Want to order some new parts to make computer silent

Psyisk

Psyisk

Psyisk

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20 Sep 2011
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100
So my computer is currently pretty loud, I want to make it silent so am looking at some parts, this is my set up at the moment -

Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 850W V2 High Performance '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020043-UK)
OCZ Vertex 3 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (VTX3-25SAT3-60G)
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) x 2
Akasa AK-CC4008HP01 Venom Voodoo CPU Cooler
Antec 900 Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)
2 x WD Black 1 TB drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 200GB ST3200820AS

I use the computer for just music production by the way, hence the super old gfx card.

So I am looking at -

Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (WD2003FZEX)
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 CPU Cooler
Antec P100 Mid Tower Silenced Computing Case
MSI GeForce GT 720 OC SILENT 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

I am experiencing some crashing/blue screens and I think this is most likely down to the old gfx card.

I need more storage so want to pick the WD 2 TB, is this is most solid/most quiet answer?

And I think the current CPU fan is making most of the noise so want to swap it out for the bequiet one which is meant to be pretty silent.

I use an external RME soundcard btw

Your thought's would be very welcome,

Thanks
 
Have you considered passive cooling? Companies like NoFan make completely silent cases and heatsinks without any fans.

If you're only doing music production I imagine you could get away with no GPU and use onboard graphics from the CPU. (I'm not sure about this, if anyone can confirm then great)

During normal use, what sort of CPU load and temperatures do you tend to average? I'm wondering how much headroom you have in terms of temperatures.
 
Cool idea, I have not seen these before, the case I think maybe I could get away with, but the heatsink Im less sure. I will have to test temps tomorrow with projects open and idle, but the cpu gage in cubase is usually maxed and fan has to run full power, so one of the fanless ones might not be great idea.
 
Try downloading evga precision, it should work with that gtx 8800. Had an older machine i recycled about a month for a friend, gave it a good blow out with compressed air, new themal paste on the cpu and gpu and used the precision software to slow the fans down on the gpu as they were quite loud
 
Cheapest passive GPU you can find. AIO CPU cooler with custom fan curve ie. NZXT Kraken X31/X41. Suspend harddrives with rubber etc..
 
Psyisk said:
Antec P100 Mid Tower Silenced Computing Case
Click to expand...

Not tried this case but SPCR didn't love it - http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1458-page7.html

Have a look around on that site for recommendations. Coolers and PSUs too. They're the best for this kind of thing.

TheDesX77 said:
If you're only doing music production I imagine you could get away with no GPU and use onboard graphics from the CPU. (I'm not sure about this, if anyone can confirm then great)
Click to expand...

Definitely this, get that GPU out of there. Your mobo apparently has lots of display options:

- Four graphics output options: D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort
- Supports HDMI Technology with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
- Supports DVI with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
- Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 @ 75Hz
- Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution up to 2560x1600 @ 60Hz
Click to expand...
 
Not tried this case but SPCR didn't love it - http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1458-page7.html
Click to expand...

Ok interesting, thanks for the input everyone I appreciate it!

So Normal sort of use, with project open -

CPU at 52 C

MB at 43 C

This is with just 2 case fans on, the top larger one and one of the front ones off.

Yes I think I will buy the gfx card I mentioned asap and see what difference that makes, then decide on case etc.
 
Psyisk said:
Ok interesting, thanks for the input everyone I appreciate it!

So Normal sort of use, with project open -

CPU at 52 C

MB at 43 C

This is with just 2 case fans on, the top larger one and one of the front ones off.

Yes I think I will buy the gfx card I mentioned asap and see what difference that makes, then decide on case etc.
Click to expand...

Temp wise that doesn't seem too bad, i've seen worse that's for sure.
 
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Ok I took the gfx card out and another case fan, it is the cpu fan which is making most of the noise thought I think

It is a lot quieter without the card!

I played around with bios setting also for fans, is quieter again.

Its pretty quiet under no load, but when I open a project and it is open for a few mins the cpu fan goes really loud

So now Im thinking of these parts

Fractal Design Define R5 Midi Tower Case - Blackout Edition - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-064-FD

Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-010-NC

and

be quiet! Dark Power Pro P10 550W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-061-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1083

or

be quiet! Straight Power 10 600W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-084-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1083

Any recommendation on this? not sure how larger power suppy I need with an RME 400 soundcard off bus, 4 hardrives and no gfx card.

