Silent PC

[VirusType2]

Anyone got a silent PC, HTPC, or extremely quiet PC capable of high performance gaming?

I guess I've become obsessed with making my gaming/work PC as quiet as possible. Not just quiet but cool and efficient is what I'm going for. I bought a 'gold certified' Seasonic power supply that's passively cooled unless pushed really hard.

Now I'm trying to decide which fans to get to replace the annoying LED fans that came with my Antec 900. They've been running for about 2 years. Now they are worn out bearings and I want to spend the extra money and get whatever moves the most air while making the least amount of noise.

Thinking of going with the Scythe S-Flex (F or E) and running them at 50 or 70%. I can get 4 for $10 cheaper than 3 of the Noctura. On the other hand, I only have speed controls for 2 fans, so I may have to invest in a speed controller or do a 7volt Molex mod. Anyone done that before?

Discuss.

 

[Qonfused]

Get a fan controller. I love mine so much. Idling? Crank that shit down. Gaming, yeah up a little.

 

[Laivasse]

Depending on how obsessed you are, you could try going for that total oil submersion cooling thing that some people do.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtufuXLvOok

 

[VirusType2]

Get a fan controller. I love mine so much. Idling? Crank that shit down. Gaming, yeah up a little.

Definitely considering one at this point, but I want one that has a push-button mode switch, for example Silent/Gaming, instead of turning little knobs for each fan. I haven't seen one like that, for some reason. It seems that presets would be a no-brainer.

Anyway, which one did you go with?

Laivasse

Looks ... fun to upgrade. Then he's got the drives outside. I like having fans for my hard drives because they are packed together. So the fans are already there. I wouldn't gain anything by this mineral oil.

It just seems like way too much trouble for the water cooling solutions and stuff. I just want the quietest fans - that should be good enough for me.

 

[kazsymonds]

Depending on how obsessed you are, you could try going for that total oil submersion cooling thing that some people do.*Vid*

I don't think these are great for the long term though, are they?

I believe certain pars of the motherboard components corrode over time (yes - corrode IN OIL). I don't know how / why.

 

[Quixoticism]

Water cooling is the way to go if you want quiet. I've always wanted to try it out but haven't ever had the hardware worth putting it on.

 

[Laivasse]

Looks ... fun to upgrade. Then he's got the drives outside. I like having fans for my hard drives because they are packed together. So the fans are already there. I wouldn't gain anything by this mineral oil.

These guys decided to make a business out of selling starter kits for this sort of stuff and my understanding is that the above video comes from their very earliest DIY kits. The later revisions of this kit appear to have mounts for the drives so they can sit inside the oil too. Still, you're right that this is more of a fun pet project than a practical, price conscious solution, especially considering what these guys charge for a kit.

I don't think these are great for the long term though, are they?

I believe certain pars of the motherboard components corrode over time (yes - corrode IN OIL). I don't know how / why.

The vendors who made the vid apparently are running a few test systems to examine the long term effects of their oil shenanigans. I'm only parroting the info on their site so there might be another side to this, but their oldest test system is still going strong after 3 years and they have another one which is still going after 2. Obviously you toss away the warranty and resale value of your components when you do this, though.

 

[VirusType2]

So I take it not a lot of PC gamers on this website interested in cooling solutions? I figured there would be a couple of you that had a tricked out system for discussion and ideas (or bragging).


And now for a picture of a sweet triple monitor setup - a refrigerator cooled PC on a ghetto ass picnic table

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/02/acpc_cooling_mod.html

 

[Vegeta897]

Got me one of these for my CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103046

One of the quietest fans in the affordable price range.

 

[VirusType2]

It looks simple and effective.

I just heard my CPU fan increasing speed moments ago, for the first time. I was running 2 cores at around 100%.

I've got the stock cooler and it's totally wimpy; it reminds me of a McDonald's kids meal burger.

 

[Adabiviak]

I have my CPU and GPU on a water system that runs to a radiator outside the house, the main point of which is to keep the computer as quiet as possible (the water pump and whatnot can make all the noise they want outside). Here's my specs, as your definition of a "gaming" rig may differ. They're overclocked slightly, but run nice and cool unless the outdoor temperature gets to about 100°F, at which point I have to hose off the radiator if I want to play games.

CPU: E6850 Core2Duo
MB: Asus P5K-WS
GPU: nVidia 280GTX

Besides the power supply, the only fans are a pair that came with the case that blow over the hard drives, but they're pretty silent (don't know what brand).

 

[Warped]

I put headphones on and volume up as much as I can bear! its a lot cheaper!!

also why don't you consider getting really long USB cords and cables so you can place it in another room of the house.

 

[VirusType2]

I have considered everything. Nothing to consider but ways to reduce PC noise, and so, if I remember correctly, the topic was geared towards: water-cooling, which case fans are quiet, silicon fan mounting solutions, vibration and sound deadening materials such as Dynamat (tm) and the like. Silent PC - not PC in another room or wear earmuffs, or remove ear-drums. Although I am considering some kind of sound wall or curtain. (sound deadener material)

I do use headphones, but I'm not going to wear them 24 hours a day, even while sleeping.

