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Computers And The Noise They Make

Posted by timothy on from the shhhh-and-double-shhhhhhhh!- dept.

Weeden writes: "Here is a Salon article that wants to know why computers have to make so much noise. They think if the iMac can be quiet, why can't everyone else? Just do what I do and turn on some music, that makes the noise go away!" Quiet is certainly a concern for all-day computer users; I know I'd pay quite a bit more for a nice ATX case with a massive heat sink, if that were practical. If you need quiet now (and like the Salon writer, aren't willing to switch to an iMac) you might also want to check out this Ask Slashdot on the same topic.

4 of 379 comments (clear)

  1. x86 vs ppc by T.Hobbes · · Score: 5

    one main reason, so far as i can tell, that the imac can live without a fan is that its chip has far lower power consuption, and therefore generates much less heat that the x86 counterparts, and therefore require less cooling

  2. Re:Noisy computers in bedrooms by drix · · Score: 5

    I just took out all the fans in my case/power supply and replaced them with their equivalent "queit" version from here. They have standard 80mm fans which are way quieter. They also offer a silent power supply, but it's expensive and I have a feeling it's just a normal PS with a quiet fan stuck in it. You can do that yourself - easily. Also worth mentioning is their Silent Drive enclosure - I don't have one, but it's the mechanical whine of the hard drive that really bothers most people. The white noise of the fan is actually quite relaxing. I can't sleep in a room that doesn't have a fan going... besides, the smartest and cheapest thing to do is to just spin down your hard drive at night. It's easier on the drive.

    Carpet, BTW, is a no-no. To make a long story short, save yourself a lot of trouble and do not do that. Ever notice how carpet becomes electrostatically charged easily? Ever notice how dust is attracted to carpet?

    Riiight... now you get it :)



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    I think there is a world market for maybe five personal web logs.
  3. New machines _are_ quieter, here's why.. by knghtbrd · · Score: 5
    Most newer off-the-shelf computers do not have a CPU fan. My Dell PIII doesn't have a single fan on that chip and you'd think it roasts to death. No way, it's cooler than the P200 sitting next to it that can be heard from the other room. If I shut dow that machine I can barely hear a whisper. So how do the new machines keep from baking themselves? Did Intel stop making ovens instead of CPUs? Certainly not. Intel chips can still get hot enough to fry an egg without proper cooling..! Maybe it's part of their patent or something, eh?

    No, the reason is that the little fan that is stuck to the top of that P200 makes a lot of noise. The one in the power supply isn't exactly silent, but compared to the one on the CPU you'd never notice.

    What this Dell and a lot of these quiet machines are doing is moving the fan off the CPU and putting it in the back of the case. If you just put a suitable heatsink on the CPU itself with some heat putty and snap a little plastic baffel over the CPU, what happens is that the bigger, higher powered, quieter fan in the back of the case pulls air in side the case under this baffel, over the heatsink, and immediately out the back of the case. This is an extremely efficient design.

    The P200 sitting next to it pulls the air already over the heatsink off of it which supposedly adds to the circulation (though in my experience not very much) and pushes it into the middle of the case. Usually airflow is blocked by cables or something, so there's no real unobstructed path for the air to follow. Result? My P200 is quite warm to the touch. My PIII isn't cold to the touch (it's hot in here), but it's not noticably any warmer than the surrounding air temperature. Of course, add a petlier effect plate to that heatshink and watch the temperature of that chip drop below the room temperature.

    So I guess the question is, are there any good recommendations for comodity cases with a similar duct design? This plastic Dell case works, but it's not expandable enough for a real geek. Not enough drive bays and the whole thing is plastic and not nearly as sturdy as the average $80 metal case, to say nothing of the nifty CalPC steel cases we all drool over.. =)

  4. Quieter Cases by oh+shoot · · Score: 5

    There are two things that make the Apple machines quiet: Efficiency and quality cases.

    The iMac is silent because it has no fan. The CPU daintily sips power, whereas an Athlon or P3 guzzles it. This leads to very little heat, and thus eliminates several things: noisy CPU fans, case fans, and noisy power supplies.

    The quality plastic cases on the iMac, G3, and G4 also do a fair amount of silencing noise. These cases are made of thick plastic that absorbs noise from fans and hard drives. One of the more frustrating things about my G3 is that it lacks not only drive lights (helpful when seeing if the machine is frozen), but also the sounds the hard drive makes.

    How effective is the case? Try pulling open the cover that hides the CDROM, and notice the difference. The machine goes from just about inaudible to definitly there, but still quiet.

    Compare this to a PC with a cheapo metal case that has a plastic front. Every sound is clear - you don't need drive lights, because the HD makes different noises for reads and writes.

    The funny thing about quiet computers is that generally, you end paying more to get less (noise, of course).

    --Jeff