Silencing my PC - help me spec!

Raider · 8 Mar 2006 at 15:34

Ok currently running with this setup:

A64 3500+ (at stock)
Leadtek 6800GT (at stock)

Stock AMD cooler
Stock HSF for 6800GT (the big boxy one with the fan on one side)
1x exhaust 80mm
2x intake 80mm
Tagan 530W PSU

I was planning on replacing the 3x 80mm fans with AcoustiFan: DustPROOF 80mm fans, then maybe the cpu cooler with an SI-120 + 120mm AcoustiFan.

Next would be the 6800GT. Are the Artic Coolers a lot quieter? Or not much difference? Not interested in clocking, just ultra quiet!

A silent PSU would be nice, but that's the most expensive so i'll leave that till last

So opinions on my plan?

Tarty · 8 Mar 2006 at 16:48

The AcoustiFan: DustPROOF 80mm fans only move 19.9 CFM at max speed, personally i'd go for something slightly louder but with a lot more air volume.

Though the 120mm versions I think are very nice, using 3 of them myself. Could even get a scythe Ninja and fit one across it.

Finally i've not had much experience with the arctic cooling, but if you'd be tempted to a zalman, You'll find quite abit of difference in the temps and in the sound they make

Raider · 8 Mar 2006 at 19:04

Would the Zalman be a lot quieter than the stock cooler?

Larok · 8 Mar 2006 at 21:24

yep, I'd go for a zalman on the card and the cpu. Try them without the case fans on. I don't have any on mine, CPU at 46-56c.

Hard drives can make a bit of noise, try a silent drive enclosure?

valerian · 8 Mar 2006 at 21:39

stealth fans vantec, the zalman coolers are quieter, especially when turned down.
power supply i imagine will stand out if you deal with the rest, a zalman on the gpu like the other guy said, and you can turn that down too, if you are not caning the card

mattup · 9 Mar 2006 at 00:52

If you realy want a quite pc. look at changing your case to one that has 120mm fans.

The Si120 is a great cooler.

Artic cooling make some great coolers that help reduce case temps by extracting warm case air.

How much do you want to spend? Water cooling is the best for noise/cooling.

Matt

happyjoe · 9 Mar 2006 at 10:14

I spent quite a bit of time silencing my last rig.

You need to take it slow. Identify the loudest component and silence that first, then work your way through the other components in order of loudness.

1) CPU stock cooler - replace with artic cooling Freezer 64 pro
2) GPU hs/fan - replace with artic cooling silencer range, or zalman
3) case fans - as already mentioned, bigger fans/slower rpm for quietness
4) hard drives/cd roms - vibration transfer to your case from drives is a massive contributor to noise. Decouple your drive from the case using grommets, enclosures, bungee cord, foam blocks, or whatever takes yr fancy.
5) psu - before changing your psu you could just change the fans for quieter ones. A bit tricky and you need to watch the capacitors in psu, they can give you a nasty shock. Read up before attempting.

If you have a northbridge fan, it's also worth switching for a zalman NB heatsink.

Bear in mind the cost of buying each component to get value in sound reduction.

If the budget stretches think about an antec p180 case as well, they are designed for silence.

GuruJockStrap · 9 Mar 2006 at 10:46

If your going to silence your rig, do it properly first time.

1. CPU: Grab a heatsink that can utilise a 120mm Fan. Something like the Scythe Ninja or Thermalright Si 120. For the fan, look no further than Nexus. The Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro is supposed to be pretty good but I've heard than it can be a bit noisy at full speed and the first thing you have to do is reduce the speed.

2. Graphics card: Zalman VF700-CU. Set the fan at 5v (via provided plug) and you won't hear a thing from it while still providing excellent cooling.

3. Motherboard Chipset: If its already a passive heatsink then great, move along. If it has a whinning 40mm fan, replace it with the Zalman Passive Northbridge heatsink.

4. Case Fans. First of all, try 7v your current fans and see what they sound like. Guide over here: http://www.dslwebserver.com/main/fr_index.html?/main/5-7-adapter.html

If they still sound like a hoover, look into getting some Nexus 80mm case fans. Pricey, but you get what you pay for.

5. PSU: I find this to be the one of the biggest culprits of sound. Easiest thing to do would be to replace the PSU fans with quieter fans. Make sure you leave the PSU off for at least 24 hours before opening it up! Those capacitors can give you an almighty shock! If you don't like the idea of opening the PSU up, look into buying a quieter model. I had a Seasonic S12 500W that you had to put your ear next to to make sure it was spinning.

6. Hard Drive: Once you've done all the above, the last thing to be clearly audiable will be the HD and it will drive you nuts!

Metalface Mark · 9 Mar 2006 at 12:06

Ive got my pc as quiet as you can get really on air cooling, heres what i went for.

Antec P150 case (its pre soundproofed, has elastic for mounting your hard drives, and comes with a 480w quiet psu).

2 x Vantec 92mm stealth fans for front input, it had a rear 120mm fan with 3 speed settings so i leave that on low.

Vantec 120mm stealth fan under graphics card exhausting out pci slots.

CPU Cooler arctic freezer, all these 4 fans are at 7v on a fan controller.

Zalman on my X850XT at 7v. No fans on mobo (sapphire gruper), no noise there.

CPU overclocked at 2.7ghz (sd3700) - its fast and its barely audible, if im sitting further than about 3 metres away from it, i cant hear it over the general background noise you have in a house, my sky+ box farther away is noisier than it.

The antec is a great case, for keeping your pc quiet, its pretty fabulous, for the price about 85 quid, you get a great looking case, and a very decent power supply, certainly hasnt seemed to hamper my overclocking much, if at all.

I am ultra fussy about noise, ive bought and sold so called silent psu's like the "noiseless" hiper 580w psu's, its such a subjective thing, if i turn the fans up full, it dosent bother my wife but it irritates me no end.

young lad · 9 Mar 2006 at 17:03

InwardSinging said:
Ive got my pc as quiet as you can get really on air cooling, heres what i went for.

Antec P150 case (its pre soundproofed, has elastic for mounting your hard drives, and comes with a 480w quiet psu).

2 x Vantec 92mm stealth fans for front input, it had a rear 120mm fan with 3 speed settings so i leave that on low.

Vantec 120mm stealth fan under graphics card exhausting out pci slots.

CPU Cooler arctic freezer, all these 4 fans are at 7v on a fan controller.

Zalman on my X850XT at 7v. No fans on mobo (sapphire gruper), no noise there.

CPU overclocked at 2.7ghz (sd3700) - its fast and its barely audible, if im sitting further than about 3 metres away from it, i cant hear it over the general background noise you have in a house, my sky+ box farther away is noisier than it.

The antec is a great case, for keeping your pc quiet, its pretty fabulous, for the price about 85 quid, you get a great looking case, and a very decent power supply, certainly hasnt seemed to hamper my overclocking much, if at all.

How much is this all worth would you think and please link me to the case .

Cheeers