Quiet PC

[dxmage]

Is there a place all the parts to build a 0db system? OK as in no fans anywhere in the system. I know that the HD will make some noise but I will be looking to get the quietest DVD-RW and HD possible. Performance isn't really an issue. I'll be looking for a fanless cooling solution for either the ATI 9600 AIW or the 9700 series. The goal is to get as close to 0db as possible while still being a decent system speed wise. I don't need to hit a 100fps running FarCry with all the options running at 1600x1200. This will be for some online gaming (think Asherons Call and CoH), watching DVDs and video editing.

So the system will need to be 2+Gz, run an AIW ati video card, a 100+gb drive, the quitest DVD-RW and DVD drive on the market, firewire and usb 2.0.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for parts? I would like to get all the parts from one place but I can't seem to find one. The order of priority is price, silent and small size case.

I would even be open to under clocking the CPU to get the temp down so long as the system still runs smooth. Again silence is golden.

 

[gotensan01]

Do you have a lot of money?

 

[dxmage]

While that is a very nice system I don't wish to spend a great deal of money. I'm looking for low cost solutions not CHEAP but low cost.

 

[gotensan01]

I really cannot think of a way to build a 0db (or near 0db) while keeping everything in the case. What about a very low whisper system?

 

[dxmage]

I'm shooting for 0db because I want to use the system for entertainment. I don't like any background noise at all. I'll have temp sensors in it so that the internal temps don't go over any of the rated operating temps. I don't care if it runs hot just not so hot that it dies a quick death.

 

[Akira1224]

0db isn't possible...no matter what you do your ears will hear things. White noise is all around us so you can't escape it. What you need to do is build a system that will be inaudible at a reasonable distance. You're not going to be sitting on the machine right? You don't watch T.V or movies a mere inches from the screen do you? Look for quality rated products that will generate minimal noise. Sound mat your case. Under-clock your chip. Go for fanless solutions where affordable and available. Volt down the fans...there are many many tricks you can use to get a quiet P.C. In the end what you are trying to do isn't possible. Your machine will make noise. Your current DVD player/VCR makes noise... do you notice that? Probably not, and if you do maybe it's time to get some new speakers

 

[dxmage]

I know 0db isn't realistically attainable but I would like to do everything possible to get as quiet as possible such as getting the quietest drives in the system.

 

[Akira1224]

Just do some research and see what is the best of the best....


Silentpcreview.com is a great resource. See what they reccomend and go from there. Let us know what you end up with!!! I wanna see (or is hear the better choice) the results!

 

[gotensan01]

To cool that vid card of yours, I think you are looking for something like these. Btw, Have you ever considered water cooling? You can get near silent and maintain cool temps without underclocking.

 

[dxmage]

I was going to go passive with the video card as well. As for the watercooling...... there is the fluid and the pump noise as well as all the hardware cluttering up the place. If I could use a slim line case and get away with no fans that will be GREAT. I'm just wondering how hot the chips will run. I want the cpu to stay under 80c if possible and the case temp under 65c. I know that will meen under clocking to hit those temps but I think it will be great.

 

[Navid]

You can find some info here on the forum section.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

 

[Gamingphreek]

Well i would hope the processor stays under 80C otherwise you could damage it. Well i would go for an Antec Sonata Case, underclocked Athlon XP-M 35 watt, and an NF7-S or A7N8X-E Deluxe. Then get a passive cooled 9600AIW, and your set. Bout as quiet as your going to get. For HDD PATA Seagate Barracuda 7200.7!

-Kevin

 

[dxmage]

I thought that the cpus were rated to go up to 90c. Then there is the m series..... that and under clock that one that should work well.

 

[Excelsior]

you could easily keep your cpu under 70C even with a really low rpm fan. Just get a panaflo for the cpu, passive videocard and northbridge, seagate harddrive, and maybe another panaflo for intake. Quite psu too.

