Build Advice Improve cooling in Silent Base 802 with RTX 4090

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victormun

Dec 24, 2023
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Hi all!

I've just been able to buy a brand new 4K@144 display and a RTX 4090 (Asus TUF Gaming) with a really good deal and I would like to know if you guys could help me upgrade (or maybe fix) my system's airflow accordingly. My main goal is to get the system as quiet as possible (since I have 2 toddlers that I'd like to not wake up while working or gaming). These are my system specs (once the GPU arrives):

* Silent Base 802 case (with the airflow front and top covers)
* i7 13700k
* Asus TUF Gaming OC RTX4090
* Seasonic Prime TX1200 PSU
* Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm - AIO cooler

Currently, this is how the fans are setup:

* 420mm radiator on the front with 3x140mm fans as exhaust (like this diagram: Mobo | Radiator | Fans)
* 2x 140mm fans on top as intake
* 1x 140mm fan on the back as intake
* PSU taking air from the inside of the case

Is there a better (or correct) way to improve (or fix) this airflow system while maximizing silence?

Thanks a lot!

PS: I've read that some people have managed to "mod" a 420mm radiator on the top panel and I could try and do that if needed. But even though zipties are cool... I'd like to avoid to file the hooks of the side panel.
 
Your 4090 will be hot.
It needs airflow to cool it.
Your 13700K is not necessarily hot.
Your 420 aio is likely the biggest source of noise.
My suggestion is to replace the420 aio with something quieter like a noctua NH-D15s.
It is very quiet, even under load.
Use the three supplied 140mm fans as front intakes to feed the NH-D15s, the 4090 coolers, and provide motherboard vrm cooling.
Add a single rear 140mm exhaust to direct the hot air out of the system.

Lest you think the 13700K needs exceptional cooling, read this:
https://www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-core-13900k-cooling-tested
And, since you are gaming, view this:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFgswzTvyc
 
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Thanks for your answer!

So you're basically suggesting to ditch both the AIO and the top fans? Would it then make sense to use the noise dampener top-cover that the case included instead of the meshed one?

Also, would you mind explaining why the NH-D15s and not the regular D15?
 
You could certainly try the top noise damper, but you really want to enhance getting generated heat out of the case.
Free flow will reduce the need to have fans run at higher speeds.

As to the NH-D15s suggestion, I do not know what ram you picked or what motherboard.
The NH-D15s is almost as effective and resolves some potential compatibility issues;
Some motherboards position the first pcie x16 slot too close to the cpu.
NH-D15s is a bit offset.
You can check for this issue here:
https://ncc.noctua.at/motherboards
A more common issue is with tall heat spreaders.
NH-D15 has issues over 32mm, NH-D15s can handle 66mm.
https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/specification
noctua.at

NH-D15S

Tailored to provide superior RAM and PCIe compatibility, the NH-D15S is an asymmetrical single fan version of Noctua’s award-winning flagship model, the NH-D15. Thanks to its asymmetrical design, the NH-D15S clears the top PCIe slot on most µATX and ATX motherboards. At the same time, the single...
noctua.at noctua.at
 
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geofelt said:
You could certainly try the top noise damper, but you really want to enhance getting generated heat out of the case.
Free flow will reduce the need to have fans run at higher speeds.

As to the NH-D15s suggestion, I do not know what ram you picked or what motherboard.
The NH-D15s is almost as effective and resolves some potential compatibility issues;
Some motherboards position the first pcie x16 slot too close to the cpu.
NH-D15s is a bit offset.
You can check for this issue here:
https://ncc.noctua.at/motherboards
A more common issue is with tall heat spreaders.
NH-D15 has issues over 32mm, NH-D15s can handle 66mm.
https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/specification
noctua.at

NH-D15S

Tailored to provide superior RAM and PCIe compatibility, the NH-D15S is an asymmetrical single fan version of Noctua’s award-winning flagship model, the NH-D15. Thanks to its asymmetrical design, the NH-D15S clears the top PCIe slot on most µATX and ATX motherboards. At the same time, the single...
noctua.at noctua.at
Click to expand...

Interesting. My Mobo is the Asus z690 Prime-P WiFi and the RAM, 2x16GB of Kingston Fury Beast DDR5.

The CPU zone is quite large and the RAM sticks are not particularly large either.
 
