Silent computer?

zachary80

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 15, 2002
Messages
2,745
Do you guys think it would be more cost efficient to work with my existing computer, build a new one, or buy a pre-built (my friend's Dell is very quiet)?

And what to do?

Current System:
A7N8X Deluxe() XP2400+ @ 2.379 () ATi 9800 () 512mb XMS PC3500 Platinum () 2 WD 120gb SE in RAID0 () WD 80gb () 30gb Maxtor () 50x CD drive () 52 Lite-on CDRW () Cooler Master ATC-111C-SX1 () Thermalright SLK-800 () Thermaltake Smart Fan II () WINXP

Might post pictures in a little bit.

Temps:
At the full overclock (fan all the way up) I believe it was around 45C (load)
At 2ghz (fan all the way down) it is around 42C (load)
 
inside.JPG
 
the hard drives will make a lot of high-pitched noise, it's not very noticeable for most people.. If you keep your case shut and you dont have a window you should be ok as far as noise goes. To quiet down your CPU a little bit, i'd grab the highest end thermalright heatsink and pair it with a low flow fan... another REALLY great option is the zalman 7000cu (alcu is very good as well). That'll quiet your CPU down, and then your video card (if it bothers you, small fans generally whine a little bit more) you can quiet down by using a zalman (or equivalent) heat pipe heatsink. Another option would be to use the arctic silencer cooler, which is getting a lot of good reviews etc lately... i've never used one personally so i can't comment.
 
if you want a silent computer get some silenx fans ,silenex or zaleman psu and a low noise heatsink like the zalmean 7000,scythe kamakaze, slk with quiet fan, with those items your comp will be pretty darn quiet
 
here are two things that will make you love your computer again

1 new case, antec sonata

new heatsink the new zalman will fit on your system

well make it three things artic silver 5



i have a 2500+ with the above mentioned items, i swapped out a thermalright slk-800a w artic silver 3 and a smartfan II at slower rpms

my temps went from 50C idle since the fan was turned down so much to 38C idle with the above setup. Also it is soo much quiter and i now sleep with my comp on and my bed it touching it....perfect setup for quietness in my opinion

why the artic silver 5, well it will allow you to run the fan on low setting and still get good temps

Now if you want to still overclock? well i decided i did once i saw my temps so currently i am at 2260mhz 1.825V and at 43C so it still can be easily done

also if you still find that setup too noise, the only thing that still could contain any real noise is your graphics card fan so swap it out of the zalman heatpipe cooler
 
whats the best way to re-wire?

I need to go back in and figure out why my front fans aren't working anyways
 
Fans: replace with Papst/Noiseblocker/SilenX preferable 120mm variety also use Vibration Dampener/Rubber Push pins

CPU HSF: Watercool or Zalman 7000 series or SLK series with fan from company mentioned above

PSU: Seasonic or Zalman and add vibration dampener

HDD/Optical Drives: Rubber grommets

Case: Sound Absorbing material ie Paxmate

Other than that, locking up in a silenced room far away from you would be the best way :p
 
Originally posted by dotZIP
Other than that, locking up in a silenced room far away from you would be the best way :p

I actually considered getting a wireless G network and stashing my computer in the closet as a file server. But then I realized my old computer is slower and also not silenced ;)

also, is there a better way to find where noise is coming from than a cardboard tube?
 
uh yea people, cleaning up the wirering will definetley help temps, and i think getting a new case is not gonna happen...he has a coolermaster
 
Originally posted by computerpro3
uh yea people, cleaning up the wirering will definetley help temps, and i think getting a new case is not gonna happen...he has a coolermaster

yes, I love this case

(old crappy picture)
case2.JPG


if you ever see the Falcon Northwest cases with the crazy paintjobs.....it's the same case
 
Zachary80,

Here's an example of what you can do to clean up the cabling in your case. I've got the same case as you:

ABitInstalled.jpg


The black stuff you see on my power wires is called "Split Loom". You can get it at any hardware store. I got mine at Fry's electronics. It's cheap, comes in different sizes and colors. Basically, it's plastic ribbed tubing with a slit down the middle where you can stuff your wires in. Not only will your case be tidy, but it will improve airflow slightly. (Notice I didn't say anything about temps...because I can't prove that). I do have some area to still clean up up and to the back right of the PSU as you can see in the pic, but I'm re-doing my wiring soon anyways.

