Cheap Upgrade to make Computer a bit Quieter

syke

syke

syke

Soldato
Joined
18 Feb 2006
Posts
10,654
Specs at the moment:

AMD Athlon XP 2800 (2.08ghz)
2 x 256MB RAM CL 2.5
1 x Maxtor 30 GB HD + 1 x 40 GB Maxtor HD
Asus A78NX-E-Deluxe Motherboard
Q-Tec 550W Dual Fan PSU

I dont want to spend a lot - i just want it to be a bit more quiet. I've been told to change HD, PSU. Budget £100 perhaps more if RAM is included.


TIA

s-
 
i have decent casefans (not bothered by them really hehe) I have a fairly expensive CoolerMaster CPU fan. not sure on model. If it fits in budget (even used) i may include a new Case. Any ideas?
 
well, what would you say makes the most noise if its not the CPU fan or the case fans?

a hard drive will always make noise and its a rather expensive way to get quiet.
 
first off for a quiet PC i would suggest PSU for definate...

then maybe CPU cooler.

then case and fans...

hard drive = expensive.

HS-013-AK Akasa AK-827 Ultra Quiet Copper Base CPU Cooler (Socket A) (HS-013-AK)
£5.95 £5.95
CA-011-AN Antec SLK3700BQE Black Quiet Midi Tower Case - 350W SmartPower PSU (CA-011-AN)
£49.95 £49.95
Subtotal £55.90
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £9.95
VAT £11.53
Total £77.38

thats a case that can take 120mm fans and a decent PSU and a decent CPU cooler with only 2200 RPM speed.
 
how about excluding the HD and making it a Case, any fans u think (cpu etc), PSU? What would you choose. thanks for the above btw.

edit: didnt see it has a PSU hehe. is 350W enough?
 
FG-003-YS YS-TECH FD1225 120mm Fan - 4 Pin (FG-003-YS)
£6.95 £13.90
Subtotal £13.90
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £8.00
VAT £3.84
Total £25.74

fans to go with it, although could do wit ha fan controller on these.
 
well, funnily enough i have a very quiet case that only cost £35 and includes 2x120mm fans on a fan controller. its an excellent case in my opinion and very quiet...

its a Jeantech Phong and the only place ive seen Jeantech cases is at certain Computer superstores.

then get a cheap enermax noisetaker CPU (i have one) and it will be very quiet. :)
 
I added you to msn, maybe slightly easier to talk on there.. next time your online. I just want it a bit quieter as its next to my parents room. hehe it's not very loud, but its easily heard. so is that case needed or ?
 
If you are that bothered about the HDD noise, sell your 2 current HD's and buy a larger one plus a silentmaxx enclosure.

I have my 74gig raptor in a silentmaxx enclosure and it eliminates all sound apart from a few dull clicks when Im acessing the HD, which in a way is nice so that you can tell that its still there!
 
Well i just turned my PC on..its not overly noisy.. but slightly.. its moreso the HD's by ear.. the PSU isnt overly bad. Maybe ill pick up just a PSU (perhaps) and a HD.
 
you should certainly look into upgrading your hard drives in that case. But I wouldnt do it on the basis of making your PC quieter by any means.

to keep things quiter as has been said, spend a little on some quality fans, you can also buy silicone fan gaskets to further reduce noise.
 
Hard to tell without seeing (hearing the system) but I'd bet those HDs are the loudest (or at least the most annoying) noise source in the pc. With HDs so cheap these days £45 for 160gig? £35 for 80? I'd definitely pick up a samsung spinpoint drive. Next step ... assuming temps are ok 5volt or 7volt existing fans should be enough if you are not expecting complete silence.

Next step would be a PSU - a decent really quiet one like an antec neo HE or Seasonic S12 would set you back £45, but some of the psus bunled with reasonable quality cases are often quite quiet. Hopefully people here can recommend one from experience
 
The arctic cooling silentium cases are exceptionally quiet. They come with a seasonic PSU and have an enclosure the HD sits in to reduce noise. Have a look on the website to see what I mean.

My money would go on a new HD and one of these cases, assuming your CPU cooler is quiet enough.
 
What graphics card do you have? Most of the coolers on those are very noisy and so a replacement cooler might help a lot.

As for your hard drive get yourself a Vantec Vortex hdd cooler. The hard drive goes in it and is screwed down onto thick rubber mounts that absorb most of the noise. I have 2x 160gb Maxtor D/max 10's in two of them and they are more or less silent. Cools them nicely too. Costs £23.48 from a competitor and is in stock. Available in silver and black.

If your cpu cooler is old then it may be worth changing it to something like a ThermalRight SI-97 (Socket A) with a decent quiet 92mm fan or even a Zalman CNPS7000B-CU Ultra-Quiet CPU Cooler. Both on OCUK.

I had a Jeantech Phong and it is an excellent case. Good cooling with a fan controller on the side too. It is available on a couple of online retailers and is in stock. It's gone up a bit from when i got mine though. I paid £23 and it's now £35. Still, thats not bad for a decent case. It got an award in Custom PC mag as well.
 
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