How to quieten an older pc

[fallbayuk]

I've got an older (2010) pre-built system from OCUK. It still does the job but it's noisy and I'd like to quieten it down a bit. Specs are:

- Case: Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
- Power Supply: Corsair TX 650w Corsair Power Supply
- CPU: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz
- Motherboard: Asus P7P55D-E LX Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard
- GFX: ATI Radeon HD 5850

It makes a ton of noise when the graphics card fan spins up, usually when watching Youtube. I don't use it for gaming. The noise from general use is loud though, I think due to the cpu fan noise not being dampened much by the case.

Any suggestions for making this thing a bit quieter? TIA

 

[fallbayuk]

That case leaks all noises out unmuffled, so you have to minimize creation of that noise in the first place.
Meaning better fans/speed control for them.
Same for improving coolers.
If you're using stock CPU HSF that's garbage.

That graphics card is actually quite frugal in power consumption, so its cooler might be starting to get clogged by dust.
(dust can also wear down fan bearing/motor)
That cleaning of coolers would be first thing to do, especially if you want to minimize cost.

From new parts CPU cooler would be again easy to keep over any PC change.
Same for any fans.
Aftermarket GPU coolers might not be that easily transferrable.

Thanks. Are there any cases you know of that would reduce the noise as well?

 

[fallbayuk]

Thanks for all the responses. The fans and sinks have been cleaned fairly regularly throughout the computers life so that shouldn't be an issue. The most noise is coming from the graphics card. Is there an equivalent that is silent?

 

[fallbayuk]

Really appreciate everyone's help, thank you.

I've already physically stopped the fans individually and the graphics card and cpu fan are the main noise makers in the system. When the graphics card fan really spins up it sounds like a hairdryer, even dust free. The case then does a bad job at hiding any of the noise.

I'll go for the GT710 and swap the cpu heatsink and fan for starters. Any pointers for the thermal paste and what product I'll need to remove the old stuff?

 

[fallbayuk]

With regards to the GT710, would I see any real world benefit with the 2GB model over the 1GB if I'm not gaming? I'll be using it in a dual monitor setup.

 

[fallbayuk]

The 710 is in and the lack of noise is superb

I'm looking to change the case fans next, so looking at silent 120 and 140 options. I've seen PWM versions of the same fans listed, would I need these or non PWM fans?

 

[fallbayuk]

Right then, my pc is almost silent. I've managed to silence the cpu fan using SpeedFan and temps are remaining stable. I've already got an SSD. The only noise now is coming from the case fans but I've got silent replacements arriving tomorrow.

Would upgrading the cpu and memory bring a noticeable performance increase for this old machine? It's got 4GB DDR3 memory and a core i5 750 cpu.

 

[fallbayuk]

Alright, looks like I'm upgrading the memory.

I've currently got a Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit installed.

Would I be better off buying an identical dual channel kit to bump it up to 8GB, or buy 1 8GB stick? Or 2 new 4GB sticks?

 

[fallbayuk]

don't do 1x8
Either add 2x2 of the same model.
Or replace with 2x4 (probably easier).
depending on price and availability.

I've gone for 2x2 of the same model, found a matching pair for £9 so worth a punt.

 

[fallbayuk]

Silence has been achieved. I'm now thinking about changing my monitor to something more recent.

I currently use a 24" Dell 2407WFP-HC monitor that's over a decade old. I've got no issues with it but was wondering if I'd see much benefit upgrading to a newer IPS screen of the same size. The resolution of my monitor is 1920 x 1200 but the newer 24" screens all seem to be 1920 x 1080. I'd lose some space vertically but would an IPS screen outweigh this? Quite like the look of the ASUS VZ249HE.

 

[fallbayuk]

What about the LENOVO L24q-10?