 

[shilala]

My rig is a blend between very quiet when I'm just kicking back, with plenty of reserve ass to cool it when I'm gaming.
I run all my fans with a cooldrive 4. They're all antec and vantec stealth fans. Ball bearing stuff.
When I go to gaming, I run the fans up to max. The system stays super cool at idle or flat out.
I just upgraded my board and cpu, and I'm currently running the stock fam for the amd64 3200. It's the only thing I can hear, and it's driving me nuts. I can even hear it when it throttles all the way back.
I solved the noisy hsf problem before by adding a funnel and a big zalman fan.
Zalman makes all sorts of zero noise solutions. Problem is that no noise equals heat, and as a rule, heat kills. I've found that a nice balance is best. If you can't hear the rig from 5 feet away, you've done a hell of a job. My rig sets 2 feet from my head, and it's not at all bothersome. Once I solve the hsf fan problem, it'll be a lot better.
When you're modding, as a rule, big fans make less noise. Smaller fans, even 80mm, are the loudest.
I have yet to find a quieter fan than zalmans. They're good stuff and super quiet.
Hope this helps!!!

 

[Frangelina]

In the lounge, we use a wirelesly networked PC. Desktop case Cooler master, Fortron Source 400w with ahannix (silentX) 80mm fan (14db) replacing the original FSP. The 2.8 PIV heatsink and stock fan are great but noisy...put a zallman adapter to drop the fan at 5volts or 1500rpm. You will increase the temp of only 5 degrees including another zallman to reduce at 5 volts the 60mm fan coolermaster put as an extra in the case. I have a luminescent zippy keyboard and a flatscreen 19 inches sony with integrated speaker (x93). The video is Ati 9200 se...no fan with digital output. 29160lp + 18 gig 15K3 and a gig of ram. When I go online at 6 AM before my shower, I barely notice a very low, soft whisper. Wife and I love this computer. It is not the speed of the one I use privately in my closet in the master bedroom which I use also as a main server but it is an excellent quiet, reliable machine.

 

[Operandi]

I posted most of this in your other thread, but I'll do it here as well.

Water cooling, the RESERATOR 1 is about as 0dba as your going to get. This will also take care of both the CPU and GPU (with GPU block), all you would need in addition to this is an exhaust fan.

Air cooling, you have more options here. Alpha, Thermalright and Zalman all make excellent coolers that would work well. For the video card go with the Zalman ZM80D-HP, note you will absolutly need to be moving at least some air out of the case for this to function properly.

PSU, there are passive ones but I'd skip them. They rely on system ventilation to keep from overheating and end up dumping most of their heat into your case (bad). I'm running a Tagan and its dead silent, 750 RPM fans under 60% load. Zalman, and Seasonic are other good names to look at.

CPU/Case fans, for low noise I go with Panaflow. Under volt them as needed, just be careful you don't go to far with CPU cooling. Also SpeedFan is an awesome piece of software that will let you dynamically control fan speed based on temps be it CPU, system, HD, or a combination.

Hope that helped

 

[0roo0roo]

reserator is as quiet as it gets.

just get the new imac, 25db and hardware/software controlled fans.

 

[DrCool]

a 0db system is only possible in one situation, when it's powered off..

what your really looking for is building a system that makes as LITTLE noise as possible. Everything makes noise, in fact even if you were out in the middle of nowhere, there would still be noise.. ambient noise is about 30db. so anything in that range is not going to cause irritation and will be barely noticeable, if at all.

Building a system that produces 30db or less IS possible, but you have to choose EVERY component carefully.

Enermax Whisper PSU
Panaflo Fans - stick to about 80mm
Seagate Hard Drives
Good unobstructed case airflow
Taisol Heatsink with stock low profile fan
video card with either no fan, or low profile fan

 

[ReiAyanami]

Yeah, having a hardrive really kills the 0db idea.

the germans have made a fanless 3ghz comp but its heavy as hell because the CASE is essentially a big metal block that serves as a giant heatsink. cost: 1600 pounds or euros which translates to $2000

 

[HomerSapien]

newegg has the sapphire 9600xt ultimate. It has passive cooling.. I have one and it works fine for video playback and warcraft 3 and even ran doom3.

