Question Noctua NH-D15 fan noise is driving crazy

[cheekykid]

I have the Noctua NH-D15 paired with AMD 5900x and MSI X570.

I am using the MSI center program and set the fans on Balanced mode which results in the Noctua from time to time revving up which is very irritating as it is quite loud. If I set it on Silent everything quiets down but then my pc isn't stable as it crashes sometimes. I have put new thermal paste on my cpu so this isn't an issue. I have tried removing the program and let my motherboard decide the speed of the fans but still the same problem persists. I wonder if getting the Be quiet! Silent Loop 2 280mm would improve my temps and run more silently?

The only way for my pc not to crash while on windows is to have it set on Balanced mode. I do not play games though I do run VMware and many tabs on chrome.

Would the solution be to get an external fan controller and control the CPU fan speed like that? I do not see why it should ever run at high speeds when my cpu is NEVER at 100%, not even close as I don't run cpu intensive tasks. It runs quiet and from time to time, but often enough to be irritating, it will rev up to its full speed. The noise only comes from the Noctua and from no other fan.

 

[Lafong]

It is of course possible that your Noctua is defective in some way.

Is this a new development on the Noctua or has it always been that way?

Noctua fans are not necessarily quiet as they get up into higher RPMs. I assume you have directly compared your Noctua to your non-Noctuas.

You don't mention observed RPMs.

As a first attempt, I would probably ignore or uninstall MSI programs related to the fans and instead try to control fans PURELY through the motherboard BIOS directly.

I use nothing but Noctuas, but never spin them above 800. If I forced them up above 1500 or 2000, I expect they would become bothersome, but I have NO idea how sensitive you might be about noise.

 

[cheekykid]

It is of course possible that your Noctua is defective in some way.

Is this a new development on the Noctua or has it always been that way?

Noctua fans are not necessarily quiet as they get up into higher RPMs. I assume you have directly compared your Noctua to your non-Noctuas.

You don't mention observed RPMs.

As a first attempt, I would probably ignore or uninstall MSI programs related to the fans and instead try to control fans PURELY through the motherboard BIOS directly.

I use nothing but Noctuas, but never spin them above 800. If I forced them up above 1500 or 2000, I expect they would become bothersome, but I have NO idea how sensitive you might be about noise.

Is this a new development? I am not sure to be honest because I have undergone some software changes.

Before I updated my windows 10 to 11 I used to run them my fans on silent mode in the MSI Center software (unless I was playing games) and my system was dead silent and running fine with 0 crashes. It seems to me, though am not 100% sure, that Win11 is more power hungry and thus I can no longer run my system on Silent without experiencing some crashes from time to time. The crashes disappear on Balanced mode where the fans are more active so these crashes are heat related. I don't have any other CPU cooler or fans to try on.

When my Noctua runs up to 800rpm I do not mind it at all. It is when it revs up that it bothers me as it gets very loud. It is as if it detects heat in my cpu and it tries to cool it down. The revving up doesn't last long but it is nonetheless very irritating. Many years ago I had a Zalman fan controller that would bypass all software in the way and like that I would adjust my cpu or others fans as I saw fit and I was in complete control of what was going on with the noise I therefore think whether I should go back to this.

 

[Lafong]

As I said.......

I'd try controlling fans speeds DIRECTLY through the BIOS.......NOT through any other software.

You should have considerable control....for instance....spinning the Noctua at 800 unless temps get above X or Y or Z. Or at 1100. You would probably be able to spin the non-Noctua fans at some other RPM. The controls would be somewhere within a sub-menu in the BIOS.



Maybe you are unwilling to do that for reasons of your own.

 

[cheekykid]

As I said.......

I'd try controlling fans speeds DIRECTLY through the BIOS.......NOT through any other software.

You should have considerable control....for instance....spinning the Noctua at 800 unless temps get above X or Y or Z. Or at 1100. You would probably be able to spin the non-Noctua fans at some other RPM. The controls would be somewhere within a sub-menu in the BIOS.



Maybe you are unwilling to do that for reasons of your own.

Yes, I see where you coming from am just thinking whether this is more of a hassle in the sense that I would always need to go into BIOS to make changes.

Where would I find which temperatures are appropriate in relation to cpu load? Say 50% -> 700rpm, 70% -> 950rpm etc. so that I could make the necessary changes in the BIOS.

 

[Lafong]

Yes, I see where you coming from am just thinking whether this is more of hassle in the sense that I would always need to go into BIOS to make changes.

Where would I find which temperatures are appropriate in relation to cpu load? Say 50% -> 700rpm, 70% -> 950rpm etc. so that I could make the necessary changes in the BIOS.

It shouldn't take long....a few minutes to set one configuration. Another few minutes to test it. Maybe an adjustment or 2 for another configuration and a retest. Didn't take me more than a half hour total. Get it set up once and forget it unless you see temps that alarm you. If so, readjust.

I have 3 Noctuas. CPU Noctua is restricted to 800. The 2 Noctua case fans are restricted to 500.

Location in the BIOS varies from motherboard to motherboard. Probably in a sub-menu, not the main page.

Any secondary software or hardware could work perfectly or poorly. May interfere or attempt to over-ride whatever you set in the BIOS. I wouldn't use secondary fan software or hardware at all UNLESS the BIOS controls are PROVEN to be unsatisfactory.

I don't care about CPU temps as long as they are under 80 somewhere. Mine is rarely above 50. Some people have a heart attack if they see 50. CPUs are designed to operate indefinitely at around 100. Suit yourself based on your beliefs.

 

[cheekykid]

It shouldn't take long....a few minutes to set one configuration. Another few minutes to test it. Maybe an adjustment or 2 for another configuration and a retest. Didn't take me more than a half hour total. Get it set up once and forget it unless you see temps that alarm you. If so, readjust.

I have 3 Noctuas. CPU Noctua is restricted to 800. The 2 Noctua case fans are restricted to 500.

Location in the BIOS varies from motherboard to motherboard. Probably in a sub-menu, not the main page.

Any secondary software or hardware could work perfectly or poorly. May interfere or attempt to over-ride whatever you set in the BIOS. I wouldn't use secondary fan software or hardware at all UNLESS the BIOS controls are PROVEN to be unsatisfactory.

would 800RPM for the CPU suffice regardless of its load?

 

[Lafong]

would 800RPM for the CPU suffice regardless of its load?

There's a continuum between temps you can tolerate versus fan noise you can tolerate.

You personally get to decide what you can tolerate.

Some people would tell you they are highly annoyed by a magpie farting at a distance of 50 yards.

Others would tell you they are frantic if temps are above 40.

800 rpm may be intolerable to you. Personal choice. Noctua DH 15 is superb cooler. Not if you demand ABSOLUTE silence. Personal choice again.

Experiment. Anything else is rank speculation.