The Framework Desktop is marketed as a silent PC. Mine wasn’t.
After setting it up, I noticed an annoying whirring noise coming from the PSU fan. It would spin up randomly, even when the system was idle.
This bothered me for weeks. I tried different power profiles, checked thermals, searched forums.
Turns out the fix is simple.
The Problem
The PSU fan activates when the power supply gets too warm. By default, the CPU fan doesn’t run at low temperatures, which means less airflow through the case. The PSU heats up, and its fan kicks in.
The PSU fan is loud. The Noctua CPU fan is not.
The Fix
Go into BIOS and make the CPU fan run continuously:
- Reboot and enter BIOS (press F2 during boot)
- Navigate to the cooling/fan settings
- Set CPU fan to Always On
- Set minimum temperature to 30°C
That’s it.
The Noctua fan is nearly silent, even when running constantly. With proper airflow, the PSU stays cool enough that its fan never needs to spin up.
Why This Works
More consistent airflow through the case keeps the PSU temperature below its fan activation threshold. You’re trading a silent Noctua fan running all the time for an annoying PSU fan kicking in randomly.
It’s not even a trade-off. The Noctua at low RPM is basically inaudible.
Credit
Found this fix in the Framework community forums. Honestly, this should be the default BIOS setting if Framework wants to call this a silent PC.