SILENCE! Studio Computer Needed

[statikregimen]

Hi all,

So I need a computer that can stfu in a small bedroom studio, for doing mic recording.

Right now, I'm using a fairly high-end gaming rig I built, which is waaay too loud. Planning to sell it. And replace with.........something quiet.

What I need is maximum CPU power, but would like to preserve some GPU power for gaming breaks, if possible, but low noise and high CPU speed is the primary concern. At first, I thought a laptop would be a surefire solution, but kind of second guessing that. This one looked(s) perfect: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230141

I'm sitting on about a 1000-1300$ budget. Can go higher, but doubt I will have to.

My question, in short is: can I build something with a 2600k that is passively cooled (or otherwise effectively silent) with a decent GPU (like a passively cooled gtx560)? Can anybody comment about that particular laptop, or recommend another, equally powerful but tried/true silent? Finding reviews of the specific model have been difficult to find...Finally, is there any other advice/suggestions you could offer for this kind of application?

Other details:
Needs to be 64bit Windows 7 - I use Cockos Reaper DAW, and it's not uncommon for my projects to exceed 30 tracks, and approach 100 VST/i plugins
RAM Should be 4gb minimum, 8gb preferred
Prefer 1920x1080 resolution, if possible

Thanks in advance!

 

[TheSoldier]

You could try to water cool said gaming rig, would silence the vast majority of it.

 

[cryogenic419]

The system you have right now...the only problem you have is that it is too loud?
If thats the case, I was in the same boat like that once. I run a Digi 003 and Pro Tools on my gaming system. Any time I hooked a condenser mic all I heard was my system's fans.

I wasn't able to totally silence the system but I made a very dramatic cut in the noise, enough so that its not really noticable when recording. Got some sheets of Dynamat from the local car stereo place, and have that on the inside of the side panels, top and bottom of the case. I also have a piece of that in between the pc and the floor. While that did some to help things I could still hear the fans. I elected to get a fan controller for all my case fans. I am able to get the case fans dead silent when needed while still getting critical airflow in and out of the case.

Should there be any noise left over after that that you can't live with, you could just use a gate and set the threshhold just a hair above the fan noise. Anything you record would easily mask the noise as it should be damn near non existant.

I think total cost was somewhere in the ballpark of $60-70 and less than 2 hours of time installing everything. Just another option to consider.

 

[statikregimen]

You could try to water cool said gaming rig, would silence the vast majority of it.

Well, could be viable, but it has 2x 6970s in CFX (it's the AMD rig in my signature, only has my 1100t in it now), so I'd have to sacrifice a GPU to keep the cost of liquid cooling below that of just simply selling the whole rig and replacing it with something more modest (not to mention, either way, liquid cooling is a major headache - had a system before, and it was frustrating). HOWEVER, it hadn't crossed my mind, and still not a terrible idea, so I will add it to my list of possibilities. Thanks!

The system you have right now...the only problem you have is that it is too loud?
If thats the case, I was in the same boat like that once. I run a Digi 003 and Pro Tools on my gaming system. Any time I hooked a condenser mic all I heard was my system's fans.

I wasn't able to totally silence the system but I made a very dramatic cut in the noise, enough so that its not really noticable when recording. Got some sheets of Dynamat from the local car stereo place, and have that on the inside of the side panels, top and bottom of the case. I also have a piece of that in between the pc and the floor. While that did some to help things I could still hear the fans. I elected to get a fan controller for all my case fans. I am able to get the case fans dead silent when needed while still getting critical airflow in and out of the case.

Should there be any noise left over after that that you can't live with, you could just use a gate and set the threshhold just a hair above the fan noise. Anything you record would easily mask the noise as it should be damn near non existant.

I think total cost was somewhere in the ballpark of $60-70 and less than 2 hours of time installing everything. Just another option to consider.

Interesting ideas... Yea, it is only the fans that are the issue, really. I blocked off part of my room with a mattress and other things, but this noise just cuts right through it. I've tried gates, and it seems fairly controlled then, but it's still going to cause various anomalies in the mix, even if it's not directly audible. I realize I'll never achieve pro-studio quality, but every inch closer counts. I want to start recording small local artists, so even if my room acoustics aren't perfect, I can start showing a bit of competency by at least not having a constant whirring running all the time. Also, it does affect my ability to mix properly, as well... I mean, you'd come hear it and be like "oh it's not that bad", but then turn it off and it's like "ok, wow that is pretty obnoxious".