Anyway, for your cooling needs, I think the Thermalright SP-97 or SLK-947U would fit the bill nicely. Check here: LINK

Also, check google for reviews on those two heatsinks. Couple them with a 92mm Panaflo and you'll be all set. You can get the Panaflo's in Low, Medium, and high power, and they're some of the best fans out there. I don't think you'll need to change the case fans. Like I said, I've got the same case with the same fans. I read their specs on some website reviewing the ATC-201 a while back, and they are pretty low-noise. Mine are hooked up to the Vantec Nexus fan controller, but I usually keep them on high because they don't bother me at all. (and I can't here them over the constant drone of my stock Intel HSF ) :mad!:

You could also go with watercooling, which I am attempting to do here within the next week or so.

Hope this helps!
 
Oh yeah,

And if you swap your case out for something like an Antec Sonata, me and the other Coolermaster case owners will find you... and SHOOT you!! It's a great case. So great, that I am working AROUND it's design in my new watercooling setup.

I'm no machinist, and wouldn't dream of attempting to drill bigger fan holes in it to accomodate a big radiator. So I found one that will fit in the 3 1/2 bay behind the two 80mm fans. Of course the hard drives will be relocating to the 5 1/4 bay..........

Just some food for thought.
 
cleaning up all those wires may reduce ur temp by .1 degrees. the only major restricter of airflow are the big a55 flat IDE cables, but u use rounded cables so it doesnt really matter.

i used to run my computer with 5 case fans running at full power, i now only have 2 case fan running and their at low power and my case is only 3 degrees hotter celcius. and the computer is about 1/4 the sound level it used to be.
 
dont forget a fan rheobus, those can really help if ur fans put out a lot of noise

also, i've heard that Fortron PSU's are pretty quiet too, i wouldnt get an Antec simply because my current Antec puts out a hum when its on and it really bugs me b/c its the only thing left if my computer thats making any real noise

for ur vid card, i would get an Arctic Cooler VGA silencer to quiet down that 9800

i agree with the recommendation on the Zalman CNPS 7000A-Cu, for around $35 its the best and quietest HSF u'll find on the market.
 
Originally posted by Scroatdog
cleaning time
I'll think about it, but I have about twice as much stuff in my case :)

Originally posted by jamestime88
cleaning up all those wires may reduce ur temp by .1 degrees. the only major restricter of airflow are the big a55 flat IDE cables, but u use rounded cables so it doesnt really matter.

Actually, my RAID drives (bottom two HD) and floppy have rounded cables, and there are two flat IDE's in there (one going to top two HD, one to the CD drives)


What temperature is considered too hot? I am thinking about cutting power from a couple fans but the extra hard drive bumped my load temp to 49C, and my general rule is to keep it below 50

Also, what are the thoughts about the Koolance Exos?
 
Originally posted by ST|FFY
dont forget a fan rheobus, those can really help if ur fans put out a lot of noise

there is one for my HSF that is sticking out of the back of my case

Scroatdog, how did you get a Nexus behind that door?
 
Cleaning up the cables in my case and changing the flow direction on my case-fans to create an intelligent airflow pattern in my system dropped my CPU temps roughly 5c - I consider that a pretty good net gain considering it cost me absolutely dick...

As for what's acceptable, I say define that for yourself. I try to stay under 50c for my load cpu temp, which currently isn't a problem for me at all. But if pushing 55c allows you to run totally silent - do it.

On the koolance exos: I don't have any experience with it, but I've often read that the popular opinion is that it'll just whet the appetite. I always see people recommend to piece together your own system, both to save money, and improve performance...
 
Originally posted by zachary80

Scroatdog, how did you get a Nexus behind that door? [/B]

Whoops...... I've got ALMOST the same case. I've got the ATC-201, so I have no door in the front. I supposed you could try to mount it less-than flush so it clears your door. I haven't been in my case in a while so I don't know if it can be done.
 
Originally posted by ST|FFY
i agree with the recommendation on the Zalman CNPS 7000A-Cu, for around $35 its the best and quietest HSF u'll find on the market.

is the 7000Cu much better? it seems like it would be, and neweegg appears to sell it for $32 (OEM -- not in stock now)
 
Antec SLK-3700BQE case
Passive PSU
One HDD (preferably a baracuda with one platter)
120mm Pabst fan
big freaking heatsink with a duct to the rear 120mm fan
zalman passive cooler on GPU

NO MORE FANS

it will be very quiet, but rather warm.

yes, I've done it before, it is quieter than a dell, but the passive PSU is expensive. You can always get a 120mm fan based fortron, and swap out another 120mm fan.
 
Originally posted by kleptophobiac
Antec SLK-3700BQE case
Passive PSU
One HDD (preferably a baracuda with one platter)
120mm Pabst fan
big freaking heatsink with a duct to the rear 120mm fan
zalman passive cooler on GPU

NO MORE FANS

it will be very quiet, but rather warm.

yes, I've done it before, it is quieter than a dell, but the passive PSU is expensive. You can always get a 120mm fan based fortron, and swap out another 120mm fan.

