Reduce Noise Temp Check, i7 950 @ 4GHz

[boYce]

I'm trying to get my system running quieter and want some advice on temps and cooling to keep it safe.

system;
Intel i7 950
Gigabyte x58a-ud3a
6GB Mishkin Blackline RAM
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 SUPER OC 1024MB

Thermaltake Frio cooler
Fractal Design R3 case

The mobo, cpu, ram & cooler came in a bundle pre-overclocked to 4GHz, with SpeedFan showing Vcore1 at 1.23V

Both the case and CPU fans have controller dials to turn the speed up and down.
The CPU fans are actively controlled by the mobo so can go up and down with load

With all fans on high it sounds like someone has a hair-dryer on and gives idle temps like this;

Running a stress test on Prime95 kicks core temps up to 69, 72, 72, 72c and slightly increases noise as Fan1 increases to 2500rpm.


Reducing the fans to about 1000rpm gave a massive decrease in noise.
At idle this increased core temps to 44, 47, 48, 50c.
under Prime95 stress noise increased as Fan1 went up to 2300rpm and Fan2 stayed at 900rpm and temps went up to 73, 76, 77, 77c.

How do these temps look?
Is it ok to run the fans at the reduced speed?
If I want less noise & heat would I have to remove the OC and change the cooler?

cheers,

 

[wam7]

First of all don't use Prime95 for stress testing, if you must, then use Realbench. It will give you a more realistic indication as to stability. I personally encode and game at the same time as this will more accurately reflect the maximum heat I can expect in the case.

If you want to get as silent as possible then nothing I've used beats the Noctua D14/D15. I'm pretty sure the D14 will fit in your case, the D15 is 5mm higher so you might need to check that.

With your CPU and that voltage and O/C you could probably run both HS fans at 7v and still keep temperatures below 70c. I'm not sure what fans you have or that can fit in your case but the bigger the better for silence. Get 140mm over 120mm. I found Bitfenix fans to push a lot of air at low speeds. You basically only need 2, 1 in and 1 out.

 

[doyll]

Temps are fine for that much overclock.

Yes, it is fine to run fans at lower speed as long as temps do not get too high.

Really hard to say what needs to be done to lower the noise level. What case and cooler do you have?

When was the last time the system had a good cleaning? Cooler fins, fans, filters, etc.

 

[new boy]

As above, if its been built for 5 years or so, then replying thermal paste as well wouldnt be a bad idea

 

[doyll]

Define R3 is a good case. Filtered front and bottom intakes. Raising case 30mm helps bottom intakes with much better airflow and lower noise. Better intake fans help.

Frio is a know noise maker.

 

[new boy]

Define R3 is a good case. Filtered front and bottom intakes. Raising case 30mm helps bottom intakes with much better airflow and lower noise. Better intake fans help.

Frio is a know noise maker.

I've got an R3, love it. Except I really want to get the front cages out