First, a confession: I’m actually very tolerant of ambient noise. I’m used to clanging plates and barbells at the gym, and some of my favorite musical genres are metal, industrial, and power electronics. On an early date, I once made the mistake of taking my wife to an Author and Punisher concert — she couldn’t even get in the door before her ears were overwhelmed.
A noisy Windows PC is nothing by comparison, but I really do detest the sound of a computer’s fans whirring at top speed for more than a few seconds. It’s a distraction when I’m playing a game, never mind writing for hours. In fact I usually pick quieter music while I work to improve my focus, and the last thing I want is it being drowned out. There are a variety of ways I stop my machine from getting out of control.
Changing Power Modes in Windows Settings
A one-stop shop?
There’s only one reason a PC’s fans are supposed to kick into overdrive: controlling heat. And under normal circumstances, the main thing that exacerbates heat is pushing a computer’s CPU or GPU to its limits. That’s because of the extra power consumption, whether you’re using a cheap work laptop or an advanced $3,000 gaming rig.
You may want to scale back to Best Power Efficiency if you’re still having problems and you can afford the performance hit.
In Windows 11, you can quickly adjust how hard your PC works by changing its Power Mode. Go to Settings -> System -> Power & battery. Normally, picking Balanced will be enough, but you may want to scale back to Best Power Efficiency if you’re still having problems and you can afford the performance hit. Remember to switch back to Best Performance if your PC starts struggling in apps like games and video editors.
Note that on laptops, there will actually be two Power Mode drop-down menus: Plugged in and On battery. Typically I choose Best Performance for the first and Balanced for the second, but if you’re more concerned about sound than battery life, feel free to choose whichever combination works for you.
Improving the surrounding air flow and temperature
Simple tactics can go a long way
Consider the room you’re in. Is the entire space unusually warm? If so, it may be time to install a fan or air conditioner, since ambient heat intensifies a computer’s internal temperature. In a home with central air, don’t be stingy with the thermostat — you might be able to tolerate 75F (about 24C) or more, but knocking that down a few degrees could make a difference for many devices in your home.
With a tower PC, you may be intensifying fan activity if you jam it in a cabinet.
There are also subtler things you can do, like closing blinds, curtains, and shades during the day to reduce sunlight. If you’re using a laptop, a stand may be one of the best investments you’ll ever make, since it’ll allow air to flow over every surface instead of just the top and back. Some laptops have downward-facing vents, in which case sitting them flat on your desk will interfere with escaping heat.
With a tower PC, you may be intensifying fan activity if you jam it in a cabinet. You’ll have to play things by ear — literally. If noise is out of control no matter where your tower is located, the problem is either with the overall heat in the room, or something internal.
Overclocking might not be worth it
Both PC and GPU makers offer software tools that let you boost processor performance. Sometimes these may not do anything more than tweak Windows Power Modes, but often you’ll see options to overclock components, taking their speed beyond normal limits. It’s a way of achieving the best possible framerates, or else stretching out the usefulness of an older PC.
Excessive overclocking can lead to system instability, or even components failing prematurely.
This might sound risky, but it’s usually quite safe as long as you don’t let heat get out of control. That’s the trick, naturally. If your PC doesn’t have proper cooling, loud fans may be the least of your problems. Excessive overclocking can lead to system instability, or even components failing prematurely. As a rule your PC’s internal temperature should never rise above 80C (about 176F) for more than a few moments. You can monitor temperatures using various software tools, including Windows Task Manager.
Try temporarily disabling overclocking. If that suddenly quiets your fans, leave the feature off until you can find a way of further cooling your PC. A few extra frames aren’t worth the chance of crashes or expensive replacement parts.
Installing aftermarket cooling add-ons
Cheaper than you might think
If you’ve tried everything else on this list, it may be time to upgrade the PC itself. Default case fans can only do so much, particularly if you’ve just installed a high-end desktop GPU like an Nvidia RTX 5080 or 5090.
AIOs are the most powerful options, and potentially easier to fit — but since they combine additional fans with a pump for liquid cooling, they may make the noise situation worse.
With a tower PC, there are two main product types to choose from: air coolers and all-in-one (AIO) coolers. Air coolers are cheap, but often bulky, so you’ll have to be very careful about matching dimensions to free space. AIOs are the most powerful options, and potentially easier to fit — but since they combine additional fans with a pump for liquid cooling, they may make the noise situation worse. Somewhat ironically, you may be able to mitigate this by oversizing the AIO you pick. It won’t have to work as hard to keep things under control.
You can’t stuff any additional cooling inside a laptop, yet you may be able to accomplish something similar with a laptop cooling pad. Better models rely on their own fans, but if they can dissipate enough heat, that might be enough to keep overall noise levels down.
Cleaning out dust and other debris
PC Maintenance 101
One of the most common mistakes PC owners make is failing to clean out fan vents. Over the months, any vent will gradually accumulate dust, impeding air flow. Eventually this can trap so much air that it forces a fan to work non-stop, often to little effect.
Eventually dust can trap so much air that it forces a fan to work non-stop, often to little effect.
The solution should be as simple as a microfiber cloth and/or a can of compressed air. If you do use compressed air, be sure not to tilt the can too high up or down, or else some of the can’s internal fluid may spray into your PC’s electronics. Be thorough, as well — get every vent, including bottom vents if you’re using a laptop.
If you own a tower PC, you’ll want to open it up periodically and use compressed air to clean the insides. This doesn’t have to be done too frequently — even once a year may be fine — but dust can form an insulating layer on parts that needs to be dealt with.