Maybe I should have said "quieter computer?" ;)

I am definitely not giving up my hard-drives or case.

Do any of you know the link for the power-supply page that tells you how many watts are needed?
 
i have only heard that the AlCu and the Cu versions have almost no difference between them.

as for the PSU calculator... this should give u a rough idea of what you need
 
Originally posted by ST|FFY
i have only heard that the AlCu and the Cu versions have almost no difference between them.

as for the PSU calculator... this should give u a rough idea of what you need

thanks for the link, that's what I was looking for

are there any silent PSU that give at least 440w?
 
i would have gone with the Fortron but the highest is 400W so the next best thing would be research pg 23 has what your looking for

EDIT: although the ThermalTake one got the best results, i am not sure that this is entirely true. try asking around about the ThermalTake PSU before you buy it
 
Originally posted by ST|FFY
i would have gone with the Fortron but the highest is 400W so the next best thing would be research pg 23 has what your looking for

EDIT: although the ThermalTake one got the best results, i am not sure that this is entirely true. try asking around about the ThermalTake PSU before you buy it

thanks

ThermalTake PurePower 480W ~$74

actual link:
http://anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1841&p=23
 
Originally posted by ST|FFY
so zachary80, are you set on buying that ThermalTake PSU?

Not for sure. I havn't even opened up my case again to work with re-wiring or checking to see where all the noise is coming from.

Is there any reason not to disconnect power to everything except one component at a time? Or is the tube method the best?

I was looking for info on the exos, when I remembered I saw a review here at the [H]. It seemed to be pretty favorable and that was with the price listed at $270 (I found the brushed aluminum version for $210 shipped at newegg).

I really don't want to spend that much money and am thinking along the lines of the TT 480w CPU (my current is only 420 and my needed is around 470) and the Zalman 7000cu (my friend recently got one so I am going to check it out).
 
i dont think you will be needing any water cooling for your set-up, that is unless you want to be running at 2.0 volts

otherwise, you should get the Zalman HSF, its only $35 or so :D
 
Yeah, my computer is quieter than 95-98% of the machines here (maybe more), yet I run 2.1 vcore on my Athlon 2500+. Behold the power of liquid!
 
Originally posted by doh-nut
silent computer:

1. http://www.cablewholesale.com/

2. a nearby room/closet with a door

and hey you get extra exercise when you have to install a game that is 4 cds. what a deal!

All I would need would be a cable for the moniter

Is there much difference between a VGA and SVGA cable? It says for over 15ft to get SVGA. Also will there be much signal loss?


edit:
Now I am perplexed. I installed the 4th HD, and my temps went up 3C. After backing files onto the fourth HD and disconnecting power and data cables from it, my temps went up another 2C :confused:
 
Originally posted by zachary80
All I would need would be a cable for the moniter

Is there much difference between a VGA and SVGA cable? It says for over 15ft to get SVGA. Also will there be much signal loss?


edit:
Now I am perplexed. I installed the 4th HD, and my temps went up 3C. After backing files onto the fourth HD and disconnecting power and data cables from it, my temps went up another 2C :confused:

i made the mistake of getting a vga cable first. and i got a ghosted second image on my crt slightly to the right. got a svga one and now its perfect. so you just need an SVGA extension cable, and you dont have to worry about signal loss with those unless its a huge distance.. they are 7.70 for a 15 footer on that site. which is an incredible deal, id have to pay something like $60 for that same cable locally.
 
Originally posted by doh-nut
i made the mistake of getting a vga cable first. and i got a ghosted second image on my crt slightly to the right. got a svga one and now its perfect. so you just need an SVGA extension cable, and you dont have to worry about signal loss with those unless its a huge distance.. they are 7.70 for a 15 footer on that site. which is an incredible deal, id have to pay something like $60 for that same cable locally.

Thanks, 15ft is just about what I would need to run. They come with a 1/8" audio extender too, do you know if that is any good?

In regards to my edit, I moved around my cables a little bit and it went to 1C cooler than after installing the hard drive. Which means that the HD is causing a 2C block in airflow. Does this sound right?

Is the best way to see where the sound coming from to use a tube?

Does anyone have experience with that TT 480w PSU?

edit:
My computer desk also has a place for the computer. It seems like it would drasticlly reduce airflow, but I could always open the door (when needed). What do you guys think?

It also appears that most of the noise is coming from my 3 operational HD's, and that by applying some pressure to the top of the case it quiets down a little.
 
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