Anyway, I'll see if I can ghetto rig anything like that, just to test if it's a viable option. Thanks!

 

[Dangman]

At first, I thought a laptop would be a surefire solution, but kind of second guessing that.

While nowhere near as loud as a desktop PC, laptops with a dedicated video card tends to be a bit loud due to the laptop's small fans.

My question, in short is: can I build something with a 2600k that is passively cooled (or otherwise effectively silent) with a decent GPU (like a passively cooled gtx560)?

Yes it is possible to build a fairly quiet PC with decent-ish GPU as shown here in this SPCR review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1223-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1150-page1.html

Other than the video card, which can be remedied, that above setups clearly shows that you can make a fairly quiet gaming PC.

Finally, is there any other advice/suggestions you could offer for this kind of application?

Have you tried swapping cases and/or fans? What case are you using right now?

 

[statikregimen]

While nowhere near as loud as a desktop PC, laptops with a dedicated video card tends to be a bit loud due to the laptop's small fans.

Yes it is possible to build a fairly quiet PC with decent-ish GPU as shown here in this SPCR review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1223-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1150-page1.html

Other than the video card, which can be remedied, that above setups clearly shows that you can make a fairly quiet gaming PC.

Have you tried swapping cases and/or fans? What case are you using right now?

I figured as much, about the dedicated GPU in the laptop, although my hope would be that it would stay silent, when recording, since that doesn't use the GPU and could spin that fan down (or if it's only 1 fan, it wouldn't have to spin as fast)....

Thanks for the links - reading it now

My current case is a Rosewill Blackhawk. I don't have any other cases to try, shy of swapping with my Intel rig, which is an even bigger/louder case (Rosewill Thor)

Thanks for your suggestions! Much appreciated

 

[Dangman]

Sorry. By case swapping I mean get a new case. The Rosewill Blackhawk isn't exactly designed for low noise computing. Getting a new case and maybe additional quiet fans will be substantially cheaper than building a new PC. I recommend the following quiet cases:
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case

And in case you're wondering how quiet the above cases are:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/fractal-r3
http://www.silentpcreview.com/antec-p183
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Antec_P280
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Silverstone_Raven_Two
http://hardocp.com/article/2010/09/30/my_quiet_galaxy_geforce_gtx_480_sli_build/ (About the Silverstone Raven 2)

 

[statikregimen]

Yea, I figured that's what you meant, but I just wish there was some way for me to try them out first (really, wish I could try any/all of these solutions before picking one).

I'm going to keep researching tho, because I really need whatever solution I pick to be "it", so I can save the hassle (and expense, time, trouble, etc) of RMA'ing when a solution doesn't work. And even then, how do I know I picked the best solution? Blargh

It's kind of a really awkward position, but again: I can't thank you all enough for your time and insight

EDIT: another thought, any mods I do to this computer is going to cost above and beyond what I've already invested (around $2k)... tbh, I'm almost better off selling it and buying a specialized solution: either an ultra silent laptop (that isn't gimped on CPU perf.) or build a cheaper, passively cooled machine. Ugh...lots to process and really need to make a decision soon =/

 

[statikregimen]

Hi guys... Thanks again so much for the feedback.

I decided that I need to just decide on something, and managed to find somebody on youtube with a very similar model laptop to the one I was looking at (same case/cooling design; slightly lower specs). He did some crude, very unscientific noise tests, but when combined with all my other issues (if you care, just skim through this thread), I decided this is the best place to start. It's the most likely to meet all of my needs simultaneously, and if so, I can then sell the gaming desktop and be money ahead (my 2nd signature rig...asking $1400, it has an 1100t installed and throwing in an fx-8120 for free). If the laptop doesn't cut it, I can RMA it and start the more grueling process of trial/error.

Thank you all again so much for your help! I'll let you know how it pans out, and will try to write up a short review of the laptop when I've had a chance to play with it for a few days (had it over-nighted).