Casey121806 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hello, I just bought the above cooling system to replace the crappy alienware one that came with my PC. The temperatures and everything seem fine, but if I set the radiator fan above 1000rpm I get a kind of growling noise. Is this normal? The higher the rpm's the louder the noise. Ill admit I had a LOT of trouble getting the damn thing in. There's a chance not all the screws bolting the radiator to the case are in correctly. Seriously, that gave me a lot of trouble! Maybe I just suck. Anyway, I plan on opening up the case to look at a few things like loose wires or something like that. That's tomorrow after work though and I would like to get any thoughts on the subject I can. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red-ray Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 if I set the radiator fan above 1000rpm I get a kind of growling noise. Is this normal? No, It sounds like one of your fans has a bearing issue. See http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?p=847421 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-attack Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Can you narrow it down to one fan or the other? Or does it sound like both of them? It is possible to over-tighten the fans to the radiator/case, although this usually results in a "ticking" versus "growling" sound. I hate to suggest it, but the most efficient method of troubleshooting is to take the fans off the radiator so you can hold it in your hand and feel what's happening. Wobbly bearings and rattles are a lot easier to detect this way and also allows you to see what happens when you change the angle of the fan. Don't feel too bad about struggling to put it on. My first H50-like radiator was full of holes where I mis-threaded the screws into the fins trying to sandwich a push-pull combination into the rear slot. You get better with practice, although I can understand if you would prefer to do it once and be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey121806 Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 A buddy of mine works with fans and says it doesn't sound like a bearing issue, nor does it sound like the video in the forum post linked above. Here's a link to a video I put up. The fans start at Default, then go to Balanced then to Max. So between 1000 RPM-2500 or so. Thank you for the responses. If someone can identify this sound then I will proceed to remove the unit and test which fan is making the noise. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeBD1Yq7IdU&feature=youtu.be[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-attack Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 There is something off about the sound. I haven't used the 49mm H80i and its unique sound is going to be slightly different than 38mm model. However, I am still wondering if you have the fans on either too tight or there is some other restriction near the fan (weird rear grill, etc). You can: 1) Loosen each screw about 1/4 turn to see if that changes the pitch. If so, we are on the right track. 2) Take the fans off and run them one at a time from a motherboard header. If the noise is still present in your hand, then you have a bad fan one way or the other and they can be replaced. If it goes away, then we know the sound is related to the mounting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey121806 Posted May 9, 2016 Author Share Posted May 9, 2016 Thank you all for your replies. I reinstalled the unit and from what we could tell it seemed it wasn't seated correctly the first time and the screws weren't equally tightened. I was even having trouble getting the side of my tower clicked on without extra pressure. After the remounting the side clicks on fine. I'm still hearing a little bit of a whine when the fans kick up, but it has greatly diminished. It's hard to hear it at all with the case open. One more question that I have is this: At full rpm's (2700) are these fans supposed to be completely quiet? I'm wondering if the fact that I have my ear right up next to the fan and it isn't pointing away from me like it would be sitting in my house during regular use could be a contributing factor to being able to hear the sound in the first place. I still plan on testing both fans individually. Once more, thank you so much for all the help. EDIT- During gameplay, the H80i's temperature will slowly rise to 39.4-39.7 celsius and then stay there. I notice in the Configure option for that temp it says it's max is around there, so I'm wondering if that is normal or if it's getting too hot. I've never looked at liquid coolers in this much detail before so I just want to make sure everything is working right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-attack Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Good, I am glad you were able to solve it. I have also made a mess of my H80i sandwich on more than one occasion. Possibly dozens more. No, the fans are not supposed to be quiet at 2700 rpm and there isn't a fan in existence that will make you happy at that speed. The fans that come with the cooler are designed for maximum cooling performance. On the positive side, you likely do not need as much fan speed as you think. When using C-Link and controlling the fans with the cooler, the speed is based on water temperature (H80i Temp) in the control panel. The standard default curve will take you up to 100% somewhere near 40C water temperature. There is nothing magical about this number. They have to pick some points for the curve, but every single environment is different and your room/case temperature will play a large part in your water temperature. For this reason, most everyone should want to make their own fan/temperature curve. The water temperature is in effect your baseline CPU temperature. While instrument readings aren't perfect, if your water temp is 31C, your CPU minimum temperature will also be 31C. That baseline temperature + the voltage induced heat on the processor becomes your final CPU temperature. The voltage is very dynamic and changes constantly between it's stepped down value and whatever it is at 100% load. But, if that 100% voltage adds 40C to your baseline, then the resulting max temperature is 71C. You can't control the voltage induced temperature, except by lowering the level in the BIOS. So for a given overclock setting, the variable you can control is the water temperature. This is what the fans do. They aid in removing heat from the water and unlike an air tower, you have this nice pool of fluid to hold the heat while it is waiting to be expelled. However, you can't take 20C off your temperature with fans, no matter how fast you run them. If your starting water temperature is 30C at the desktop and goes up to 40C with load, the most you can possibly reduce your CPU temperatures by blasting the fans is 10C, and that is only theoretical. The reality is going to a little less. Usually the difference between 50% fan speed and 100% is only 3-5C on your CPU temperatures. Most people are willing to live with that small loss and take the much quieter fan profile. You can measure the exact differences for yourself by comparing the "performance profile" to the "Quiet" one. The quiet profile will cap your fans speeds around 1350-1400 RPM, regardless of water temperature. In general, you may see a water temperature range from the low 20's (cold boot, cold room) up the mid 40's (hot room, heavy load). This is also affected by the amount of case waste