Question Changing/upgrading my fans on my first computer

[doffo885]

Hey!
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question, so please direct me to the correct place if this is not it.

I recently built a new computer for the first time in 20 years. Ryzen 5 7600, MSI B60 Gaming Plus WIFI and RX 6700xt. The case I built in came recommended - NZXT HZ Elite 2023 MID with 3 front fans and one rear fan.

After booting it up the first time, I was shocked with the noise the 3 front - and one rear - fan made. The CPU (with the stock cooler) was also running very hot - 60c idle and up towards 90c when gaming for just a short while, and the CPU fan makes a lot of noise. I know that the AMD 5 CPUs can handle a pretty high temperature, so I'm not too worried about that, but it would be great to cool it down somewhat more to keep the entire system cooler. I've OC ram from 4800hz to 6000z, but otherwise I havent made any changes.

I've made, what I believe, is a decent fan curve, and the system runs much more silently now than it did in the beginning, but as soon as the system turns a certain degree and the RPM on the fans ramps up, it gets loud and distracting. I've tried to tinker with my fan curve, but I cant keep the system cool while gaming and the noise at a "silent" level. The front fans are really noisy on even 40% RPM.

So... to my questions. I've been thinking of changing my fans (I know I will lose the rbg lights, but thats irrelevant to me), but I dont know if it will help or if it will be worth it. My main goal is the system running as silently and efficiently as possible.

What I've thought about is :

1. Changing the 3 140 mm front fans and the rear fan with Arctic p14 (pwm)
2. Changing the CPU stock cooler with either:
   - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ($39) - Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 ($60)
   
   
3. The Arctic p14 fans come in a pack of 5. If I should change my fans, Should I use the remaining fans for top fans, or is this pointless? I don't care that much about how my computer looks, but I can get three white ones for the price of 5 black ones, and seeing as my case is white, it would look nicer - so if top fans are pointless, I'll go for the white ones.

Will this be an upgrade, or is pointless/better value in other fans? If

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[hotaru.hino]

Changing the 3 140 mm front fans and the rear fan with Arctic p14 (pwm)
Changing the CPU stock cooler with either:- Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ($39)

Both of these are fine.

If I should change my fans, Should I use the remaining fans for top fans, or is this pointless? I don't care that much about how my computer looks, but I can get three white ones for the price of 5 black ones, and seeing as my case is white, it would look nicer - so if top fans are pointless, I'll go for the white ones.

I think it's pointless. If you're running a pure air cooler setup, then the top fans either don't contribute much (such as the rear one) or can be detrimental (such as the front one). I'm led to believe the top fan mounts are mostly for water cooling radiators.

Will this be an upgrade, or is pointless/better value in other fans? If

It's hard to say until you get the fans and play with them, but from what it sounds like, it's probably an upgrade somewhere.

Also while people have their preference for what controls the fans, I prefer using an OS tool to control them because most motherboard fan curve editors are really limited. Especially since I want GPU temperature based control and no motherboard offers that. The tool I'm using at the moment is https://getfancontrol.com/. I still have the fan curve in the motherboard set to something sane, but that app takes control while it's running.

 

[geofelt]

60c. at idle suggests to me that your stock cooler might not have been mounted well in the first place.
Possibly too much/too little/ bad pattern on the thermal paste.

Most likely, the cooler was not tightened down evenly.
A moot point a good cooler is a better solution.

One of the thermalright 120 coolers you mentioned would be a good upgrade.
Tower type coolers move air over the motherboard and cooler directing air out the back of the case.

If budget is not a big issue, consider a cooler with a larger/quieter 140mm fan.
Such as a Noctua NH-D15s .

Changing out fans will make little difference.

 

[Paperdoc]

Additional question to what geofelt said. When installing the CPU cooler, did you remove the thin plastic cover on the bottom BEFORE mounting it on the CPU?

 

[doffo885]

Thanks for all the replies! I removed the plastic cover on the CPU cooler, it may be mounted wrong - but I've read that other people experience the same temperatures with the stock coolers.

Regarding the case fans - this is mostly to reduce noise/ have fans that runs more silently and at the same time, keep the case as cool or cooler. Do you think that the case fans I've linked, will be an upgrade from the stock fans that came with the case?

 

[geofelt]

Fan sound is directly related to the rpm at which it runs.
There are some tonal differences among different versions, but on a quiet, slow turning fan that is largely irrelevant.
140mm fans move more air at a given rpm than 120mm.

A tower type of air cooler is more efficient than a stock top down cooler, and the fan can be larger and run at lower rpm.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Regarding the case fans - this is mostly to reduce noise/ have fans that runs more silently and at the same time, keep the case as cool or cooler. Do you think that the case fans I've linked, will be an upgrade from the stock fans that came with the case?

It depends on the specs of the fans. However, if the stock fans are 3-pin ones and you replace them with 4-pin ones, I'd say that's an upgrade in terms of fine tuning the control of the fans. Plus in my experience, 3-pin ones can't spin down as low as 4-pin ones.

 

[doffo885]

It depends on the specs of the fans. However, if the stock fans are 3-pin ones and you replace them with 4-pin ones, I'd say that's an upgrade in terms of fine tuning the control of the fans. Plus in my experience, 3-pin ones can't spin down as low as 4-pin ones.

Thanks! I believe the ones I have are 4 pins. Theyre at least pwm.

 

[geofelt]

PWM fans control speed by pulsing the fan on and off.
The higher the frequency, the faster the fan.
3 pin fans control the speed by reducing the voltage to the fan from 12v down to 5v.
It usually takes at least 5v to get a fan started.
It is a moot point, a fan at 5v or a pwm fan at minimum will spin at about 500 rpm which is all but inaudible.

FWIW, I prefer a constant speed for fans. Changing fan sounds are a bit annoying.

 

[Paperdoc]

Just a detail FYI on how PWM control works. It is NOT the frequency of the signal.

A PWM waveform is like a common Square Wave. It is either fully On or fully Off. BUT for the classic Square Wave it is On exactly 50% of the time, whereas for a PWM Wave its "% On" value can range fully from 0% to 100%. This "% On" value IS the information the wave carries. The frequency of the wave can be anything usable for the application. It happens that, for computer 4-pin PWM style fans the amplitude of this signal is 5 VDC and the frequency typically is around 22 kHz, and it is fixed for any particular mobo.

The application of PWM motor speed control in a computer fan is different from how it is done usually in larger industrial settings because it was re-designed to allow compatibility with older 3-pin fans controlled solely by varying the power supply Voltage. In this design for computer fans, each fan includes inside it a small chip that uses the PWM signal supplied to it via Pin #4 to modulate the flow of current from the power supply available from Pin #2 (a constant 12 VDC) through the motor windings. Thus the motor windings receive a constant series of 12 VDC pulses at a frequency if about 22 kHz, but with each pulse "On" for a particular % of time, and that % varies. Each such pulse, then, results in current flow and a pulse of torque force generated to turn the motor shaft. The longer the "% On" value of the PWM wave supplied to the motor's chip, the greater the average torque force, so the faster the motor can turn.

This is a system to control the speed of a DC Motor. Variable-FREQUENCY speed control is used for AC motors.