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Building a Silent, Air-Cooled System

Posted by Hemos on from the the-sounds-of-silence dept.

A reader:"Tired of those whining fans? Want some piece and quiet when working on your PC? Water cooling can be too expensive and too complicated to install, why not just stick to air cooling? This article describes how you can remove PC noise without turning the inside of your PC case into a small oven. Follow the road to silence while keeping an eye on the system temperature."

16 of 392 comments (clear)

  1. Seagte Barracuda Hard Drives by bigtallmofo · · Score: 4, Informative

    I know that they're selling some lower-end models now, but every Seagate Barracuda hard drive I've ever purchased is far quieter than comparable hard drives. I have been using them exclusively for a few years now and really enjoy the PEACE and quiet.

    --
    I'm a big tall mofo.
    1. Re:Seagte Barracuda Hard Drives by Electronik · · Score: 5, Informative

      Seagate make the quietest, most reliable drives I know of. I specify them in all my audio (recording studio) computers. Not one (touch wood) failure in 6 years.

      If your computer is scanning the drives, make sure you have fast search turned OFF in XP, it will try to index your HDD everytime it 'thinks' you aren't needing to access the drive. Also check for spyware and all the usual nonsense running in the background.

      Finaly, you can suspend your HDD or use sleeves to stop the drive transmitting the vibrations to the case. The case can act a little like a guitar body and amplify the grinding sounds.

      --
      -=test-sig_0.1.5(NoWhitespaceVersion)=-
    2. Re:Seagte Barracuda Hard Drives by steeef · · Score: 4, Informative

      I suggest you take a look at Samsung's SpinPoint drives. They're all the rage with Quiet PC enthusiasts (such as those at Silent PC Review). Barracuda's are quiet (I've got two V's right now), but they're certainly still audible, especially as they get older and the bearings wear. Apparently SpinPoints are quieter than Barracudas (at least initially).

    3. Re:Seagte Barracuda Hard Drives by Ptur · · Score: 5, Informative

      Don't know why this is posted here, the guys at http://www.silentpcreview.com/ are working on this for years!

      FYI, I'll soon be building a noiseless AMD A64-3500+ for our living room. Once you've read the articles at SilentPCReview, no problem.

      BTW, the Seagate barracuda's are no longer the quiet drives they used to be, since their acoustic managment software has been disabled (pending a lawsuit I think)

      Peter

    4. Re:Seagte Barracuda Hard Drives by badasscat · · Score: 3, Informative

      That's interesting because I have a Barracuda and it's probably the loudest drive that I've ever owned...

      It depends on the model. I have a 7100.7 (or whatever it's called) and it does not support acoustic management. It has noticeable seek noise. The versions that became famous for quietness (the IV and V) were the previous versions to mine - these did support AM.

      Meanwhile, all other manufacturers have started using FDB motors just like Seagate does, so the whine is gone, and if your drive supports acoustic management (almost all do, though you may need to download a utility to access it), then it very likely can be virtually silent too. There is no inherent advantage that the Barracuda models have in acoustics.

      In addition to my Barracuda, I also have two Maxtor Diamondmax Plus 9's and a Western Digital Performer 40 (this came with my TiVo but has been repurposed in my PC - you can't buy this drive separately). All three of these drives are quieter than my Barracuda with acoustic management set to "quiet" - in fact, one of the Maxtors is dead silent, and the other is so quiet I have to put my ear right up next to it to hear seeks. (There is a slight variation between the two units, even though they are the same model and capacity.)

      I will say that one of my Maxtors was ear-splittingly loud when I first purchased it - ironically (or maybe not), it was the retail version. My other Maxtor was OEM. The retail drive was set to "performance" out of the box, whereas the OEM drive was already set to "quiet". Maybe this is by design, as Maxtor is obviously positioning these drives for different markets, but it has obviously led to a different reputation for Maxtor than Seagate has, despite Maxtor's drives being capable (like almost everybody else) of total silence.

