Did you recently build a "silent" PC?

[Infrnl]

u guys can quote me on this.

if you have a large budget to spend, especially on fans.

Get scythe Gentle Typhoons. There dead quiet, and they push a lot of air.

Hands down the best fans i have played with. More So then my San Aces.

Aigo, so these are a better option than the scythe slipstreams?
I have a couple cases I am putting systems in and the ol san aces are not helping. They are great fans, but I am now looking for less noise. I have one system in my sons room now and it is LOUD. I'm sure the case doesn't help, but want to quiet it down a bit.

I was thinking Yates, but those are actually louder than the Aces we bought a while back, so besides the gentle typhoons, It looked like the slipstreams would be the best bet for the price, but if the typhoons are better, I do not mind spending nearly 3x's the cost.

What model typhoons did you get? The ones I see are approx 1900rpm, and only put out approx 58cfm's@ 28db D1225C12B5AP-15 I believe.
slipstreams statep to 1900rpm@37db, but 110cfm, 1600rpm@33db 88cfm.

Hopefully you will clarify quickly so I can place an order, maybe I will just try a couple of each and compare.

 

[ehume]

Agree about the Gentle Typhoons. I have them at 800, 1150, 1450 and 1850. All excellent.

I just took delivery of a 900RPM Thermalright 140mm fan. It's astonishingly quiet, and pushes more air than a Noctua P14 at it LN (low noise - 900RPM) setting while being a little quieter about it.

The Scythe 500RPM Kaze Maru is inaudible, and pushes a little air. The 1200RPM is a little disappointing: it makes a little motor noise of some sort. But the other fan I got tonight - the 1900RPM Kaze Maru - is shockingly quiet for its RPM and size. All I hear is the air moving, which is loud enough. I'm going to go down and test it at lower voltages.

I am not satisfied with the Scythe S-Flex series.

The Noctua P9 and S12B are quiet but not noiseless, and they could push a bit more air for my taste. The two good things about them: no motor noise and their fan noise is - as advertised - lower in pitch than other fans at the same RPM.

Sitting with a whole bunch of fans in my basement, I have come to the conclusion that for quiet operation, you need relatively low RPM's (no more than 1500) and lots of blades - at least 9 for a 120mm and preferably 11 or more for a 140mm fan.

 

[Danube]

Best thing I ever did was get an Acclero for my ATI 4850. I got rid of the fan noise and dropped from 80c at idle to 50c. I use a Scythe Ninja B and can turn the fan off when I want and not see much rise in temp. I know an open case can release more noise but I use a gamer case with lots of vents and removed the fans. I settle for open and quiet flow vs closed case with fans. I dont use any case fans at all. My CPU rarely gets over 35C at stock and my drives will be around 40c - a little more on hot summer days (when I use cpu fan). With an SSD I cant imagine a PC being much quieter without developing a psychopathology. I mean even peoples stomachs growl sometimes.

 

[Interitus]

SPCR is a great site and a great resource but perspective is very important.

For me, I like my system very quiet. With the ambient room noise, you can't tell if it is on or off. At night, you can't tell either unless you put your ear right up to it.

For some of the SPCR hard core people, my system would be completely unacceptable. It is not Quiet PC Review, it is SILENT PC REVIEW. Over the years, some people on there have gone to incredible lengths to achieve total silence - oil immersion, encasing hard drives in acrylic, etc.

On the road to silent, the first 90% is not that difficult and just requires some knowledge, planning and a moderate premium on things like nice fans and a good PS.

The last 10% of that journey will take all your time, money and sanity (IMO).

This. As Zap said, the best reply in the thread.

I started at SPCR many years ago after purchasing my first PC from a builder. It sounded like a leaf blower. After carefully sifting through info on SPCR, I chose my components and built my first PC, and it was very quiet. That's where it all began.

As david noted, the first 90% is just doing some reading, planning, and forking out for parts you think are grossly overpriced. Then you get your start and it's great.... for a week or two.

What follows is that you then start to notice all the little annoying sounds that parts make which were previously unknown to you because fan whoosh covered them up. That's when insanity begins.

After about 3 years of building SPCR inspired PC's, I've come to a point where I'll gladly hear the calm whoosh of a fan over hard drive vibration or coil whine. SSD's come in handy here, but once you start on the road to utter silence, be ready for the challenges and frustration that can lie ahead. My advice? Build yourself a good PC with slightly audible fans, a good thermally controlled PSU and spend the small amount of money it takes to pad all the moving parts like HDD's to reduce vibration.

Best advice I ever took from SPCR: Use zipties and vacuum hose from an auto parts store to mount your fans. The hose acts as a vibration dampener, and the lack of a solid metal screw helps even more. Sure it doesn't look super sexy in the case, but it might cost you 2-3 bucks for a whole case and works a hell of a lot better functionally than fan gaskets and expensive silicon grommets.

