I recently upgraded to a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE cooler after using a stock AMD cooler for a long time. While it was a significant improvement, I've been noticing lately that it's become unbearably loud. It sounds almost like something is rattling, likely due to vibrations. I tried cleaning my PC with compressed air, but cleaning the dust in the heat sink was really challenging. I expected the noise to improve, but it hasn't. Could this noise be caused by just some dust, or did I possibly make a mistake when mounting the fans? Even with my headset on, the sound is very noticeable when I'm not actively using my PC. Any suggestions?
3 Answers
To diagnose the noise, try removing the fans to see if they are the source of the sound. If they are, it might be time for replacements. If not, mount them one at a time to identify the issue. Also, you can give the entire cooler a gentle wash in warm soapy water, then let it air dry overnight to help with the dust buildup.
What CPU are you using?
Sorry about that! I'm using an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
I have the same cooler, and while it's not meant to be silent, what you're describing seems off. Have you checked if the fans are properly mounted? Sometimes cables can get in the way and hit the fan blades, causing noise.
I did take everything apart when I cleaned it to change the thermal paste, so I've remounted both the heat sink and fans. I'm not sure if there's a cable touching the fans, but I thought I checked thoroughly. I even recorded the sound so I could show you guys, but I'm not sure how to share that here.
Will the CPU be fine if I boot up with just one fan or none at all for a moment? Thanks for the dust cleaning tip; I’ll definitely consider that. I didn't think much dust would cause this issue since I hadn't touched it after the original install. By the way, I'm idling around 50°C with my 5800X3D—does that sound okay?