.

Interestingly I just saw on the link you gave is this comment :-

Other Thoughts: Easy build (my 6th). Fit a i7 930 w/H50 in a Lian Li AO5N case. North and South Bridge ran fairly hot so I spot cooled them w/side panel mounted 120mm pushing air down on them...current NB/SB temps are 44c and 38c respectively.

It took me a while to figure out that you're talking about the review on NewEgg's website. That wasn't my review. :) Anyway, this guy fit a 120mm fan inside his case, but if you saw what size case I have (see link above), you know that is impossible. I'm also using all 5 motherboard fan connectors, even without a NB fan.

I definitely have an airflow problem, so I'll take some pictures tonight to post. That will explain a lot more what's going on.

Get a new case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163154

I wii not ask what case you have, after looking at your dream case. You got the knack for picking crap. If you want quiet, look for a case which has all the air flowing one direction.

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I picked that case because I want a small form-factor because this goes on a entertainment shelf in my living room. I have an empty tower case that is excellent, but it won't work for my application. If you can recommend a SFF case that's better, please post a link.

I am kind of surprised no one has outfitted automotive squirrel cage fans to their cases. Or leaf blowers.

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Janice

So, I installed the sound dampening insulation finally. That made a noticeable difference. But, now I have another issue: Heat.

My core i7 reached 80C when crunching on all 8 cores @ 2.67 GHz. That's stock speed. So, my CPU cooler is a POS. I've looked at low-profile coolers, and I'm even considering getting a completely different HTPC case, if I can find one I like.

This is the heatsink I have now.

New heatsink I'm thinking of getting.

I've never had so much trouble with a build before as this case.

Had the same issue with noise and did several things:

-replaced powersupply for quieter version
-replaced videocard (gt 220 for gtx 275)
-placed be-quiet case fan at the back
-replaced cpu heatsink with scythe mugen 2
-used padding for the inside of the case

The noise level is very good now as long as my videocard cooling fan stays below 60% of max rotation.

The major noise in my pc was coming from the video card.
The stock cooler on my I7 860 went to 80 degrees when crunching, now it is at 60 degrees at almost full load.

Tom

I opened the side of the case and set a Holmes air purifier so that the fan adds a lot of moving air across my cpu`s and video card

Asus Cg5290 2.78 ghz i7 core
12 g memory
quad core, 8 threads
Running approx. 212 degrees on full 8 processors and 1 cuda
It works great and keeps the air flowing

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I opened the side of the case and set a Holmes air purifier so that the fan adds a lot of moving air across my cpu`s and video card

Asus Cg5290 2.78 ghz i7 core
12 g memory
quad core, 8 threads
Running approx. 212 degrees on full 8 processors and 1 cuda
It works great and keeps the air flowing

I will admit I do not know a lot about the new i5/i7 CPU's, but 212*F is awfully hot for any CPU. My Core2 Quad 2.5 OC'd to 2.9 sits right at 100*F while crunching SETI on all 4 cores. IMO, you need to look at a much better CPU cooler, especially since you are running at near stock clock speed.

Don't the i7's start throttling at 100* C (212*F) anyway? You are likely hurting on performance if the chip is throttling back your speeds to save the processor.

One other thing not discussed here is to lower VCore. That can make a huge difference in the core temps and the cooling requirements. For example, my Core i7 is running at 3.35 GHz but at only 1.094 VCore under load. At idle, this drops back to 0.8 V. Yet, under load my core temps (actual) are at most in the low 70's.

In winter, I go a bit higher to about 3.8GHz with 1.19 volts VCore.

Many others have similar results with this chip. If your BIOS allows this, lower VCore until you notice instabilities, then take it back up a few hundredths.

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Tom,
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't think that heatsink will fit inside my case though.

In the meantime, I'm hoping the case I just bought on eBay will be a significant improvement. Here is the new model (just released).
image: http://lian-li.com/v2/tw/product/upload/image/v354/v354-02s.jpg
specs: http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=546&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63&g=spec

From the specs, I think I can install a real CPU cooler with this case. Let's hope this eBay seller is trustworthy....

The top priorities of the new case were 1. small footprint and 2. silence. Thanks for the suggestion, but a large air blower with an open case is not something I'd like.

The top priorities of the new case were 1. small footprint and 2. silence. Thanks for the suggestion, but a large air blower with an open case is not something I'd like.

