Computer Intel CPU Cooling Fan Noise Irritated My Noxacusis — Here's My Solution

I have tinnitus, hyperacusis and noxacusis (ear pain from normal sounds). Higher pitched and more distorted sounds give me more ear pain even at comparable volumes. My desktop computer was a problem until I narrowed it down to the original Intel CPU cooling fan. Installing fan speed software to slow the fan speed when possible helped but I still got ear pain during extended use. I installed this cooler:

Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.C CPU Air Cooler, 120mm Single Tower, Intel LGA1700, LGA1151, AMD AM4/Ryzen

And then downloaded this fan speed control software:

Argus Monitor

And now all is good. I am not affiliated with Scythe or Argus Monitor, just a happy user of both.

Hope this helps someone with similar issues.

George

 

I had the same issue with computer fans.

Bought a MacBook M1, problem solved (these machines are simply THAT good that they really don't need a fan anymore, even with a 4K monitor connected to it playing fullscreen games).

 

I can second this, they are silent machines, but if you want to play AAA gaming titles then a MacBook might not be for you.

 

True - I only play League though . Runs 150 fps on a 4K external monitor with high settings, no fans.

 

I bought a Cirrus7 PC, fanless, zero decibels. I had a fan speed monitor but it bothered me even at minimum speed.

I had a Mac from work but when I compiled my projects, it was like a helicopter.

 

*pre M1 Mac.

 

@Taw, this looks very interesting, how has this computer been performing for you, any issues?

George

 

I love it, it's from Germany, the secret is in the case, the whole case is a fanless cooler. Even in stress tests it stays quite cool. The MOBO is ASRock, very reliable.

Had no problems with it and I have had it for almost 2 years.

 

Try compiling Linux kernel or Chromium project and tell me that is zero decibels pls.

M1 is great, but M1 MacBook Pro has a fan and it will make noise.

 

I do VR projects with millions of polygons in Unreal Engine and rendering to full HD cinematic movies. Haven't heard the fan kick in once, but whatevs...

 

These are two great suggestions for my next computer. Thanks guys.

George

 

I'm getting a strange reactive tinnitus noise from my new PC. It's not even loud. It's a strange electrical tinnitus noise. I only hear that noise when beside my PC.

 

To solve the fan noise problem I simply bought long cables and put my PC case in the next room and slid the cables under the door to connect my monitor and I don't hear the fans anymore.

 

I have heard of others doing this too. Might have to take that approach. I have so many cables coming out of my PC, not sure how it will work when I want to use it for VR too...

I might be ok with just wearing noise-cancelling headphones indefinitely. Maybe I risk becoming too sensitive to sound but will probably be ok.

 

One thing that I believe affects tinnitus is EMFs given off by computers. I use a laptop computer, and notice my tinnitus increases as I spend time on it (which is a lot). I somewhat offset this by always using my laptop on battery power, as there are much less EMFs when doing that.

I bought an EMF protective "sleeve" from a company called SafeSleeve last year for my cell phone (which I use a lot in my car). I noticed such a difference when using it for my phone, that I got one for my laptop as well. I noticed an improvement as soon as I started using it.

I realize not everyone is as sensitive to EMFs as I am. But even if you don't notice anything, research shows there are cumulative negative effects over time, which can cause subtle damage to our ears. One guy wrote here on Tinnitus Talk that he got his tinnitus from a new truck he had purchased, with all the technological gizmos that came with it. Also, smart meters have been know to cause tinnitus. You can put a sleeve over them as well, reducing EMFs by as much as 90%.

 

For the many cables issue I also bought a long USB hub, so I have three or so total cables connecting to my computer. I did not do this necessarily because of tinnitus, I just hate the fan noise in general, especially when it speeds up and down under load.

 

I asked my friends to drill a hole in the wall and I have my computer in the next room with wires going through the wall. Not a solution for everyone but certainly works for me haha

 

Oh the wretched life of tinnitus...

 

You have done the right thing. I used this setup for many years. The noise from the internal hard disk spinning and fan caused my tinnitus to increase to the point it was unbearable. The solution was drill a hole through a wall for cables and place my computer base unit in another room. I used a flat screen TV as an external monitor. My keyboard and mouse was connected to the computer via a repeater cable to boost the signal over long distance which was about 4 metres.

My new computer uses a solid-state hard drive and I requested the quietest internal fan possible when it was being built. I am able to have the PC in the same room about 2 metres away from me and haven't experienced any problems with my tinnitus.

I couldn't use a laptop that had an internal spinning hard drive and fan as it would cause my tinnitus to increase within minutes. I now use a laptop with SSHD and no internal fan and able to use it for many hours without making my tinnitus worse.

Michael

 

Yeah I don't know what is up with computers but them at 40 dB for some reason aggravates my tinnitus and hyperacusis more than conversation. Must be hidden UHF I can't hear.

 

That is probably some coil noise, very subtle...

 

I would basically need 3 cables: USB + 2 monitor cables, probably DisplayPort. But my wife will kill me if I have cables across all rooms although she is very understanding with my hyperacusis.

 

@Michael Leigh, why don't you use SSDs instead of HDDs? They are zero decibels.

 

I get a new tinnitus sound only with a brand new PC. Literally never hear that noise with anything else. Very strange and 100% PC specific. Not just any PC though, only my brand new one which is very high spec.

 

I made a mistake @Taw. My computer and laptop use SSDs, not HDDs.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Michael

 

After my second noise trauma in 2008, my tinnitus changed to variable but the hyperacusis did not return. I began to notice whenever I was near a computer or laptop my tinnitus increased. Two electronic engineers that have tinnitus, advised me to place the computer base unit in another room and use an external monitor, keyboard and mouse.

For many years I thought it was the EMF (Electronic Magnetic Field) that is emitted from computers and other types of electronic equipment that caused my tinnitus to spike but this was incorrect. It is the ultra high frequencies that you mention, that comes from the internal hard drive and fan as they spin that affects the tinnitus in some people.

Those that have noise induced tinnitus might find themselves sensitive to computer noise. If this is the case, I suggest upgrading their computer hard drive to SSD and use a quiet internal fan. Use a laptop that has a SSD drive and has no internal fan.

Michael

 

Isn't tinnitus that flares due to sound hyperacusis? So confused!

 

So many of these terms are just different variants of the same thing. Anyone with tinnitus is more susceptible to a flare up and the worse your condition gets, the more susceptible you become.

 

You are correct, hyperacusis can cause tinnitus to flare-up but this is not always the case, especially when a person has variable tinnitus. Although this type of tinnitus is noise induced, hyperacusis doesn't always need to be present for the tinnitus to spike. Please click on the link below and read my thread: Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus?

All the best,
Michael.

Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum