Should I worry about the noise the PC makes after installing a second GPU

cpugraphics cardnoisepower supply

I recently installed a second graphics card (ATI 5770 in crossfire), and cleaned out a lot of dust from the PC. For some reason however the 'fan noise' is much louder, and I can only think of a few reasons:

  • The two graphics cards have paired up to be noisy.
  • The powersuply is working overtime to feed my power hungry cards.
  • The whole box is hotter, making the CPU work harder to stay cool.

Which of these is most likely, and how can I make it quiter? FWIW my powersupply is a corsair 650W (maybe 750W, but I don't think so) and my CPU is a Phenom II X4 955.

Update:

I've just installed SpeedFan on my windows boot for t his machine, and the temps are up around 60-80c That 80c is on my second GPU. I'm guessing that's not good What can I do in light of this?

Best Answer

A few ideas:

  1. did you remove the heatsink from the CPU without without replacing the thermal paste?
  2. When cleaning, you might have missed a chunk of dust on a fan and thrown it off balance.

Boot it with the top off and give it a careful listen. If it's not obvious where the noise is from, shut down, remove the new card, boot and see if the noise is there.

If the noise isn't the new card, if you gently touch a running fan, it will slow it down for a half second or so (don't stop it!). If the loud noise doesn't change, it will eliminate that particular fan as a possible source of noise. If the loud noise changes, you found your culprit and know what needs more careful cleaning or replacing.

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