Relocate PC: No good. Hallway? Next room 40 feet away so I have to go in the other room to put a disc in and run back? Maybe hire a disc jokey and call him to change discs.


I got a good laugh out of this; sorry if I seem rude, I'm just playing. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Sedako]

I'm going to go with water cooling for my next build, and most likely place the radiator in the basement.

 

[VirusType2]

I bought 4 Scythe S-Flex G fans. I was talking about it in the "purchases thread", but I decided to move that discussion here, to keep that thread clean, and to use this thread instead:

Why do you need the g. The f is already loud at max voltage. You're really going to run four g's at max voltage?

>Virus makes another purchase Viper doesn't understand

Well where were you when I made a thread asking about what fans to get?

I was going to get the E, actually. (1200 RPM max). Yeah, the G is 1900 RPM max.

I didn't want be restricted to 1200 RPM with the E at max power, and I didn't want to use SpeedFan, or a speed controller. I wanted to use my trusty BIOS to set the speed. My motherboard has only 3 speed settings, and off. It has 100%, 75%, and 50% power.

I wanted fans that would run at about 1200 RPM at 75% power, and that's what I got. Maybe eventually get some kind of speed controller, but keep in mind that I don't have any front bays on my case.

EDIT: See, I noticed that at 7volt (75% power setting for me), with the 'F', would only get me like 900RPM, so I would have had to run the F at full power 1600. So really, the G or E was the only option.


I have been running the 2 front ones (soon to have 3 front fans) at ~750 RPM (50% power) and the rear one at ~1275 RPM (75% power). Maybe I'll run them all at 75%.

750 RPM doesn't really move air for shit, obviously. It does, a little (I guess because the 2 rear fans help pull). I have monitored temperatures and it's about the same. Sometimes 1C higher, but right now, 3C lower on some drives.

-While it isn't much, LEDs do generate heat. The one on my mouse warms my hand. So removing 12 of them from my case (the LED fans I was using) probably helped.


Before buying, the problem is, I didn't know what to expect regarding volume. My 2200 RPM CPU fan is practically silent. (though I think that PWM fans are quieter, also it's in the middle of the case, isolated a bit) 1200 RPM seemed like a rather low max RPM, in case I needed more to run 100% CPU over-night (if I would ever need something like that)

Side note: although I sorta knew it was foolish, I was hoping the BIOS setting of 50% really meant 50% power (6 volt), but I guess that's pretty silly, in retrospect. It must be 5v. But if it was, I would have had like 900 RPM instead of 750. So that's a little disappointing, but I guess I expected it.


So anyway, I just felt I trusted the BIOS to control fan speed the most, and it was the cheapest solution. I have 3 speed settings, where with slower fans, I would only have 2. It's not the greatest, because really it's ultra low, normal, and balls out, but I think it will do.


My PSU is modular, and since I have nothing in the case that uses Molex, I can clean up the case quite a bit. Well, truthfully, I still have the 200mm fan which uses Molex, but I'm probably going to use an Sata/Molex adapter and tuck all that up somewhere. It has it's own speed controller.


AH, the topic. Yes, at ~1200 RPM, these fans are: a little quieter and move a little more air. (compared to the fans that came with the Antec 900 case). Plus, no more LEDs to keep me awake at night.

 

[Viperidae]

Yeah, honestly I read this thread and initially went away because I didn't like what anyone was saying (water cooling: ok, don't ever swap another part in again) and would have given up convincing you otherwise.

I would have told you that if you want to get really geeky you should get a high static pressure exhaust (and component) fans, like the Scythe Kaze Jyuni/Ultra Kaze. Not sure exactly how it works, but supposedly fans with HSP suck air that's harder to reach (around components etc) than high CFM fans. Another advantage of HSP is that the RPM is much lower, thus quieter.

As for controllers: You'd have to experience it first, I guess. Most guys I know love to adjust things manually, and I'm not exception. Your lack of a bay is problematic, true, but ideally you'd want one if you were serious about quiet. Does your mobo support 0v to the fans? A controller would. If you torrent at night and your comp is in your room it's a sleepsaver to have it passively cooled.

 

[VirusType2]

I think it was a few degrees C cooler in my room when I woke up this morning - I guess because of all those damn fan LEDs no longer there! Hard to believe, but there isn't another explanation. It's hot as piss outside today, as usual in the summer, so ambient had been the same as usual.

Yeah, honestly I read this thread and initially went away because I didn't like what anyone was saying (water cooling: ok, don't ever swap another part in again) and would have given up convincing you otherwise.

I would have told you that if you want to get really geeky you should get a high static pressure exhaust (and component) fans, like the Scythe Kaze Jyuni/Ultra Kaze. Not sure exactly how it works, but supposedly fans with HSP suck air that's harder to reach (around components etc) than high CFM fans. Another advantage of HSP is that the RPM is much lower, thus quieter.