Peerless assassin 120 is indeed a very fine cooler and cheap too.
The NH-D15 has a larger radiator which is cooled with 140mm fans that move more more air at lower max 1500(quieter) rpm.
The assassin uses 120mm fans with a max speed of 1550 rpm.
here is a review if you want to compare specs:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se
On the noise front the assassin is a bit noisier.
 
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victormun said:
Is there a better (or correct) way to improve (or fix) this airflow system while maximizing silence?
Click to expand...
if the 420mm is new, return it and trade for a 360mm.
then move the 360mm to the top as exhaust.

use 3x 140mm as front intake,
1x as rear exhaust,
possibly 1x bottom intake.

and you want the PSU taking air through the bottom vent, not the inside of the case.

in regards to sound;
create your own custom fan curves and keep the fans at lower RPMs if they are too loud.
 
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JohnBonhamsGhost said:
if the 420mm is new, return it and trade for a 360mm.
then move the 360mm to the top as exhaust.

use 3x 140mm as front intake,
1x as rear exhaust,
possibly 1x bottom intake.

and you want the PSU taking air through the bottom vent, not the inside of the case.

in regards to sound;
create your own custom fan curves and keep the fans at lower RPMs if they are too loud.
Click to expand...
Thanks but unfortunately the 420mm has like a year, so it's quite impossible to return.

I'm that suggested setup, is there a way to do it with the 420 rad on the front?

Regarding the PSU, Seasonic recommends to put it with that way for the Hybrid mode (which is the one I use the PSU with) in order to "help with natural heat dissipation".
 
victormun said:
is there a way to do it with the 420 rad on the front?
Click to expand...
of course, but then you will be pumping the heated air from the CPU directly into all other components which pretty much negates the point of advanced cooling.

-
it's possible to have the front setup as exhaust.
you could do a front / bottom exhaust,
top / rear intake.

but the few times i've configured systems similar to this it never seemed to cool as well.
 
Last edited:
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JohnBonhamsGhost said:
of course, but then you will be pumping the heated air from the CPU directly into all other components which pretty much negates the point of advanced cooling.

-
it's possible to have the front setup as exhaust.
you could do a front / bottom exhaust,
top / rear intake.

but the few times i've configured systems similar to this it never seemed to cool as well.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

For the moment, I've been able to kinda mod the 420mm radiator on top. This allowed me to make it like:
  • 3x front fans as intake
  • 1x back fan as exhaust
  • AIO on top as exhaust
I've decided to wait until the upcoming NH-D15 v2 (to either get that or see maybe a price drop on v1) and that can do the trick.
 
victormun said:
Thanks!

For the moment, I've been able to kinda mod the 420mm radiator on top. This allowed me to make it like:
  • 3x front fans as intake
  • 1x back fan as exhaust
  • AIO on top as exhaust
I've decided to wait until the upcoming NH-D15 v2 (to either get that or see maybe a price drop on v1) and that can do the trick.
Click to expand...
This is the best way to do it in my opinion when you only have front/top/back to choose from for cooling. Modern GPUs just use way too much power at the high end so it's better to get the cleanest air you can for them and let the CPU cooling eat warmer air. It's also unlikely you're going to have maximum CPU load when the GPU is maxed out so it's even less of an issue.

Unless it's problematic to have the 420mm installed as you do I'd just leave it. Personally speaking I've opted out of high end air cooling because I don't really like the thought of having ~3lbs hanging off the socket even though it should never be a problem (I do have a Peerless Assassin SE in my server box, but that is quite a bit lighter than D15 etc). I also like the CPU heat being along the top (or side) of the case rather than being right above the video card as the first time I used an AIO my GPU temps dropped a fair bit over the air cooler I had previously.
 
victormun said:
been able to kinda mod the 420mm radiator on top. This allowed me to make it like:
  • 3x front fans as intake
  • 1x back fan as exhaust
  • AIO on top as exhaust
I've decided to wait until the upcoming NH-D15 v2
Click to expand...
if this is working then it would be the best option.
i wouldn't bother with the newer Noctua version.

i might add a 4th bottom intake but if what you have is working out, just go with it.
 
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JohnBonhamsGhost said:
if this is working then it would be the best option.
i wouldn't bother with the newer Noctua version.

i might add a 4th bottom intake but if what you have is working out, just go with it.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure my case allows a fan on the bottom.

Regarding the newer Noctua, it's more to wait for a price drop or something on v1, too.
 
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