You might want to check on the Corsair H50 liquid cooling system. From the specs on the new case It should fit quite nicely on at the optional rear 120mm fan location. The system is self contained and will fit 775, 1156, & 1366 type boards, and it is very silent. I have one on my I7/930/DX58SO and an quite satisfied with it, but I have a HAF full tower. But you might want to check it out anyway.

You might want to check on the Corsair H50 liquid cooling system. From the specs on the new case It should fit quite nicely on at the optional rear 120mm fan location. The system is self contained and will fit 775, 1156, & 1366 type boards, and it is very silent. I have one on my I7/930/DX58SO and an quite satisfied with it, but I have a HAF full tower. But you might want to check it out anyway.[/quote]

That cooler looks really good. The new case doesn't have any water pass-through, but in Corsair's performance guide, they don't even use them. I need to check if I still have another $80 to spend on this machine. I have a Noctua NH-U12P that I'm trying to fit in this new case.... Obviously the H50 will be cooler, but I'll have to see how it goes once the case arrives next week.

The H50 is old news, I'd go for the Corsair H70 which has a thicker radiator and a thinner water block than the old H50. You want quiet? Go H70, Noise go Air... Looking at the case specs, he may not have the room for a double radiator, which I why suggested the H50, it's smaller. The only available fan space is only one 120mm.

New heatsink I'm thinking of getting.

I've never had so much trouble with a build before as this case.

I just put together a new system with the AXP-140 cooling a Westmere quad, so might be able to provide some information.

My particular Westmere is the E5620 flavor. The rated TDP of 80 w may suggest lower power than your i7, but that very much depends on chosen operating conditions. The AXP-140 fits either 120mm or 140mm fans, which gives you more favorable sound vs. airflow choices than do smaller diameter ones.

My personal choices that brought me to the AXP-140 differ greatly from yours. I was seeking a PC that would routinely be quieter than my existing one when running full crunching load and serving as my daily driver. I also wished to be able to lower the noise level yet more when turning off crunching and using the PC as my audio editing platform. I wanted a generously sized case that would handle large diameter fans (grab a lot of air and do as little with it as possible was a central doctrine of my freshman aeronautics professor, and seems to have good application in quiet PC cooling as well) and with side opening, side fan, and mounts for pretty large fans (all 120mm on my case). Although they have gone out of fashion, I like a side opening (possibly with ducting) bringing cool outside air to the inlet of the CPU HSF, and I like a fan positioned over the graphics card, as it is my practice to order graphics cards for new builds with the rules: 1. under $50, 2. no fan, 3. well regarded by Newegg reviewers within those constraints. Such cards commonly run rather hot, hence my liking for a side fan over mine.

I've tried two fans on my AXP-140 so far--Scythe Kaze Maru-2 a nominally 500 rpm 140mm fan, and a Scythe KAZE-JYUNI "SLIP STREAM" 120mm PWM Case Fan.

500 rpm 140mm, at least in this case, is not enough to cool it to a level I like with more than quite modest overclocking. Even using settings to get 3.04 GHz running 8 SETI threads the temperatures climb into the low 70C range (using calibrated core readings). It is pretty quiet, and would provide adequate cooling at stock clock with a "safe and sober" undervolt.

The 120mm PWM fan is rated for 1200 rpm, but is reported by Speedfan as peaking at 1550. At that speed it provides far more cooling than the 140mm at 500 (reported at about 590), but is a little louder than I like. It lets me set a clock and voltage combination that would let me run somewhat over 3.5 GHz with good margins (I don't run a daily driver and serious hobby PC at the wobbly edge) at decent temperatures.

So the AXP-140 might offer you a useful solution, depending on the power level you actually run your CPU at. It will not, however, give you as favorable a noise vs. cooling tradeoff if the input air to the fan is warm case air rather than ducted outside air as in my situation.

Are you overvolting and overclocking your i7--and if so how much? That has a lot to do with suitability of various solutions.

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Are you overvolting and overclocking your i7--and if so how much? That has a lot to do with suitability of various solutions.

No, everything is stock. I'm using cpuspeed to lock the frequency at 1.6GHz when crunching on all cores; it's all I can do to prevent the CPU from over-heating.

The case will arrive via UPS ground (or as I call it UPS snail) next week. Then, I'll see if the better case will help airflow. Next, I'll try to fit my NH-U12P. If that fails, maybe I'll try the AXP-140 or possibly the H50 as a last resort.

I've given serious thought to just selling the i7 and buying an AMD quad @95W TDP, just for the lower heat & power consumption.