      The loudest part of most PC's other than the hard drive (which doesn't need to be loud at all) is the power supply. I've gone through a half dozen PSU's looking for a quiet one that's also beefy enough for my systems - I finally ordered an ironically-named Seasonic Super Tornado 350 today. Most people don't consider the PSU as a major source of noise - or if they do, they don't think they can do anything about it - but having swapped out enough of these things for one reason or another, I can vouch for the fact that not only is there a significant variation between PSU's in the volume of noise, they also can significantly affect the quality of noise from your PC. Right now I am using an Enermax PSU in one system and an Antec in another - both highly-rated PSU's from a power and build quality standpoint - but they both sound awful. They are not particularly loud (though they're louder than any other component I have), but they both emit sort of a low-pitched "buzzing" noise (it's not case vibration - I've checked - it's just the sound of the fans they're using), which I find extremely annoying. If you're looking to silence your PC, I'd recommend starting with the PSU.

      Of course, most hardcore PC users really go overboard with fans too - I admit to having six case fans in one of my PC's (mainly for show, they're LED fans), but they're almost always turned down to minimum with a fan controller. Not silent, but not loud either. In my HTPC, I have three 80mm fans, one of which is disconnected, the others turned down to minimum using built-in manual fan controls. I have no stability or temperature problems with this machine at all, and except for the PSU (that's being replaced), it's very quiet.

  2. Old news by Electronik · · Score: 5, Informative

    I have been modding my PC's to be quiet for years - there is no need for any computer to sound like a leaf blower. Check out Silent PC Review for more info!

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    -=test-sig_0.1.5(NoWhitespaceVersion)=-
  3. Wow, it's slow. by PxM · · Score: 3, Informative

    If it does stop, here is the mirrordot link.

    That said, what impresses me is that they pulled it off with an A64 3200.

    --
    Free iPod? Try a free Mac Mini
    Or a free Nintendo DS, GC, PS2, Xbox
    Wired article as proof

  4. Economical - Slowing Fans by jeffkjo1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    This article talks about using a fan speed controller to slow down your fans and thus, reduce noise. I accomplished the same thing, without spending any extra money.

    I converted my fans to run on 7 volts. All you have to do is switch the order of the wires around on the molex power connector. It's really easy:
    http://www.dslwebserver.com/main/fr_index.html?/ma in/5-7-adapter.html

    I didn't experience any increase in temperature, but the noise level in my case went down specifically.

  5. Some advice from someone who just did it by kneecarrot · · Score: 3, Informative
    It was time for me to upgrade my home machine a few months ago so I decided to go the extra mile and reduce the noise. It was much easier than I thought to get something far more quiet than a stock machine. The key is to carefully evaluate each component you are planning on including. Go to the manufacturers websites and look for a decibel rating. It is much easier to silence a machine if the parts you select are already some of the quietest in their class. Often, several products (for example, hard drives) in same price range will have wildly different noise ratings.

    When I first plugged in my new machine I was impressed by the sound but not blown away. A few weeks later I plugged in my old machine and my mouth literally dropped open at how loud it was.

    --

    I always save my last mod point to mod up a good troll. You people are too serious.

  6. 31.7db isn't silent by sjbe · · Score: 5, Informative

    While I'm impressed that they actually bothered to measure the sound coming from their case, their final measurement of 31.7db hardly counts as silent. In fact I personally regard that as fairly noisy, though I'm perhaps pickier than most. Realistically how much noise one can tolerate is a personal thing. If it bothers you it's too loud no matter what the acoustic measurements might tell you. And what bothers me might not bother you. I have just listened carefully to my machine and whichever component made the most noise got replaced.

    The only way to have a truly silent case is to have no fans and an idle hard drive. If that isn't possible fans like Pabst 8412 NGL are the next best thing. They don't move much air but they're very quiet. And a better solution IMO than the hard drive enclosures which drive up heat and reduce reliability is vibration isolators combined with a naturally quiet drive like Seagates. There are some fanless and semi-fanless (doesn't run unless it gets hot) power supplies out there like the SilentMaxx Semifanless. And replace those stupd 60mm fans that they insist on using for CPUs and GPUs with big headsinks and/or heatpipes. Also install neoprene or other washers and use rubber to deaden case vibrations. Home Depot is a great source for a lot of this stuff.