heat, particularly from the GPU when you have a rear slot mounted cooler. A big, hot card like a 980 Ti will have a substantial effect on your cooling when it is under load. So, if the GPU waste heat raises the water temperature 10C, all of your CPU temperatures both at idle and load will be 10C warmer. For this reason, you may actually get higher CPU temps in combination load situations (GPU+CPU) like CPU intensive MMO games, than on a straight CPU load test. You will have to find your own range for the water temperature for your usage and climate. In the meantime, you can use the quiet mode to keep the fan noise to a more reasonable level, without giving up very much cooling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey121806 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Good, I am glad you were able to solve it. I have also made a mess of my H80i sandwich on more than one occasion. Possibly dozens more. No, the fans are not supposed to be quiet at 2700 rpm and there isn't a fan in existence that will make you happy at that speed. The fans that come with the cooler are designed for maximum cooling performance. On the positive side, you likely do not need as much fan speed as you think. When using C-Link and controlling the fans with the cooler, the speed is based on water temperature (H80i Temp) in the control panel. The standard default curve will take you up to 100% somewhere near 40C water temperature. There is nothing magical about this number. They have to pick some points for the curve, but every single environment is different and your room/case temperature will play a large part in your water temperature. For this reason, most everyone should want to make their own fan/temperature curve. The water temperature is in effect your baseline CPU temperature. While instrument readings aren't perfect, if your water temp is 31C, your CPU minimum temperature will also be 31C. That baseline temperature + the voltage induced heat on the processor becomes your final CPU temperature. The voltage is very dynamic and changes constantly between it's stepped down value and whatever it is at 100% load. But, if that 100% voltage adds 40C to your baseline, then the resulting max temperature is 71C. You can't control the voltage induced temperature, except by lowering the level in the BIOS. So for a given overclock setting, the variable you can control is the water temperature. This is what the fans do. They aid in removing heat from the water and unlike an air tower, you have this nice pool of fluid to hold the heat while it is waiting to be expelled. However, you can't take 20C off your temperature with fans, no matter how fast you run them. If your starting water temperature is 30C at the desktop and goes up to 40C with load, the most you can possibly reduce your CPU temperatures by blasting the fans is 10C, and that is only theoretical. The reality is going to a little less. Usually the difference between 50% fan speed and 100% is only 3-5C on your CPU temperatures. Most people are willing to live with that small loss and take the much quieter fan profile. You can measure the exact differences for yourself by comparing the "performance profile" to the "Quiet" one. The quiet profile will cap your fans speeds around 1350-1400 RPM, regardless of water temperature. In general, you may see a water temperature range from the low 20's (cold boot, cold room) up the mid 40's (hot room, heavy load). This is also affected by the amount of case waste heat, particularly from the GPU when you have a rear slot mounted cooler. A big, hot card like a 980 Ti will have a substantial effect on your cooling when it is under load. So, if the GPU waste heat raises the water temperature 10C, all of your CPU temperatures both at idle and load will be 10C warmer. For this reason, you may actually get higher CPU temps in combination load situations (GPU+CPU) like CPU intensive MMO games, than on a straight CPU load test. You will have to find your own range for the water temperature for your usage and climate. In the meantime, you can use the quiet mode to keep the fan noise to a more reasonable level, without giving up very much cooling. Hello!! I found out what is causing the buzzing. I took out the entire thing (you're right, it does get easier and easier to mount the thing!) and isolated the sound to the fan bolted to the radiator. I found that when holding the radiator in the air there is no noise, and if I set it down on a table or a box or something else to hold it up, the vibration will return. I have an Alienware Aurora R4. I wonder if the radiator is just a little too big for the case so it's vibrating against the side or something like that. Anyway, I think I can rest a little easier now that I know something truly horrible isn't going on inside my case. Do you know if a vibration like this can cause any damage to my cooling unit? Thank you again! I really do appreciate the in depth responses you've given me regarding everything from temperature to fan types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-attack Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Some energy has to be transmitted from the pump down the hoses and some energy passes from the fan, but I don't feel like it should vibrate when on the table. Now if the fan isn't secured to the radiator, that is a different story. No, the vibrations won't damage the cooler, but they are annoying and it's better to solve the issue. The first thing that comes to mind is the method for securing the whole thing. You can use the included screws to tighten the internal fan to the radiator (hopefully it is pushing air out the back). The fan that goes between the case and the radiator is often the hard one. I doubt you can use the screws that came with the case. Usually the screws on an Alienware are big, thick things. You need 6-32 threaded screws (like the included ones) to secure the back. Furthermore, that rear grill on the case is thick. It's not some 1/16th sheet metal, but thick plastic. You likely need very long 6-32 screws to go through the back grill, the 25mm fan, and then a few more millimeters of the H80i. You may need screws as long 1 3/4 inches. You can get these at any hardware store. No need for specialty screws. Bolt the internal fan down and the rest the H80i wherever you can. Thread the long screws through the back and through the 2nd fan. They should be long enough the back fan can just hang there for a second. Then carefully line up the radiator and slide it onto those screws without popping them off the back. It takes practice, but you will get there. The vibrations you are describing remind me of what happens when the sandwich isn't tight and not all 4 screws go in evenly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey121806 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 I was able to use the screws that came with the unit to screw in from the back into the rear fan, but I had to get rid of the washers for them to fit. Now that I think about it, I didn't test the rear fan while it was connected to the radiator. There's a good chance it could be both of them making that noise. I wonder if there's a torque value for this kind of thing somewhere. I have them all in pretty tight. I'll try some new screws as soon as I can, as the stock screws do seem a little short. Definitely not much room on them for the radiator to screw on to. Thank you for the measurements and as always thanks for all your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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