Tame Corsair H100i Fan Noise

Hi fireberd,

Install the Asus AI Suite 3 program and use the Fan Xpert 3 module to gain control of the fans. The Corsair Link and Asus AI Suite 3 can both be set to start with Windows.

I have a Corsair Hx850i power supply, which I have the Link Software configure to draw air out of the case at a low fan speed. Asus Fan Xpert control the temperature profiles of the case fans.

The Corsair water cooler should be powered by cpu power connect, then the Water Pump and CPU/Pump average speed will be visible in Fan Xpert. (CPU/Pump average since in my system it seems that the pump speed and radiator fan speed is averaged.)

I don't want the ASUS AI Suite installed. The less I have the better as this PC is used for my Recording Studio. I have the startup limited to "must have" items only. The Corsair program is not in startup and I only run the Corsair program as needed. AS it is now, the Resplendence Latency Mon program shows this system to have almost no latency. Because of the low system latency I am also able to use a low buffer in my recording interface unit and have outstanding audio latency (2.2ms recording latency).

Although I have a "ROG" ASUS motherboard it was selected for the number of USB ports on the rear I/O panel and it is not used for Gaming or overclocking.

Well,

Given a choice, I would uninstall Corsair Link and use Asus Fan Xpert.

The fans are controlled by the fan controller in the Corsair CPU Pump. They are not connected to fan connections on the motherboard. Thus the ASUS Fan Xpert would never "see them" and do nothing for them.

I'm not doing anything else until I receive the ordered Noctua fans and replace the stock Corsair fans. After posting this, I've found many other complaints about the stock Corsair fans and just about all of them reference replacing the stock fans with aftermarket quiet fans.

I said I wasn't going to do anything else until the new Noctua fans come in. But I installed the ASUS AI suite on my Win 10 Preview version just to see. It does not detect or show the Corsair cooler fans. It does show the CPU Pump is there but there is no way to control the fans with the ASUS application. Possibly where the Corsair Pump is connected to the motherboard will determine how its shown.

With the fans set to custom configuration (1400 RPM max) the pump is running mostly around 2000 RPM, even at low CPU usage.

I suspect that ultimately the Corsair cooler will have to go (I'm not really happy with it and should have went with a Thermatake as I used a Thermatake liquid cooler in my old build and worked OK and was quiet). But, I'll give the new Noctua fans a go first. The fans are not due in until late next week. If I were using this system for applications other than Recording Studio the stock Corsair fans and their noise would be acceptable, but its not for a Recording studio system (why I went with a "Quiet" case).

Yes, typically with the fans connected to the fan controller (not the fan connectors on the MB) those fans won't show up in AI Suite.

Look at mine. Fans 1, 3 and 4 are case fans plugged to the MB which I control with AI Suite 3. On the H110i fan side I decided to go with fan header connection and Link control (easy desktop adjustment, I'm always changing colors, etc).



My rad fans set at a fixed 1200RPM never vary 20+- RPM.



The fans are quiet this way and the CPU remains cool under idle and load. You mentioned CPU temps were hitting the 40's under load with a 1400 fixed RPM. 40C is nothing for that CPU. Even under idle (from your Link pic) your CPU was at 30C with the balanced fan config.

Don't know why we are talking about AI Suite. If it or anything else had control of your rad fans AND if you choose to ramp them up and down, you will always have the noise.

SO IMHO if you aren't happy with a fixed RPM with the Corsair fans then yes seek out quieter fans or ultimately change cooler. With a different/smaller config you should be able to get that rear case exhaust fan back in. The lack of a case exhaust fan would become an issue if you ever decided to add a GPU.

I have considered the lack of the case fan. I'll see what happens with the Noctua fans. If it doesn't satisfy me the Corsair cooler will get replaced (probably with a Thermatake that has a smaller 120MM radiator and fans that can mount in the rear case fan mounting location (what I had with my old PC). I'll then use one or both of the Noctua fans on the case upper mounting (where I have the Corsair now) and add extra case cooling (there is one existing case fan on the front side of the case).

I don't plan on any GPU as the Intel CPU video is more than adequate for my recording studio applications.

Here is the current with basically no load. The pump speed does seem high, though.

The rad fan speed seem out of wack if you have it set to a fixed 1400RPM.

Do you have the latest version of link 4.5.0.55?



Downloads

You have to choose fixed RPM hit apply. The pump speed looks fine. If you click on it you can change it to quiet if you wish. Mine's set to performance.

Actually the 1400 is Max fan speed.
Yes I have the latest version (installed it yesterday).

I tried the quiet setting, before I set the max fan speed. It was quiet until I started a program or did almost anything and then the fans would speed up (noisy).