  7. Re:.... How? by jbarket · · Score: 3, Informative

    Silent air cooling doesn't mean the removal of fans. There are a lot of simple tricks--for example a 120mm fan at very low speeds will be extremely quiet, and may push nearly as much air as an 80mm that's going at a roaring speed.

    Of course, the simplest thing to do is buy new fans that have close to the same cfm rating while having a lower dbA rating.

    My home machine is just on the other side of silent (excluding one annoying 80mm fan that's literally custom built into the steel frame of the case at a weird angle), and I have no problems keeping my Athlon64 3000+ @ 2529 with my load temps in the mid-40s.

    If you want a really good example of this, look up the Arctic Cooler Silencer series. They do a better job of cooling the outrageously hot GPUs that are out now, and they're so quiet it's hard to tell if it's running or not.

    --

    -----
    jonathan barket
  8. Rip out the grill by ryanvm · · Score: 4, Informative
    One tip that I discovered for quieting a PSU (Power Supply Unit) fan that I *never* see anywhere is removing the grill near the fan blades. It makes a huge difference.

    In a quest to silence my P166 router, I ended up doing the following:
    • Underclock the CPU and remove the fan and heatsink and replace with a large passive heatsink.
    • Add a resistor to the PSU fan to lower the voltage and slow it down.
    • Added rubber vibration dampers to the mounting points for the PSU fan. (This was worthless.)

    During these experiments I discovered that the PSU fan was almost silent when the PSU was disassembled, but quite noisy when everything was put back together. I ended up removing the ring shaped grill on the PSU with a hacksaw and the noise is now imperceptible. Of course you have to be careful when you reach your hand around to the back of the computer or you'll get a playful little bite from the plastic blades.
    1. Re:Rip out the grill by mollog · · Score: 3, Informative

      Good ideas here, and most of them free or very cheap. I, too, remove or cut off all grills. Also, adding a plenum (spacer) between the fan and the CPU's heat sink will help. You can use an old fan as a plenum by removing the inner fan and using the outer shell to put a spacer between the fan and the heat sink.

      --
      Best regards.
  9. Silly people by nurd68 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, the Barracuda's changed.

    - Seagate invented this "Fluid Dyamic Bearing" technology. As I understand it, rather than standard roller/ball bearings, an oil-like fluid is used so that the rotating shaft builds up pressure within a containing sleeve, similar to what happens with various drivetrain components in cars.

    - The Seagate Barracuda IV drives pioneered using this technology about 4 years ago.

    - Seagate licensed this technology to Maxtor.

    - Other people may use it now, not sure.

    - Just about all Seagate and Maxtor drives in the past 5 years use this technology.

    - Yes, Seagate drives are typically more expensive, but they have a reputation for extensive testing and high reliability. (I'm not saying it's accurate or inaccurate, just that this is the rep - substantiated by the fact that most non-IBM servers used Seagate drives, though this has changed in recent years.)

    - I run a mixture of Maxtor and Seagate drives, all with this technology, and have never had an issue with them.

  10. Seagate deals by NoData · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, Seagate drives are typically more expensive

    Outpost.com is almost perpetually running $50 rebates on all manners of Seagate drives over the past few weeks. I'm not affiliated, but I grabbed one a while back, just thought I'd pass it on.

  11. Try 0 db PC, *this* is silent by advid.net · · Score: 3, Informative
    Buy a real fanless like the one I bought ($380):

    Neo case from lex system

    I have 1GHz via proc, 3 eth, 2 usb (but usb 1.1), up to 512MB RAM, and sound.
    Storage: I've chosen a very silent hard disk: seagate momentus 40GB 2.5" and Linux is tuned to spin down the drive: it only runs 15s every 10mn.
    No CD/floppy drive: OS install with PXE and another PC on LAN.

    You can have a real 0db system with LAN boot or using a compact flash for storage.
    Of course network boot means another PC, noisy, but in another place ;-)

    Believe me, I'm currently posting on Slashdot using this system, I really apreciate deep silence.

    BTW, this is old news.