Noisy 360

branddaly

branddaly

branddaly

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Joined
25 Nov 2004
Posts
1,872
Location
Manchester Uk
I finally snapped, I can't stand the hum of the fans any longer. For games and films there is no problem that cannot be overcome with the volume control, but for music the rattle over all the quiet bits has finally done my head in.

So I've just ordered some Whisper Quiet max fans, a large sheet of Dynamat extreme, some rubber grommits, and a torx 10 screw driver. Should all arrive tomorrow. Then its warranty invaliding time. :D And if everything goes wrong its an excuse to buy a PS3. If everything goes well then I'll post here with the results.
 
Hmm will be good to hear the results possibly a vid before and after of the noise levels.

Mine is actually pretty quiet without a dvd in the drive (ie when im streaming video) however when it has spun up whilst playing games it's quite noisy.
 
Mines always been noisy, even at dash board with no discs. Thats why I'm replacing the fans, but I thought that whilst I had it open I'd add in a bit of dampening material and try to absorb some of the drive noise aswell. I'm sure my neighbours will appreciate it if I turn the volume down a tad.
 
branddaly said:
I finally snapped, I can't stand the hum of the fans any longer. For games and films there is no problem that cannot be overcome with the volume control, but for music the rattle over all the quiet bits has finally done my head in.
Click to expand...

Dont your films have any quiet bits in them ?
 
Kreeeee said:
If they're talismoon then they're no quieter at all but push a lot more air.
Click to expand...

The sheer number of people who say their fans are quiet, makes me think that either they are all deaf/duluded, or that my fans are unnaturally loud. So I think its worth giving it a go changing them. The dynamat is likely to change the thermal profile inside the case, so more exhaust probably won't go amiss either. Wish I could afford a sound pressure meter, but I'm going to have to do this by ear and pray that I don't suffer too much of a placebo effect due to the outlay and effort.
 
there is a video on youtube of a guy who bought those whisper quiet fans and they were louder than the originals, i will try find it.
Here :
I hope that video is allowed, if not i will remove it
 
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The 360's dead easy to take apart. The biggest difference I noticed to fan noise was when I removed both the plastic and metal fan grills from behind the 360. Now I just hear a faint whoosh rather than a turbine like sound.
 
Well the Talismoon fans, and grommets arrived today (along with a new bumper for my car, but thats another project). No sign of the Dynamat.
So obiviously I wasn't going to wait (and this allows me to test the affects of the individual components have on the noise levels)

Firstly, this is where its located;
1xbox360.jpg



And this is what it sounds like;

http://www.bhazey.co.uk/orig.mov

Then its moved to the Study so I can work on it;
2xbox360.jpg


New fans in place. In the background a lovely set of Delta fans, generally regarded as the noisiest option possible in a 360.
3xbox360.jpg


Then in normal fashion I put it back together. Please notice that I forgot the drive eject button, and an additional 2 screws. Plus the new fans made a lovely grinding noise, this was due to over tightening of the screws;


4xbox360.jpg

Its back in the living room and now sounds like this;


http://www.bhazey.co.uk/talis.mov

So is it quieter.....maybe, the sound is definetly a little more pleasant, but this could be due to the old fans being worn, or just because I'm mentally justifying the expense. Futher updates will follow when I attack it with the dynamat sound proofing.
 
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Well the dynamat finally arrived. And I've fitted it. Not taken any pictures yet, but will do so over the weekend.

I've now got little cuts over my hands from the sharp edges on the Aluminium, and the xbox weighs considerably more. And it is quieter, but not dramatically so. All in I'd probably have been better off sticking the money towards a PS3 or the next xbox (assuming it appears in the next 3 years).

Well that or replacing the entire case and seeing if I can come up with a passively cooled design.....that might actually be an idea.. Could bung it in a HTPC case, time to go window shopping....
 
It's the DVD drive that makes the most noise and the talismoon fans are well known for not reducing the noise at all, merely changing the pitch and pushing more air.
 
Kreeeee said:
It's the DVD drive that makes the most noise and the talismoon fans are well known for not reducing the noise at all, merely changing the pitch and pushing more air.
Click to expand...

I know about the DVD drive, thats why its now covered in the dampening material, and is slight isolated from the motherboard with rubber. Should be a little more obvious once I stick some pics up. Will admit I wish MS would release a option to have a slower spin speed for the DVD, but my main aim is to reduce the sound levels enough so that I'm happy to use it as a media extender.
 
Can't you take out one of the rear fans and put in a fan blowing straight onto the big heatsink in the middle/right?
 
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