Thank you
 
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If you want a silent / inaudible PSU, the Seasonic X series with hybrid fan are fine.

The Seasonic G's also pretty inaudible.

For reference I own the following

2x Seasonic X650 (old and newer version)
1x Seasonic X1050
1x Seasonic X660 Platinum
1 x Seasonic G 550 (HTPC)

I've never heard a Seasonic X fan active. I have detected a Seasonic G fan but had to put my ear 2 inch from the fan vent!

The CPU coolers I use are Artic i30's with CO fans, these are also pretty silent, and only really noticed when the CPU load ramps up.

The Noctua NH-U12P SE2 you linked will provide better cooling but are it's fans PWM?

Also the more efficient the CPU thermal paste, the more efficient (and quieter) the CPU cooler becomes, I use IC diamond paste.

I also use Silverstone Fortress FT02's with the 180mm fans set at 5v, these give good quiet cooling.
They rotate the board 90 degree, and all the heat goes directly up and out. So even before fans the layout is assisting cooling. The case is old but it's still regarded as one of the best cooling cases. Cases are also sound proofed.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-168-SV

These are mine in a home server room I have
http://www.trackpictures.co.uk/pictures/dsc00780.jpg

The final thing I do is undervolt all my computers, so that's under-volting memory, CPU, chipset. This really makes a noticible difference, and reduces wattage, heat and CPU fan speeds. To give an idea how much you can under-volt, I have a i7 4770 (non K) running under 1 volt stable, the BIOS default was 1.2v if I remember.

Everything above aside, I have a friend who is a professional music producer. He solved the problem by putting computer in room next door, and running cables into studio by drilling hole in the wall!
 
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You really don't need fanless components to make a build quiet nowadays. Forget expensive fanless PSUs and CPU coolers, just get some good components.

The GTX8800 is pretty loud, the Voodoo should still be OK, the case maybe noisy.

The Caviar Black isn't quiet, and instead of the P100, I'd go with Enthoo Pro or Define R5.

My current build is 'ridiculously' quiet, whether under load or idle.

Define R5, Dark Rock 3 (non-pro), and a 980ti ACX. The hard drive is a Toshiba 3GB, and it's inaudible.

The silence comes from all those components. get a quiet GPU (Nvidia, custom cooler like a WIndforce, DirectCU, ...), get a quiet CPU cooler (loads of them, I've used a True Spirit 140 with a 2700K and a Z68 Extreme 4), and possibly a new case with decent fans and possibly some sound deadening like the R5, although most modern cases are very quiet anyway.
 
Psyisk said:
Ok I took the gfx card out and another case fan, it is the cpu fan which is making most of the noise thought I think

It is a lot quieter without the card!

I played around with bios setting also for fans, is quieter again.

Its pretty quiet under no load, but when I open a project and it is open for a few mins the cpu fan goes really loud

So now Im thinking of these parts

Fractal Design Define R5 Midi Tower Case - Blackout Edition - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-064-FD

Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-010-NC

and

be quiet! Dark Power Pro P10 550W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-061-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1083

or

be quiet! Straight Power 10 600W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-084-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1083

Any recommendation on this? not sure how larger power suppy I need with an RME 400 soundcard off bus, 4 hardrives and no gfx card.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Looks good. I wouldn't worry too much about loud PSUs, they hardly make a sound nowadays. These PSUs are expensive, but whatever.

I'm really impressed by the R5. It's a real nice case for the price, I use the windowed version, but the non-windowed is arguably better at soundproofing.

The NH-U12P is probably one of the quietest on the market, and you don't need anything fancier with a stock CPU. And being Noctua, they are quality, and easy to install. If you want fanless, you could probably get away with a large dual tower (SilverArrow, NH-D15).

you only need a good 550W PSU, that's if you plan to add a graphics card later (any GPU within reason), Gold rated preferably from a good brand / design (Seasonic, Leadex, BeQuiet OK).

If you don't need a GPU for gaming, you can use on board for anything else.
 
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