H150i Elite LCD fan noise

Avatar786 · 14 Apr 2022 at 23:28

Hi all,

Just got my new pc with the H150i Elite LCD installed, always previous had air cooled but thought I'd try AIO, thinking it would be quieter.

Not sure if this is normal, but there is a constant hum/low buzzing noise when set to quiet and balanced and sounds like a jet when under load.

Keen to keep the AIO if I can but need more silence, considering changing the fans to noctua, will this help? Any other ideas welcome.

Cheers

Speed · 15 Apr 2022 at 13:49

Corsair fans are overall pretty average and there are better options out there from lower end stuff like the Arctic P12 up to higher end stuff like Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM and Phanteks T30 if money is no object. You also might be able to resolve your main issue by setting a custom fan curve to stop them ramping up so much under load. I connected mine to a motherboard header using a splitter and then used my BIOS to have a nice gradual curve with the ramp up / ramp down time set to its time highest value. That way they wouldn't continually speed up and down as modern CPUs are prone to temperature spiking on 1-2 cores during normal operation.

With regards to the hum / buzz noise are you sure its the fans you are hearing and not the pump? Try stopping the fans for a short while and listening to see if you can still hear the hum / buzz noise. I had a Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX and had to return it due to the pump noise. It seems the Cool-IT pumps are not a patch on the Asetek ones when it comes to the ability to control pump RPM. Both the overall control range of pump RPM is smaller with Cool-IT and they start at a higher RPM as standard.

Avatar786 · 17 Apr 2022 at 00:27

Many thanks for the reply, having turned off the fans it is definitely the pump, the buzzing/hum is driving me mad so will definitely RMA the unit.
Went into bios and was able to lower the cpu fan rom but this was only the fans so helped a bit but still unworkably annoying so will revert to air cooling.
I have a 12600k on a Asus Maximus Hero with vengeance RAM, was worried about ram clearance on a air cooler, any suggestions as plan to overclock but would like super quiet. Cheers

Speed · 17 Apr 2022 at 11:28

I made the move from a Corsair H150i Pro RGB (Asetek pump) to a Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX (Cool-IT pump) specifically for Socket 1700 support and found the same problem. You will always get some pump noise but the newer Cool-IT designs are worse in that regard, at least in my experience. At least with Asetek I could put the pump on Quiet for day to day stuff and barely hear it then turn it up if I was gaming or benchmarking etc. I went with a Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black in the end but some of that was more getting a proper mount with my 12900K.

What Vengeance stuff you are using? LPX would probably be fine but some of the RGB models are quite tall. I'd look at something like a Noctua NH-D15S (not the D15 non-S) using just the one fan which from the specs gives 65mm of clearance. The Deepcool AK620 gets good reviews for less money but you'll probably be limited to LPX style memory if you want to use both fans.

My advice would be to check somewhere like Pc Part Picker as their compatibility checker is pretty good but to be sure I usually look at their build section. You can often find someone with your exact parts that matter (case, motherboard, cooler, memory etc) and then see what they managed to fit. Also don't forget to check what height cooler your case supports as some are so tall that they can hit the side panel and stop it from closing.

doyll · 17 Apr 2022 at 12:57

What Speed said .. air coolers are definitely quieter at low-load and often at high loads a well .. and last way longer than any CLC will.

Avatar786 · 17 Apr 2022 at 13:36

Thanks all, checked ************ but says there is a disclaimer that ram clearance and cpu coolers are not currently checked.
This is the ram https://************.com/product/4k...6-gb-ddr5-5600-cl36-memory-cmk32gx5m2b5600c36

Would like to get 4 sticks of this installed eventually.

Happy to go with noctua as have had good experience with these previously. If I went for the NH-D15 (non s) and replaced the 2nd 140mm fan with a noctua 120mm fan would this give enough clearance?
Would like to overclock and keep it relatively silent under day to day tasks and at least quiet under heavy gaming / benchmarking.
The case is huge so could accommodate the fan acvording to pc part picker.

Speed · 17 Apr 2022 at 14:21

From what I understand DDR5 Vengeance is 35mm tall, so you should be fine with either as long as you don't mind adjusting the fans up a bit. Most other aircoolers would also work so you could consider something like the Deepcool AK620 or Dark Rock Pro 4.

Noctua are a great brand so I don't blame you if that is your choice. Just be aware that the D15 (non-s) is not offset like the D15S, so you need to make sure there is enough room on your board that it won't block the primary PCI-E slot.

doyll · 17 Apr 2022 at 15:15

Bits of trivia that might be helpful:

DDR4 PCB spec is 31.35mm high by 133.35mm long and 1.3mm thick, 3.9mm thick with memory chips.
RAM socket is about 5mm below top of CPU, so top of 35mm tall RAM is about 30mm above top of CPU.

Anything bigger is almost worthless tripe they call 'heat spreaders' and/or RGB/ARGB lighting

Drumroll · 18 Apr 2022 at 02:31

Corsair AIO, unless you don't mind pump high pitch or are not sensitive to it, fine, as performance is OK.
But for me, is a no-no.
The fans are fine. Noisy if over 50%, usually, but unless the airflow is poor, or cooling a heavily overclocked CPU, no need to go faster.
Sure, there's plenty of better options, but the fans supplied with your AIO are good enough.

Drumroll · 18 Apr 2022 at 02:36

Speed said:
I made the move from a Corsair H150i Pro RGB (Asetek pump) to a Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX (Cool-IT pump) specifically for Socket 1700 support and found the same problem. You will always get some pump noise but the newer Cool-IT designs are worse in that regard, at least in my experience. At least with Asetek I could put the pump on Quiet for day to day stuff and barely hear it then turn it up if I was gaming or benchmarking etc. I went with a Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black in the end but some of that was more getting a proper mount with my 12900K.

What Vengeance stuff you are using? LPX would probably be fine but some of the RGB models are quite tall. I'd look at something like a Noctua NH-D15S (not the D15 non-S) using just the one fan which from the specs gives 65mm of clearance. The Deepcool AK620 gets good reviews for less money but you'll probably be limited to LPX style memory if you want to use both fans.

My advice would be to check somewhere like Pc Part Picker as their compatibility checker is pretty good but to be sure I usually look at their build section. You can often find someone with your exact parts that matter (case, motherboard, cooler, memory etc) and then see what they managed to fit. Also don't forget to check what height cooler your case supports as some are so tall that they can hit the side panel and stop it from closing.

When I was searching about the noise on the Capelix, your findings are exactly what many people on other forums mentioned.
Used the Noctua NH-D15S with a 12700K without issues. Very quiet, yet efficient.
The Dark Rock Pro 4 is a good option too, but what annoys me is how close it, as most big tower coolers, seats next to the GPU, making extremely hard to unlock the PCI-E to release the GPU when needed.
The NH-D15S in that aspect was a blessing.