I currently am using the H240x Swiftech liquid cooling for my CPU (4790k Stock clock). I can have the fans be completely silent because of how effective the cooler is which is pretty great. The main issue is the minimum RPM for the pump is high enough that at idle it is currently the loudest thing in my system. I had my eye on more effective air coolers so I might be able to cut out that pump noise, but am worried that I will need to pump the fan speed up and end up with no gain from switching. I would end up getting the biggest monster I could find (Noctua NH-D14 Heatsink is my current target) to let it stay as quiet as possible, but would like some outside opinions.
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Water VS. Air Cooling
- Thread starter istari675
- Start date
Depends on what youre doing! lol, are you gaming? Are you playing CPU intensive titles? Are you folding? Are you benchmarking?
What you do with the system determines how much cooling you need.
- Thread Starter
- #5
Oh yeah sorry I zoned out on that one. I am mostly gaming on the rig, but in terms of volume I am only interested in idle temps just browsing the web and stuff. My GPU is much louder than the CPU could hope to be while gaming, so thats not of high importance.
Allright, yeah I get where you're at now. Yeah for idle performance, the nh-d14 would be an admirable choice.
- Thread Starter
- #7
But in terms of comparing volume at the moment. Do you think idle performance of the NH-D14 would be quieter than the H240x? The pump makes a pretty noticable buzzing sound that is usually louder than all of the fans in the system (at idle loads).
I would have to say so. If you're noticing the pump over fans, its entirely possible you have air bubbles in your loop, or your pump is defective. For my tastes, the noise levels themselves rarely bother me, but the TYPE of noise can drive me off the wall. The nh-d14 during idle or light sessions is completely inaudible in most situations. People think the NH-d14 is "silent", but under heavy load, it is anything but. For your uses, I would be looking at the BeQuiet! Series coolers though.
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
Yes, minimum speed on the D14 will be much quieter than any AIO at minimum.
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2008
Fan noise is a very individual thing and depends on other factors such as ambient noise level and acuity of hearing.
The stock NH -D14 I owned had 3 wire constant speed fans. There was no "ramping up." Once in the case I never noticed any noise. It was an older unit I got off ebay. Has Noctua changed the fans on those units? Noctua has a reputation for building products that offer both quiet operation and superior cooling.
But I woud agree with the statements on pump noise. Pump whine is very irritating.
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- Joined
- Jan 10, 2012
that pump is loud at the lowest rpm, 1200 rpm?
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
No, but they have a very distinct whining sound a lot of people don't care for.
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- Aug 14, 2014
I'm sorry curious question here, if your CPU and I'm assuming voltage is stock what can you be doing to ramp up the fans like that ? I'm at 4.8 and mine only ramp in extreme tasks like video coding or benching. Either way the NH-D14/D15 are excellent for a quiet system, even at max speed 
Have you tried isolating the pump,rubber grommets, sticky foam pads, or other noise dampening solutions ,i know what you mean ,when i turn my fans down all i hear is the pump. Havent tried anything yet to quieting it down though. Worth a try, cheaper than a air cooler.
Kebabninja
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2016
One thing you can try is to put a drop or 2 of some dish soap into your liquid. That will reduce the acoustic footprint of the pump, IF it is caused by bubbles in the loop. It's an idea, if you're gonna replace it anyway due to the noise.
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- Feb 13, 2010
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Why would an AIO have bubbles anyway?
Kebabninja
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2016
It shouldn't, unless theres air being drawn into the tube from the reservoir or elsewhere
bubbles can be hard to avoid though, and can often be present.Actually, closed loop AIO's have a few mL of air in the loop, to allow for thermal expansion
The role of the soap is essentially lowering the surface tension by "encapsulating" the bubbles in the surfactant from the soap. This causes reduced degree of coalescence, resulting in smaller bubbles that will pass through the pump with ease, instead of getting stuck, producing the turbulent noise.
Surfactants are often added industrially to systems where cavitation implosions are present, where extreme convenction, or temperatures occur. But the trick also works for low-flow systems where bubbles simply cause audible vibrations in the liquid
Some may be dissuaded by fear of added corrosion, but I don't think that will happen. Soap is pretty mild, and even sits at the same pH as liquid coolant formulations.
Couldn't hurt to try right?
Thermal expansion... how much thermal expansion is there in a 25C change? It will take a Liter of water (.25 Gallons) to .254 Gallons if you are going from 22C to 45C.
Also, how are you going to get it in a close loop AIO without breaching the warranty?
Also, how are you going to get it in a close loop AIO without breaching the warranty?
Let us know how it works out in your custom loop and report back. I'm not going to try that and risk having to break my entire loop down. I mean, I see the science, but, there has to be something that breaks the surface tension down that doesn't CAUSE bubbles.
Kebabninja
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2016
About the expansion, the air is simply the standard used in production. Whether it is sound is another case
I didn't mean addition of soap to closed loop system, but the Swiftech system that the OP is experiencing trouble with.
I didn't mean addition of soap to closed loop system, but the Swiftech system that the OP is experiencing trouble with.
