I want SILENCE!

entropy

Ok, so I need some ideas to keep my computer quiet. It's not loud, per say, but it isn't whisper-quiet, either. Problem: more fans I take out, hotter the cpu stays, and since the fan is thermally controlled on there, then THAT gets louder than it was before. If I maybe take out one of the fans for the psu, would that do it? Shouldn't affect the cpu too much, plus those are kinda noisy...or is it too risky?

Also, my new hard drive emits a BARELY audible high-pitched squeal (or at least I think it's the hard drive). I can only hear it at night and in the mornings because your ears are much more sensitive then. But it's still kind of annoying. So, would just a pad of that "sound-absorbing" stuff on top of it do the trick? I wouldn't think those generally work that great, but would it maybe do the trick for the hard drive?

Maybe when/if I get a new desk, I can find one that has a compartment for the case, but then I'd have to cut a few holes in it for airflow (which would be alright I suppose).

If anyone else has any suggestions, any at all, then please say so .

EDIT: If you need a diagram of my fans/airflow or something, I could whip one up...

Geeky1

What case are you using, how many fans, and where are they?

PressX

Put it in a different room. Use long KVM cables. Very queit solution.

muddocktor

If you have a friend with a .357 magnum or a .44 magnum pistol, go to the range and shoot about 2 boxes of ammo with no ear protection. After you do that, I guarrantee you won't hear the fans for about a month.

Clutch

I think you should look into putting down some money for some good quiet fans. What kind of hard drive do you have? Everyone has different levels of noise they can take from a computer, mine is very high actually, so fans don't bother me.

Garg

I wouldn't take any fans out of the PSU, but you might look into getting a different PSU that's quieter. Several are marketed as being so on Newegg.

I'd avoid putting anything on the HD to absorb sound, since it will raise its temperature and reduce its lifetime (by a lot if it covers the breathing hole on top). There's really not much you can do about the HD noise. If the noise seems to be carried by vibration through the case, there are 5 1/4 bays that have rubber bands to suspend the hard drive in the middle of them that may help. Chances are that you're hearing noise from the drive itself though. Maybe try repositioning it in your case to a place that you may not hear it?

If you really want your case quiet, save up a couple hundred bucks and get some watercooling. Zalman makes a noiseless watercooler that's supposed to be pretty good. I think Gnomewizard has it, if you want to ask somebody about it.
Zalman also makes quiet heatsinks.

GHoosdum

I bought an Antec Sonata case from Newegg. It comes with a True380W PSU. Two of the leads of the PSU are "Fan Only" leads that undervolt fans for silent operation. I am not OC'ing the CPU (otherwise this would never work) and I connected my 53CFM mechatronics and the 120MM case fan to the Fan Only leads. My PC is practically dead silent. I barely hear a hum by placing my ear on the case.

CB's PC is significantly louder to me, even though it's a few feet further away, and the noisiest thing in his PC is a few 28dB case fans.

entropy

I use to be able to have a whirlwind not bother me ... SF-2 on 90%, 2 more fans than I have now, plus a tornado in my bro's computer maybe 20 feet away from me. Now, it bothers me lol.

Hard drives: Seagate 120 and Samsung 120 (this is the one I think squeals ... I'll have to do some more checking, but I can't really until tonight - we're having an open house now). I'm pretty sure it's the drive itself, but again, I'll do some putzing tonight.

I've wanted watercooling SO bad for quite awhile, but I could really spend it on better things ... unfortunately .

I think the bulk of the noise comes from the PSU, honestly. I specifically listened to each of my fans to pick the quietest, but those I'm not sure if it would be smart to take out ONE of them or just replace them with less noisy ones?

I think both the fan on the side and the one exhausting cpu air are between 20 and 25 dB. So, you can definitely tell I'm sick of any noise, due to how little fans there already are Only difference here is that my case is shiny black, not blue.

(sorry for the rather long post)

EyesOnly

seagate you have. Well here's what i recommend. antec sonata as ghoosdum said. original fan in back plus papst in the front. both 120mm. both running from a fancontroller. the plugs from the psu will do fine though but i want to be able to turn my up when i game.

for cpu cooling i have a zalman fan, the really heavy kind, can't remember the name now. All that gives me a really quiet computer with accepteble temps.

just my 2 cents.

Straight_Man

Sonata is nice and quieter than many-- one other way to mute sound by cancellation, is WITH sound-- white noise or pink noise generator kind. The freqs get cancelled to a large degree. TURN OFF generator when troubleshooting. It gets placed between case and you-- look at http://www.extremegeeks.com for such products and get some concept ideas if not in US. Then price shop the things.

Tex

Just swap the PSU fans with some manualy speed controlled ones if your pretty sure thats where the prob is.

Tex

entropy

But how safe is that? I mean, those specific fans are on there for a reason....

Tex

I have done it a bunch. You can get quieter fans that blow more air. They use fifty cent fans. I used enermax speed adjustable fans. Don't turn them off. Just adjust the noise threshold.

Also also recomend the huge Zalman HSF's. I have them now on all the opeterons and amd64's but thgey fit p4's and socket a and they have big 92mm fans and are VERY quiet.

Tex

entropy

Well, I've already got a Thermalright SLK-947 with a SmartFan2 thermally controlled (I have the sensor right up against the edge of the IHS) and that stays relatively quiet (unless the cpu is real active obviously). But do you have a link to some of those fans?

Tex

No but try enermax's site. They are manualy speed adjustable with a little dial thing. You won't plug them inside the psu but into a regualr fan header like a case fan.

Tex

entropy

http://www.maxpoint.com/products/perph/spec_pg/ucfab/index.htm ?

If I'm coming off as nervous, it's because I am. This power supply gets pretty toasty, so the less air I'm putting through it, the more likely it is to explode (and I have VERY bad luck ).

BTW, little update ... it IS my new hard drive .. damnit .. stupid Samsung. Is there anyway to 'cover up' this screaching? Maybe a new desk with a place for the case would be all it takes, but until then, it's just sitting on the floor...

Tex

The enermax probably blows twice the air at half the noise as your psu's fans. And teh hot sir is probbaly from insid ethe case not the psu itself.

For the hard drive... You had a suggestion above to try a LVM with extensions and I would second it if your HD is that loud. Don't go nuts as many do not allow high resolution at very extended diistances.

or

get a decent drive and dump that POS on ebay.

Tex

entropy

I'd bet it's from the psu ... it's a 500w Ultra (read: cheap, but stable), and my case is room temperature, but the psu is warm. But I'm definitely going to look into those fans. And the hard drive noise ... you know that ringing you can ALWAYS hear in your ear, especially at night? Well, it's very close to that frequency, and relatively quiet, but it's still kind of annoying.

Tex

I have like 8 big maxtor iide's and six 15,000 rpm scsi's running withing 6 feet of me and they are not audible. get another drive dude.

Some are just whiny SOB's. When you get one.... you pawn it off on a stranger or hopefully an enemy or someone you dislike. You got any relatives with bad hearing llike say a grandpa with a hearing aid maybe...

tex