Samsung for the hard drives, again from newegg.

They make fanless psu's, but i wouldnt trust them as you will need some sort of airflow to get rid of the heat, otherwise it just sits there. Just get one that isnt overkill on the wattage and make sure it has a high efficiency. Better efficiency means less power needed to run the computer and less heat to get rid of . I have an old enermax whisper. It sucks. I have changed one fan on it and looking for replacements to change the 92mm fan in it. If that doesnt work, i am looking at the seasonic supersilent psu's.

As for the cpu, if you want a high end processor, you will need a fan or water cooling, so there will be some noise from that, but it can be isolated a little bit.

I am using a dynamat type silencer in my case mixed with a foam. It increases the temps a little bit and adds weight to the computer to weigh things down so they dont rattle. It doesnt make things completely silent, but it does reduce the whirring. Anyways, my computer isnt whisper quiet, but it is quiet enough to sleep with in the same room.

 

[ToeJam13]

Here are some fanless or low-speed fan options:

[*]Gigabyte Geforce 6800 AGP, Model "GV-N68128DH"
0db (heatpipe, heatsink sandwich)
US$205

[*]Sapphire Radeon 9800 AGP, Model "9800 Pro Atlantis"
0db (heatpipe, heatsink sandwich)
US$224

[*]Silverstone 300W System Power Supply, Active PFC, Model "SST-ST30NF"
0db (heatpipe, radiator on underside, 2.8kg)
US$149

[*]Coolmax 350W System Power Supply, Model "CF-350B"
0db (internal radiator, vents)
US$118

[*]Coolmax 400W System Power Supply, Model "CR-400B"
ambient db (140mm fan, adjustible)
US$53

[*]Scythe CPU Heatsink/Heatpipe for Socket 478 (P-4), Model "NCU-1000"
0db (intergrated heatpipe/radiator tower, 615g)
US$42

[*]Scythe CPU Heatsink/Heatpipe for Socket 478 (P-4) and Socket 754/9xx(A-64), Model "NCU-2000"
0db (intergrated heatpipe/radiator tower, 505g)
US$45

[*]Thermaltake CPU Heatsink/Heatpipe for Socket 478/775 (P-4) and Socket A/754/9xx(A-XP/64), Model "CL-P0024"
0db (intergrated heatpipe/radiator tower, 640g)
US$53

[*]Thermaltake CPU Heatsink/Heatpipe for Socket 478 (P-4) and Socket 754/9xx(A-XP/64), Model "CL-P0019"
0db (intergrated heatpipe/radiator, 752g)
US$48


As a rule of thumb, having a completely fanless high performance system is not a good idea. I would recommend using either an Athlon Mobile XP or a Socket 754 Sempron due to their lower heat output. Radeon chips also tend to be cooler than Nvidia chips, and newer Radeon chips come with support for Component TV output. If you have no fans whatsoever, I'd also underclock things a bit till you find a safe temperature. At the least, I'd recommend that big 140mm power supply fan - its cheaper than the Silverstone and you'll get some airflow.

 

[junthin]

You could try getting a fanless power supply like this one here. And then outfit the rest of the computer with quiet Panaflo or Papst fans and get a quiet Seagate IDE Drive.

 

[Blain]

Quiet... Yes...

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: ReiAyanami
Yeah, having a hardrive really kills the 0db idea.

the germans have made a fanless 3ghz comp but its heavy as hell because the CASE is essentially a big metal block that serves as a giant heatsink. cost: 1600 pounds or euros which translates to $2000

zalman heatsink case. http://www.voodoopc.com/systems/f50.aspx

zalman is german? i thought they were korean.