How silent can I make the Fractal Torrent with a 12700k and no dGPU?

[Visii]

I apologize if this is a mundane question, I just have no frame of reference for working with an airflow case.

I’m building a new computer for music, will be using a 12700k + an NH-D15 / MSI Z690 Pro. Will not be using a graphics card as the iGPU is fine for everything I do, and there are no mechanical drives only several ssds and a Pcie audio interface. Coming from an older build with a Corsair 100r generic quiet case with a 4790k and U9s which was completely silent.

I was originally looking at the BeQuiet silent base 802 since it was big and flexible with panels, but saw the Fractal Torrent and absolutely love the look. If I went airflow I would like to go with this.

I am wondering if I can achieve the same level of quietness with the Torrent as the BeQuiet 802 since I have no mechanical drives, no dGPU, and will not be doing any serious overclocking. I am starting to get the impression that noise dampening cases like the BeQuiet only really help with noise if you have lots of mechanical components.

Thank you for any help.

 

[Fritzz]

I think you have a good start. Nice roomy case with a lot of fan options, coupled with a large air cooler. I think for what you are trying to do, fan speed is going to be you biggest help. You'll likely have a highly positive pressure system if you do the 2 x 180mm up front, 3 x 140mm on the bottom and the 1 x 140mm exhaust in the back. You could even get creative with the fan profiles, something like the 2x180mm and the rear 140mm are running at low rpm, then once the CPU gets to a certain temp the 3x140mm on the bottom kick on for some extra air.

 

[Visii]

I think you have a good start. Nice roomy case with a lot of fan options, coupled with a large air cooler. I think for what you are trying to do, fan speed is going to be you biggest help. You'll likely have a highly positive pressure system if you do the 2 x 180mm up front, 3 x 140mm on the bottom and the 1 x 140mm exhaust in the back. You could even get creative with the fan profiles, something like the 2x180mm and the rear 140mm are running at low rpm, then once the CPU gets to a certain temp the 3x140mm on the bottom kick on for some extra air.

Thank you, that is a really interesting idea about switching it up with a hybrid fan flow.

Question, do you think I’d be more likely to hear the NH-D15 in the Torrent or the Silent Base 802?

 

[emphy]

Unless you encounter coil whine, you should be able to match the sound level of "quiet" cases and still get better cooling performance. It requires some tweaking of fan speeds, though.

 

[Pasic]

Why 12700k? Are you producing music or playback?
Coming from audiophile community, people who i know that build PCs avoid having fans. - Its all passive cooling.

 

[pitingres]

One possible tweak: I've heard (and yes, this is hearsay only) that the NH-D15 can generate some harmonics as the fans ramp up due to the interaction of its two large fans. I'm running a D15 with an A12x25 front fan instead of the stock fan. I did it mostly for RAM clearance, but I also note that at higher fan speeds, I'm only hearing air rushy sounds from the D15 with very little higher frequency noise.

Since I never ran it stock, I don't know if this is a real sound improvement or just BS. Take it for what it's worth. (I'd be interested to hear from someone who's run it both ways.)

 

[doubletake]

Get the noctua passive cooler,.and just run the front 180s., ez

 

[Fritzz]

Thank you, that is a really interesting idea about switching it up with a hybrid fan flow.

Question, do you think I’d be more likely to hear the NH-D15 in the Torrent or the Silent Base 802?

You're more likely to hear it in the Torrent simply because it has big mesh openings and no sound deadening. But I think it's going to come down to your fan profiles. The 802 will allow you to run the fans at a higher speeds, but you will also have to run them at a higher speed since it's not as open as the Torrent. The opposite for the Torrent, slower fan speeds due to less panel resistance.

Get the noctua passive cooler,.and just run the front 180s., ez

Was looking at the NH-P1 and it's technically not recommended for the 12700K, but is said to be ok for the 12900K, which seems odd to me. Maybe because the base clock is lower on the 12900K, /shrug NH-P1 Cooler Compatibility Chart

One possible tweak: I've heard (and yes, this is hearsay only) that the NH-D15 can generate some harmonics as the fans ramp up due to the interaction of its two large fans. I'm running a D15 with an A12x25 front fan instead of the stock fan. I did it mostly for RAM clearance, but I also note that at higher fan speeds, I'm only hearing air rushy sounds from the D15 with very little higher frequency noise.

Since I never ran it stock, I don't know if this is a real sound improvement or just BS. Take it for what it's worth. (I'd be interested to hear from someone who's run it both ways.)

You could also run just one fan on the D15.

 

[doubletake]

Was looking at the NH-P1 and it's technically not recommended for the 12700K, but is said to be ok for the 12900K, which seems odd to me. Maybe because the base clock is lower on the 12900K, /shrug NH-P1 Cooler Compatibility Chart

Thats only a concern in a truly passive setup.
The two 180s will be doing the heavy lifting, and remember, since the NHP1 was designed with a low fin density for passive use, it will benefit tremendously from any airflow thats pointed even remotely in its direction.

 

[Fritzz]

Thats only a concern in a truly passive setup.
The two 180s will be doing the heavy lifting, and remember, since the NHP1 was designed with a low fin density for passive use, it will benefit tremendously from any airflow thats pointed even remotely in its direction.

Yep, was just trying to get the info out there and point out the recommendations of the manufacturer. I agree that any airflow is going to help, especially in this case where the PSU is at the top and there is no top ventilation to allow efficient natural convection. 180s up front and a 140 at the back with some custom fan profiles should give a pretty quiet machine, especially without a GPU.