Totally silent computer

A

Axiom7

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
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I would really like to make my computer totally silent. I know that I would not be able to replace the power supply fan but I was reading that you can get CF card adapters that convert to ide. I would also like to get a fanless heatsink for the CPU. Is this possible? Suggestions wecome.

Mike
 
Making a computer completely inaudible is very, very complex and requires immense sacrifices in other areas (speed, temperature). Very few people have an inaudible computer, as most are most happy somewhere in the middle ground.

As you get qieter, you get diminishing returns - that is to say that you will eventually have to sacrifice a lot to gain a little. The best advice I can offer right now is to go to silentpcreview.com and re-think your choice.
 
You can get power supplies that are fanless as well (check out Silent PC Review's list of recommended power supplies, be sure to read the full reviews to get specific info pertaining to each one). Yes, it is possible to passively cool your CPU, but you'll probably have to get some variety of low-voltage mobile chip (Pentium Ms are good for this, especially underclocked and undervolted), and a very large heatsink.

It depends on what use you intend this computer to have, but for a general desktop computer (i.e. running Windows) I wouldn't recommend a flash card. Instead, perhaps look into notebook hard disks, which are cooler and quieter, or an insulating enclosure for a standard hard disk (like this one reviewed by SPCR). Or a combination of both. You could also get sound-deadening material to line the inside walls of your case.
 
The cf to ide adaptor is a bad idea (unless you are using a CF form factor harddrive). Solid State memory has a finite number of read/writes in its lifetime, meaning that the average number of read/write cycles that the solid state memory can endure before failure is significantly smaller than with magnetic disks. If you want a high performance rig, it is extremely hard (next to impossible) to go fanless.

I suggest that you reevaluate your *need* for a silent system if you want to game. If you are looking for a general use (not high performance) computer, then your options are plenty. There are many processors that can be passively cooled, but they generally aren't made by the big 2 and they generally top out at about 1.4ish ghz. It can be done.
 
From what I've read you can use the tower heatsinks, like the Scythe Ninja passively if the case has decent exhaust. Simply put, that means if you're not overclocking, the fan at the back of your computer in conjunction with the power supply fan is enough to run that particular heatsink (as well as a couple other "tower" heatsinks in it's class) without any direct cooling.

I've even put this into action with really impressive results, in an Antec case with a 120mm exhaust and a Seasonic S12 PSU. Two big fans, almost no noticeable noise. It's fair to say that the sound of the air leaving the case is more audible than the fans moving it.
 
Axman said:
...It's fair to say that the sound of the air leaving the case is more audible than the fans moving it.
Click to expand...

Hmm... Isn't that the definition of fan noise?

Unless a fan is dying, the only thing you generally hear IS the air being moved by the fans.

I think he's looking for a "totaly silent computer"
(i.e. no air noise)
 
Axiom7 said:
I would really like to make my computer totally silent. I know that I would not be able to replace the power supply fan but I was reading that you can get CF card adapters that convert to ide. I would also like to get a fanless heatsink for the CPU. Is this possible? Suggestions wecome.

Mike
Click to expand...

fanless heatsink for the CPU isn't a problem (on low power CPUs like the AXP mobiles, or a Pentium M). WIth Athlon64s or P4s it's possible with large unwieldy heatsinks and good case airflow, but not really realistic.

Drop the idea of CF hard disk. As TheTMan said, flash memory has a limited number of write cycles (normally about 10k-100k). And of course you have a much smaller disc capacity.
Go for a 7200.7 or one of the quieter Samsung drives.

Unless this is an HTPC and you need aboslute silence for watching movies, quiet components, running fans at 7 and 5V, and good airflow planning is much more realistic than actual silence.
 
also CF performance is horrible compared to a normal hard drive (10-20MB/s v. 50-60MB/s)
 
I have managed to make my PC that sits next to my bed running 24/7 nearly silent but it has taken lots of work...

Antec Sonata case (original version) - I replaced the hard rubber feet with softer rubber, and have used foam tape to eliminate vibration noise a couple of places. 120mm fan replaced with a quieter fan on rubber mounts.
Antec Phantom 300W PSU - It has no fan. Mounted on rubber washers so no transformer hum transferred to the case.
Arctic Freezer 64 Pro - Very quiet CPU cooler.
VF700Cu - Replaced the stock cooler on my All in Wonder 9800 Pro.
All three fans running on a PWM fan controller.

CPU runs at about 44C idle and 51C under load. A little warm but very quiet PC.
 
Fans themselves make noise. There are three sources, blade noise, bearing noise and motor noise. 120mm fans, aside from the rocket engine catagory, generally make little or no blade noise, they move slowly and have a large enough surface area that they carry the air rather than bat it around. They also move slowly to the point that the bearings don't rattle and the motor rotates more than it vibrates. If you can bring these sound levels so low that all you hear is air hitting air than that's impressively quiet.

And I mean to say that the sound coming out of the rig is only a sort of wfff breath sound, like someone blowing on your neck. Only, unless you've got your ear to the back of the case, it's more like the sound of someone blowing on someone else' neck across the room. Typing makes a clammor with that setup. Chewing gum shatters eardrums.
 
Look at the G4 Cube.
As for solid state drives: not fast enough and will burn out. How about you use a network drive?
 
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