 

[Imp]

My system is very quiet except for the craptastic fan on the 7600gt video card. It was even quieter when I plugged up a side-fan grill with cardboard; had to remove since new CPU runs hotter. Overall, using low rpm 120mm fans and some sound insulation works. SilentPCReview teachs you to use foam, which is overkill for my tastes. Having a bigger case would make mods easier.

 

[cbn]

What case, parts, etc did you use for your build? Can they really be inaudible in a typical home setting? What about at nights, when the environment around you is quieter, are they still "silent"?

I think it would be interesting to see some sort of case designed around one large 200mm fan purpose built to be low rpms. This way the bearings/spindles could be smaller in diameter and the blades could be longer while still fitting inside the 200mm shroud. Then have all other components inside the case fan-less.

 

[cbn]

u guys can quote me on this.

if you have a large budget to spend, especially on fans.

Get scythe Gentle Typhoons. There dead quiet, and they push a lot of air.

Hands down the best fans i have played with. More So then my San Aces.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50955

To me these fans look like they have a pretty large motor/bearings judging by how big the center section is.

However, looking at the description I can see a lot of effort went into other design features in order to compensate.

 

[Rubycon]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50955

To me these fans look like they have a pretty large motor/bearings judging by how big the center section is.

However, looking at the description I can see a lot of effort went into other design features in order to compensate.

This is akin to attempting to pronounce a proven person's eight syllable last name! Don't worry about it, just play it! 😛

They work! When the shoe fits, you wear it! 😀

 

[cbn]

This is akin to attempting to pronounce a proven person's eight syllable last name! Don't worry about it, just play it! 😛

They work! When the shoe fits, you wear it! 😀

That is a good way of putting things.

 

[nyker96]

P182, zerotherm FZ120, X2 5000+@3,2, 785G m.b., 4gb ddr2, 640GB seagate HD, build in video.

completely silent. can't hear it.

 

[ehume]

Where the GT's really shine is that they can push air UP.

Looking at the stuff online about sleeve bearing in fans, they talk about horizontal, vertical, parallel, etc. I want to use my Thermalright 140mm or a Scythe Kaze Maru for top exhaust fans. But they have sleeve bearings, and they can point anywhere but up. The only 140mm fan I have that will point up is the Noctua P14, and it is very expensive.

The GT's are the quietest ball bearing fans I have, and they can point in every direction. That includes up. YMMV, but the comparable Noctua fans - the P12 and the S12B - cost at least $5 more apiece.

 

[Cattykit]

Where the GT's really shine is that they can push air UP.

Looking at the stuff online about sleeve bearing in fans, they talk about horizontal, vertical, parallel, etc. I want to use my Thermalright 140mm or a Scythe Kaze Maru for top exhaust fans. But they have sleeve bearings, and they can point anywhere but up. The only 140mm fan I have that will point up is the Noctua P14, and it is very expensive.

The GT's are the quietest ball bearing fans I have, and they can point in every direction. That includes up. YMMV, but the comparable Noctua fans - the P12 and the S12B - cost at least $5 more apiece.

How is that ThermalRight 140mm fan?

I'm in the market for quite 140mm fans and the one I have is just not cutting it. It's Xigmaek XLF-F1455 which I had it running @ 600 rpm. Compared to the deafult Antec Threehunred 140mm fan at low speed, it's more quite. But, it makes that annoying tonal noise whereas default Antec fan makes gentle humming noise.
So, I'm again in the market for another 140mm fan. Given how Noctua doesn't use sleeve bearing unlike all the others, I thought about getting it though it's expensive.

 

[ehume]

I love my TR 140mm, but it seems to grind or something when pointed up. It's not bad, mind you, but enough to keep me from using it as a top exhaust. I'm not sure I'll have a place for it.

Ironically, the first 140mm I got - the Noctua - is the one I can point in any direction.

And then we have an embarrassment: I just played with a Slipstream and found it having difficulty when pointed DOWN, not up. <sigh> It appears that some sleeve bearing fans can point up, others down; but in general pointing horizontally (mounting the fan vertically) seems to produce the least trouble.

I did find a ball bearing 140mm fan. But I ordered this version, because it comes with a fan controller.

I have to wait for the GA P55A UD3R to come to the US so I can start working in my NZXT Beta Evo. It'll be interesting to see whether the MB arrives before my rib and shoulder heal. So until then all I can do is play. I can't really test yet. I'm looking forward to seeing what all these fans will do with a Megahalems. I just ordered my second set of 38mm clips for it. Should be lots of fun when it all comes together.

 

[Cattykit]

ehume, Thank you so much for the information!!! It looks like one of two fans you mentioned would save me from the endless search.

