I had a Corsair H60 cooling kit which used to be quite silent. It died: pump did not pump any more and it led to overheating.

I changed the kit to the superior Corsair H80, which is a crank higher. Ever since, the noise has been really loud. The H80 is using a pump and a closed circuit, with the intercooler being fanned by 2 12cm (push-pull). The trick is that the H80 pump is connected to USB and control the fan directly (not the mainboard). I had never given it much thoughts, but it seems that despite being connected to USB, there is no user interface and no way to change a response profile (speed vs temperature). This is dumb as my PC is clocked at standard speed and I end up with a CPU at 37°C while gaming.

Yesterday, I removed the connexion of the fans to the pump and plugged them directly with the mainboard (3yrs old good quality Asus). A few minutes of tuning and CPU burning later, my PC is quiet again. I plugged the following way:

• pump : plugged to main CPU FAN
• push to intercooler : OPT CPU FAN
• pull from intercooler : ALT CASE FAN
• Pull on toop of case : CASE FAN

I added an additional tuning of the graphic card using afterburner.

I played Borderlands for 2 hours as a benchmark. Conclusion : the CPU now rests at 45°C and the case becomes quiet in 5 minutes after gaming stops. The graphic card is much hotter 70°C but seems to be fine.

I’m happy (and my wife who complained about the noise even more). As a side note, the temperature in the room where the computer is raised to 35°C after gaming : not the best season….