Question My first custom CPU fan install. Is this noise normal for a CPU fan?

[thexyad]

I bought a Zalman CNPS10X Performa Black to go with my Ryzen 9 5900X because it was well reviewed and within my budget. This review particularly makes it seem pretty quiet.
But it's very loud in my setup. Granted, this was my first time installing a custom cooler (usually the CPUs came with cooler attached), so did I do something wrong?
Here's a video + audio of the fan. (The room was dead quiet btw). What could be wrong, do you think?
That's the noise it's making with literally two Edge tabs open and that's it. The noise is always the same, no matter what, it doesn't seem to go up or down.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Can you take another video, with the side panel OFF please? And also maybe get shots of it from where you did, little closer even, and also from around the back, in close. Mostly, for the sound aspect but also to see if there are physical issues with the installation of the cooler. As you say, it might just be bad.

Did you go into the BIOS and select a preset fan curve for the cooler, or create a custom curve, as well as make sure the "source" for the CPU fan header is set to CPU?

 

[CountMike]

I bought a Zalman CNPS10X Performa Black to go with my Ryzen 9 5900X because it was well reviewed and within my budget. This review particularly makes it seem pretty quiet.
But it's very loud in my setup. Granted, this was my first time installing a custom cooler (usually the CPUs came with cooler attached), so did I do something wrong?
Here's a video + audio of the fan. (The room was dead quiet btw). What could be wrong, do you think?
That's the noise it's making with literally two Edge tabs open and that's it. The noise is always the same, no matter what, it doesn't seem to go up or down.

What temps are you getting ? I have some doubts it's up to cooling 5900x efficiently enough for full performance.
You can also look in BIOS and see if you can change fan's speed curve.

 

[thexyad]

What temps are you getting ? I have some doubts it's up to cooling 5900x efficiently enough for full performance.
You can also look in BIOS and see if you can change fan's speed curve.

I saw multiple YouTube reviews that said they use this with a Ryzen 9 so that's why I chose it. And the TDP of the fan is higher than needed by the CPU

I can indeed modify the curve but I don't want a fan this loud. I don't know if the video does it justice but it's like really loud in a clipping way.

 

[thexyad]

Can you take another video, with the side panel OFF please? And also maybe get shots of it from where you did, little closer even, and also from around the back, in close. Mostly, for the sound aspect but also to see if there are physical issues with the installation of the cooler.

Did you go into the BIOS and select a preset fan curve for the cooler, or create a custom curve, as well as make sure the "source" for the CPU fan header is set to CPU?

I ordered another one from Amazon so I'll swap it first to see if they sound the same then do the shots your requested.

Where would I find a recommended fan curve for the cooler?

 

[thexyad]

I measured the noise and it's ALWAYS at 51-52dB. I went into BIOS, and used "Optimize All" option for the fans. It did an auto test and optimized it to only go to 100% when hitting a temp of 70. Currently my processor is at 2% usage as I type this but the fan is at 945RPM and noise is at 51-52dB.
Based on this in-depth review, 970RPM is 50% power; 50% power is 40dB, not 52. So it's louder than in that review by ten decibels.
But even so, why is the fan at 50% power if the CPU is at 2%?

 

[CountMike]

I measured the noise and it's ALWAYS at 51-52dB. I went into BIOS, and used "Optimize All" option for the fans. It did an auto test and optimized it to only go to 100% when hitting a temp of 70. Currently my processor is at 2% usage as I type this but the fan is at 945RPM and noise is at 51-52dB.
Based on this in-depth review, 970RPM is 50% power; 50% power is 40dB, not 52. So it's louder than in that review by ten decibels.
But even so, why is the fan at 50% power if the CPU is at 2%?

RPM are adjusted by temperature, not CPU load. That CPU is good up to 90c so you can set a curve to hit 100% just before that.
Btw. dB is not linear function, 10dB is a lot.
Unless you can recreate same conditions, those reviews are not exactly true.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Anything over 32db sounds like, well, crap. I would never tolerate anything above that, or honestly, even close to it. Which is WHY I use all Noctua fans. Because they are pretty much entirely silent at 1000rpm or less and at full speed they are very tolerable. Unlike, well, pretty much everybody else. I don't know that there is anybody else with a fan that at 1200rpm is "tolerable". Just sayin'.

And keep in mind, all your case fans do NOT need to be ramping up just because your CPU fan does. Those fans should not ever be at more than 50%, ever, unless the motherboard or VRM sensors are above like 60°C, which is not going to be very often unless you are running a very high end CPU on a very crappy motherboard.

 

[thexyad]

So I ordered a new one from Amazon and took the fan from that one and installed it. Silent as a mouse. Super happy with the sound now. So it was a faulty fan it seems. Luckily I can return it to Amazon for a full refund. Yay me.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Good deal man.