 

[zagood]

P182, zerotherm FZ120, X2 5000+@3,2, 785G m.b., 4gb ddr2, 640GB seagate HD, build in video.

completely silent. can't hear it.

please list the make/model/number of fans in your computer, rpm of each fan, and impression of german grindcore bands.

logical post. [sic]

 

[potato28]

P180 Black, modded with another 120 mm fan in the top with 5 CM R4 blue LED fans and a Sycthe Ultra Kaze 2000 all hooked up to a Zalman fan controller. It gets loud when I game for more than 20 minutes, but otherwise you can't even hear it.

 

[ehume]

I did find a ball bearing 140mm fan. But I ordered this version, because it comes with a fan controller.

I thought about those fans before I went to sleep. The variable one runs 800 to 1300 RPM, and claims PWM of all things. But the fixed fan is 1000 RPM. It occurs to me that with a fan controller, the slower fan would probably be able to run 500 or 600 to 1000 RPM.

It's interesting. I'll let you know what the 800 - 1300 fan does when it arrives.

 

[ehume]

Just did a little testing downstairs. This time I took my TR 140mm and let it be the standard. I put the Scythe 140mm and the Noctua 140mm on fan controllers, looked through the fans and carefully adjusted the speed until the picture through the blades showed a stationary TR fan. Then I looked through one of the adjusted fans to the other. Close enough. I had three fans going at very nearly the same RPM.

They were all comparably quiet, but there were clear differences in the volume of air. In short:

Noctua > Thermalright > Scythe.

The TR and the Scythe did fine pushing air horizontally and down. Pointing up they felt like they were struggling. The Noctua could point in any direction.

I am waiting on a Masscool 14025 and an Evercool RSF-14 Red Scorpion. The former has "2 ball bearing" and the latter "Ever Lubricate bearing type."

I suppose I could have saved myself a lot of money and gone pure Noctua in the first place, but trying out fans is a fun way to pass the time.

 

[Rucker61]

I rebuilt my DAW over the Christmas break:

OS: Windows 7 64 Ultimate
CPU: Intel i860
RAM: g.skill DDR3 2 x 2GB 1600
MOBO: EVGA P55 LE
GPU: HIS iSilence 4670
PSU: Nexus Value 430
Case: Antec Solo (modded for silence)
Sound Card: m-audio Delta 1010LT
Monitor: HP LP2465
SSD OCZ Vertex Turbo 60GB/WD Scorpio Blue 500GB
Fans: Scythe Slipstream 1200rpm x 2/Nexus 92mm x 2

Here's a link to some photos of the original Phenom II 720 setup:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55183&highlight=daw

With the exhaust fan and CPU fan at 700 rpm and the Nexus's turned off, core temps during general use are under 30C and GPU is at 40C.

Edit: Ran OCCT last night, nothing OCd. With all four fans at 1200 RPM, core temps were low 40s and GPU temp was 40C. With front fans turned off, temps went to mid 40s for the CPU and 42C for the GPU. With the two 12cm fans downclocked to 720rpm, CPU cores and GPU went to low 50s C.

 

[Cattykit]

Just did a little testing downstairs. This time I took my TR 140mm and let it be the standard. I put the Scythe 140mm and the Noctua 140mm on fan controllers, looked through the fans and carefully adjusted the speed until the picture through the blades showed a stationary TR fan. Then I looked through one of the adjusted fans to the other. Close enough. I had three fans going at very nearly the same RPM.

They were all comparably quiet, but there were clear differences in the volume of air. In short:

Noctua > Thermalright > Scythe.

The TR and the Scythe did fine pushing air horizontally and down. Pointing up they felt like they were struggling. The Noctua could point in any direction.

I am waiting on a Masscool 14025 and an Evercool RSF-14 Red Scorpion. The former has "2 ball bearing" and the latter "Ever Lubricate bearing type."

I suppose I could have saved myself a lot of money and gone pure Noctua in the first place, but trying out fans is a fun way to pass the time.

Thanks for doing what I want to do but can't do!

As of now, I'm thinking about getting Masscool SLC-FD14025 you mentioned but I'll wait until I hear about your experience. From what I've gathered, Noctua one seems to make a bit of whiny noise when pointed horizontally, I'm wondering you noticed it?

 

[ehume]

My Noctuas do not make a whiny noise. My 140mm Noctua has a wolf note, though. A wolf note is a frequency where some part of a device resonates with something. It howls (hence . . .). But turning the frequency up or down a tad gets you out of that.

I suppose we should ask Florence Ambrose about wolf notes.

 

[hclarkjr]

i just built system this weekend using a cooler master HAF932 and can say it is pretty quiet with good cooling. using a XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler for the Q9450.