best way to quiet my system?

[evident]

I have a rocketfish full tower, with a bunch of 120MM case fans, and a 120MM panasonic panaflo attached to a thermalright xp-120. I also have an 8800GT

the thing isn't TOO loud, but i noticed that my uncle's dell inspiron was dead quiet compared to my system's drone. What would be the best way to quiet my PC?

Should i get some type of fan controller, or are there any good recommendations for quiet 120MM fans i can pick up?

 

[yh125d]

Aftermarket cooler for 8800GT (AC Accelero is good, among others) and either alot of 500-1100rpm fans, or a fan controller

 

[Zap]

As long as you aren't crazy-overclocking or have any heat-related issues, start with getting slower fans all-around (including CPU).

Yate Loon model D12SL-12

If you are concerned about CPU or are overclocking, then maybe the model D12SM-12 (higher RPM). In the model number D12xL-12 the x is S (slow), M (medium) or H (high) speeds. The S model is pretty quiet at full speed and all of them seem to undervolt well.

 

[daw123]

Is the noise being generated predominantly by the case fans or the 8800GT and XP-120 fan?

If its the GPU and HSF, have you considered using sound deadening materials on the inside of the side panels. Something like this:
http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-g...ucts/acousticmaterials

Just a suggestion. I have no personal experience of using these products, but I'm sure others can confirm if they are any good.

 

[zagood]

"bunch of 120MM case fans" isn't very specific. List the brand/models.

Are any of your fans on controllers? If they're all running full speed, sure, it's going to be loud. Check out the Sunbeam Rheobus or similar fan controller.

FYI - your uncle's Dell probably has one exhaust fan and CPU fan, that's it. Those machines in general don't need much cooling since they're not generating much heat.

-z

 

[scruffypup]

If you aren't sure exactly where the noise is coming from, then the cheapest way to start out is the sunbeam controller mentioned,...

This way you can lower the speed of fans and see what resulting effects on both temps and sound you have,...

Also is the heatsink fan always running 100% or is it adjusting based on temp? I would set it to adjust on temp in bios if you can (most motherboards have that option)

Edit- though if you want cheap and quiet fans,... the ones Zap mentioned are good,... I usually would recommend the fan controller first off in case you need the extra cooling for summertime, overclocking later or what not depending on current situation (we don't know temps, overclocks, etc)

 

[cdnbum88]

As one person mentioned but a S1 on your 8800GT and then slap a nice Noctua 120mm on it and replace all your case fans with more Noctua's and you will be cool and quiet.

You pay more for these fans, but I love'em and they are great.

 

[primosavant]

Originally posted by: scruffypup
If you aren't sure exactly where the noise is coming from, then the cheapest way to start out is the sunbeam controller mentioned,...

This way you can lower the speed of fans and see what resulting effects on both temps and sound you have,...

Also is the heatsink fan always running 100% or is it adjusting based on temp? I would set it to adjust on temp in bios if you can (most motherboards have that option)

Edit- though if you want cheap and quiet fans,... the ones Zap mentioned are good,... I usually would recommend the fan controller first off in case you need the extra cooling for summertime, overclocking later or what not depending on current situation (we don't know temps, overclocks, etc)

What he said, lol.

 

[nerp]

My solution to this issue is the following:

Get 120mm fans for ALL fans and choose the quietest models you can.

Get a Tuniq Tower or some other type of CPU cooler with a large fan.

Use aggressive fan control settings and tack it to temperature levels. This way the fans will speed up while gaming or if things get too hot. Chances are just idling and doing normal surfing, etc, will keep you silent.

Use little slips of cardboard between the case and side panels to eliminate vibration.

Get a case with insulated HD mounting systems. My Lian-Li PC-A05B has a nice rubber mounting system that maintains metal contact (for thermal dissipation) but has rubberized grommits around the mounting bolts.

Get quiet HDs.

And definatley go with a fanless card or a card with an aftermarket cooler.

FOr any fan that you can't get fan control for, just hide a zalman fan mate II controller inside the case and ramp it down to the point you can't hear it.

Using foam insulation is really the last thing to consider. The above will make more of a difference before soundproofing measures, in my experience.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: evident
I have a rocketfish full tower, with a bunch of 120MM case fans, and a 120MM panasonic panaflo attached to a thermalright xp-120. I also have an 8800GT

the thing isn't TOO loud, but i noticed that my uncle's dell inspiron was dead quiet compared to my system's drone. What would be the best way to quiet my PC?

Should i get some type of fan controller, or are there any good recommendations for quiet 120MM fans i can pick up?

First found out whats making all that noise in your computer.

If its a high pitched noise its most likely the gpu. if its a loud overall noise its your fans.

Determine whats loud, and change accordingly.

 

[Zepper]

Yup, the idea is to find out where the most noise is coming from and either replace the item with something not so noisy (fan, etc.). Isolate the item from the chassis and or apply noise dampening materials to the inside of the case to keep the noise inside. Then tackle the next noisiest item until you've got it the way you want it. There are quite a few good tips in various threads on the RFFT in this section from back when BestBuy first started blowing them out. I'd suggest taking a look at them.

Dells are designed with integrated cooling solutions to be quiet from the get-go, but they aren't cooled well enough to handle much in the way of OCing. Often not enough room for top line vid cards nor enough extra power available to run them even if there was the room.

You've got a custom box capable of handling just about any mix of components and it's made of aluminum, so it generally will transmit more noise than Dell's steel boxes. It's just up to you to get the cooling to a good balance of noise and flow for you. Sometimes mounting some Sonex squares on the wall behind your case can absorb noise that would otherwise be reflected back at you. Keeping the front door closed will also help contain the noise.

.bh.