Should I worry about the noise my PC makes after installing a second GPU?

5

I recently installed a second graphics card (ATI 5770 in crossfire), and cleaned out a lot of dust from the PC. For some reason however the 'fan noise' is much louder, and I can only think of a few reasons:

  • The two graphics cards have paired up to be noisy.
  • The powersuply is working overtime to feed my power hungry cards.
  • The whole box is hotter, making the CPU work harder to stay cool.

Which of these is most likely, and how can I make it quiter? FWIW my powersupply is a corsair 650W (maybe 750W, but I don't think so) and my CPU is a Phenom II X4 955.

Update:

I've just installed SpeedFan on my windows boot for t his machine, and the temps are up around 60-80c That 80c is on my second GPU. I'm guessing that's not good What can I do in light of this?

Pureferret

Posted 2012-01-16T17:09:28.633

Reputation: 1 745

Do you have enough spacing between the two card? Can you identify the source of extra noise? i.e. which fan cause more noise? From my rough calculation, your PC shouldn't consume more than 450W so 650W PSU will be sufficient. – chmod – 2012-01-16T17:18:45.540

1

Do you have an application to monitor interior temps? Speedfan is a common one. This may give you additional info on what is going on. http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

– Dave M – 2012-01-16T17:22:55.230

@DaveM I can't find an alternative to that on linux. Any suggestions? – Pureferret – 2012-01-16T17:39:37.027

@chmod It sounds like it's from my CPU – Pureferret – 2012-01-16T17:41:22.140

@Pureferret to monitor interior temps on Linux you can use "lmsensors". If you want a GUI for lmsensors, you can try "xsensors" as well. – Aaron – 2012-01-16T18:55:44.270

@Purefettet: exactly how have you cleaned your pc? – Baarn – 2012-01-16T19:36:39.000

@WalterMaier-Murdnelch when I installed my new graphics card I just hoovered the dust out. – Pureferret – 2012-01-16T22:09:38.257

@Pureferret sounds like you didn't care about spinning fans? If so it might destroy the ball bearings due to too high speed, thus causing more vibrations. – Baarn – 2012-01-17T01:19:17.477

1btw you maybe should adjust the title, although its funny it misleads people having the same problem. – Baarn – 2012-01-17T01:22:39.173

@WalterMaier-Murdnelch I tried to clear as many fans as I could, but I'd rather not remove the heatsink on the CPU to get at the fan properly when it didn't seem overly dusty. Or do you mean the hoover ruining the fan? I was sparing with it; I knocked the dust loose then sucked it up, not setting the fan off too much. – Pureferret – 2012-01-17T09:17:14.490

You should NEVER use an electric vacuum cleaner inside a PC chassis - the risk of static electricity shock is too great. (Practically speaking, no, it's probably not a problem, but it's relatively risky as these things go) – Shinrai – 2012-01-17T17:06:01.917

Answers

5

A few ideas:

  1. did you remove the heatsink from the CPU without without replacing the thermal paste?
  2. When cleaning, you might have missed a chunk of dust on a fan and thrown it off balance.

Boot it with the top off and give it a careful listen. If it's not obvious where the noise is from, shut down, remove the new card, boot and see if the noise is there.

If the noise isn't the new card, if you gently touch a running fan, it will slow it down for a half second or so (don't stop it!). If the loud noise doesn't change, it will eliminate that particular fan as a possible source of noise. If the loud noise changes, you found your culprit and know what needs more careful cleaning or replacing.

mgjk

Posted 2012-01-16T17:09:28.633

Reputation: 1 337

I touched the cpu fan gently for 1/4 of a second and the noise difference was noticeable. It's (accordign to xsensors) spinning at about 3200 RPM and the cpu has a temp of ~40C (104F). Are these normal/good figures? I'll inspect the dust situation once I have time to get at it properly. – Pureferret – 2012-01-17T09:23:52.610

1It sounds okay to me for speed and temperature. The engineering specs would have the details. I clean this kind of thing by shutting the machine down, unplugging it and using a small stiff paintbrush to brush the dust off each blade of the fan. It may not be possible to get under the fan. Try the top only first, plug it in and see if the sound is there. If it is... try again or try canned-air. If it's still a problem, you're looking at removing the fan/heatsink and cleaning it thoroughly or replacing it. (BTW, if you can live with the noise, the machine is probably ok.) – mgjk – 2012-01-17T16:00:14.163

I'll give it a clean, but I think I can live with the noise! – Pureferret – 2012-01-17T16:15:17.923

I've just installed SpeedFan on my windows boot for t his machine, and the temps are up around 60-80c That 80c is on my second GPU. I'm guessing that's not good. – Pureferret – 2012-01-19T19:29:38.383

It seems normal for being under some load: http://hardocp.com/article/2009/10/12/amd_ati_radeon_hd_5770_5750_review/7 I'm not a gamer though, they'd know better.

– mgjk – 2012-01-19T19:56:48.277

I'm at idle though. Already started to discuss this on chat if you want to join.

– Pureferret – 2012-01-19T20:40:45.943

7

Sorry if this is too obvious, but assuming the new card has a fan, are you sure it's not simply the additional fan?

Another idea... sometimes stray wires inside for power connectors or drives might move in such a way that they slightly rub against a fan causing noise. It may be that it will only happen with the cover on, so carefully removing the cover with the system running might be necessary.

Marty Fried

Posted 2012-01-16T17:09:28.633

Reputation: 716

It may also be that the bearings in the fans are wearing out, and it's more noticable now that there isn't dust clogging them up/slowing them down. – Shinrai – 2012-01-16T18:35:49.147

@Shinrai the CPU is 2.5 yrs old, would they wear out that quickly? – Pureferret – 2012-01-17T09:24:58.223

@Pureferret - Age isn't a factor so much as dust level, but yes, I wouldn't be surprised at all. – Shinrai – 2012-01-17T17:04:15.650

3

Obviously, a system with that much hardware and power consumption simply is noisy. There is to much fan action going on to keep it cooled. The only real way to get this quiet is a powerful liquid cooling system, attached to the CPU and both graphics cards. Of course, this is an expensive solution requiring some technical skills (or someone who has them). If you are working on a budget, there are some minor things to do:

  • make sure that you use quiet fans at all (have a look at the internet to find out how much noise your fans make and look for more quiet alternatives)

  • use a well build housing that ensures a good airflow (thermaltake, etc.)

  • use big heat sinks

  • use vibration dampers below all fans

  • dust filters are fine, but they should not be directly next to your fans

  • if possible, leave some space between the graphics cards

  • use big fans with low speeds

  • use as few fans as possible

  • last but not least, clean up the PC regularly (2 times a year is a good cycle) using compressed air for best results

All of these will bring very little enhancements, but many little enhancements make a big one.

Michael K

Posted 2012-01-16T17:09:28.633

Reputation: 3 308

Asked: 2012-01-16T17:09:28.633

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Active: 2012-01-19T19:29:58.693