As for controllers: You'd have to experience it first, I guess. Most guys I know love to adjust things manually, and I'm not exception. Your lack of a bay is problematic, true, but ideally you'd want one if you were serious about quiet. Does your mobo support 0v to the fans? A controller would. If you torrent at night and your comp is in your room it's a sleepsaver to have it passively cooled.

>0v?

you just mean "off" right? Yes - but it's not fun to change settings in the BIOS, it's true.


Thing is, I don't like the fan controllers I have seen because they use resistors and waste power and create heat. I'm trying to build the coolest, best performance, quietest machine for 24/7 operation. Though that's kinda silly goal for a machine with 6 or 9 Hard drives..


Honestly, after turning my personal room fans off, I noticed my PC is not as quiet as I first perceived. My entire PC with all the fans and hard drives is still quieter than my external drive with its fan, though. :thumbs:


Fact is, I am starting to think I did it all wrong. What I wanted was 4 PWM fans. It may be debatable if they are quieter or noisier, actually, because of the way it works. But there can be no doubt that you get more airflow at lower RPMs, and that it uses something like half the power, and that no power is wasted in the form of heat, as with rheostat controllers.

Since I only have one PWM header, I figured that was not possible for me.

However, yesterday I noticed they have a PWM splitter to where your case fan speeds can be controlled by the CPU fan speed. In other words, you plug 4 fans into the CPU PWM header (if you have one), and if the CPU gets too warm, ALL fans increase speed. It's not dangerous because it only uses the signal, it is actually all powered by a Molex connector.

Here check it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119248

Has me thinking on how it operates. It can only give 12v max, so whatever the max RPM of the PWM fans are, it won't go past it. In other words, if you hook up 450-1400 RPM PWM fans to it, when the CPU says 100% fan speed, they will be running at 1400 RPM, and when the CPU is nice and cool, and says 50% fan speed, they will be running at like 550 RPM.

So I was considering sending all my fans back and trying that! I'm not sure how much stepping is there. I wouldn't want them to suddenly all kick to 100% every time the CPU passes a certain threshold. Would love to find out, but I'm not rich, so I can't afford to just buy all new fans to test it.

PWM fans are harder to find, and the ones available might not be as good as the S-Flex.

Also, I guess saving like [1watt] isn't worth sending these fans back over. The S-Flex have a life of like 17 years because of that special bearing; so in all, maybe I should just stick with them.


>Static pressure

Thing is, I think the Scythe fans I have do have good static pressure.


Also, the Antec 900 has slotted adapter card slot covers..

pic:
http://www.petrastech.com/ces09/buildlog/pciBracketCover.jpg

, so I'm not sure how effective static pressure can be. I'm not all that knowledgeable on this stuff, but don't you need a better sealed case for that?

I will have the 3 in front (as pictured below), one in the rear, one at the top of the case, and the CPU and VGA fan.

Will look similar to this:

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/6503/antec3fans.jpg

except that I don't use a side fan, I don't like one there; it makes it annoying to access because of the wire; I don't think it's necessary; and the bracket broke on mine anyway, so I have sealed off the side panel fan hole.

I guess I might as well say that I am planning to cover the entire front with a custom dust filter.

 

[VirusType2]

Alright, so just in case anyone is interested... (I feel like talking about it)

I found out that it was my CPU fan that was making all that noise. I had it on 87% even at idle. Funny, because with my old fans, "I couldn't even hear" the CPU fan. Well with my new case fans, it was by far the loudest thing in my case.

I set up all four 120mm scythe fans to run at ~750 RPM. I also set the 200mm top fan to run on low. Then I turned down my CPU fan to around 50% and set the autofan to try and keep it below 50C.

I recently noticed I could feel massive vibration on my desk (my PC is on top of my desk next to me). I set the PC on top of 3 layers of corrugated cardboard (they use that to absorb shock, right?), trimmed to size and put a foam pad on top of that. This was a major success and eliminated vibration induced noise.

I opened the case and taped up any holes in the sides (behind panels) that weren't airflow related, to increase airpressure and reduce noise (I read it somewhere). There were tons of little holes everywhere to cover. (I doubt this made a noticeable difference in noise, at least)

By the way, I used rubber bushings (like washers) on both sides of my rear case fan, and used a cable tie and a clipped cable tie (just the lock) to hold them on, instead of screws directly mounted to steel.


The air coming out the back and top of my case is flowing a decent amount of air, considering fan speeds.

I set the GPU fan about 5% faster so that it doesn't need to increase speed, ever. It's about the same volume now, just a slightly different tone. It's the change in tone with changing fan speed that I find most annoying.


Next, I will be moving the PC to the side of my desk. I will use some sound absorbent material on the side of my desk, so it doesn't bounce off so easily. Combined with the natural barriers, and increased distance from my ear, this should be extremely quiet.

...

Here is a home made ISO[lation] box, for your enjoyment. I like the dryer exhaust. Apparently, it's very effective. It has a talking temperature alarm (note: the reading is in F)

...

Fractal Design (Swiss) coming to North America shortly.

They use sound deadening materials and design.

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=48