Help me get a quieter machine

[Dreamcatcher]

Hello, the noise my PC is outputing is driving me crazy. I don't know if it's because my new mac is whisper quiet, but i would like to get my pc to a reasonable noise level. Here what i have right now

NOTE : i do not wish to overclock it!

Antec Trueblue 480W Psu
heatsink ThermalrightSLK700 with 70mm TMD fan
AMD tunderbird XP 1800+
ATI RADEON All in wonder 8500

My case was is a Kingwin case and i have disconnected all 4 case fan as the noise was even more unbearable.

Do you have a quick and easy way to fix the noise? I can hear him from the living room even if the computer room door is closed!

 

[fireontheway]

Use a fan speed controller to slow down your fans.I also think the most of the noise is coming from the TMD,you might wanna get a heatsink that can take a bigger fan.There are also some TNN video card coolers available if you think that the 8500 fan is making noise.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Yeah, there's a quick and easy way to fix the noise. It's called the off switch. :laugh:

Seriously though, there isn't an easy way to get rid of the noise. You will have to replace a lot of components to get a noisy PC quiet.

Sources of noise from your PC:

1) Your PSU. That Antec uses 80mm fans and is noisy as all heck. A PSU with one slow-spinning 120mm fan will vent just as well as a fast-spinning 80mm fan, and will be a lot QUIETER. Get yourself a Seasonic Super Tornado or S12.

2) Your CPU fansink. You need the biggest heatsink you can fit in there. The bigger the heatsink, the slower the fan you can use with it, and the quieter it will be. Try something like a Zalman CNPS7000, which has a 92mm fan.

3) Not sure if yor ATI AIW 8500 has a fansink, but ATI stock fansinks are notorious for being noisy. Change it to something else quieter if you have a fansink on it (go with a Zalman VF700 or Arctic ATI Silencer).

4) If your mobo has one, check your mobo Northbridge fan. They usually spin at some insane speed like 6000rpm. If you do have one, it needs to be slowed down to 3000rpm or less.

5) Use quiet case fans like Panaflo L1As.

HTH.

 

[Zucarita9000]

Hmm.. See if you can use large 120mm fans for your case. Use some Nexus or Yate Loon fans for that. If you're still using 800mm fans, get some Panaflo L1As (they're very quiet).

Also, you could get another heatsink, such as a XP-90 or a Zalman 7000.

 

[fireontheway]

Originally posted by: Zucarita9000
Hmm.. See if you can use large 120mm fans for your case. Use some Nexus or Yate Loon fans for that. If you're still using 800mm fans, get some Panaflo L1As (they're very quiet).

Also, you could get another heatsink, such as a XP-90 or a Zalman 7000.

XP-90 is out of the question,he's go a socket A.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Go with a 7700Cu if you've got the four mobo mounting holes.

 

[Nessism]

Can't the SLK-700 accept an 80mm fan? I have a SK-7 with a quiet 80mm Panaflo L1 fan and it's nice a quiet. And contrary to what was mentioned above, the Antec 480 PS is not that loud. I have a regular True 480 and it's reasonably quiet in my rig.

A few other things to check include a loud chipset fan, failing video card fan, and of course case fan noise. You need to do some work to find out what's the problem. Next, take steps to address the specific issues. There is on easy solution, only hard work.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: Nessism
And contrary to what was mentioned above, the Antec 480 PS is not that loud. I have a regular True 480 and it's reasonably quiet in my rig.

That's because you have never heard of a quiet PSU before.

Sorry, but TWO 80mm fans are going to be noisier than one slow-spinning 120mm fan any way you cut it.

 

[CSMR]

Originally posted by: Dreamcatcher
Hello, the noise my PC is outputing is driving me crazy. I don't know if it's because my new mac is whisper quiet, but i would like to get my pc to a reasonable noise level. Here what i have right now

NOTE : i do not wish to overclock it!

Antec Trueblue 480W Psu
heatsink ThermalrightSLK700 with 70mm TMD fan
AMD tunderbird XP 1800+
ATI RADEON All in wonder 8500

My case was is a Kingwin case and i have disconnected all 4 case fan as the noise was even more unbearable.

Do you have a quick and easy way to fix the noise? I can hear him from the living room even if the computer room door is closed!

It costs a lot to quieten a computer. And you will find that not much of the old computer remains. Best to build one from scratch with silence in mind and sell the old one.

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Thanks for all the answers.

I figured that the TMD fan was loud but never thought to check the PSU. Anyway i unplugged the mobo to see just the noise the PSU was doing and you were right, that thing is loud. It's a shame because it's a good PSU and i paid good money for it at the time!

I have now switched to mac and won't buy another pc, but my wife is still using the pc so i thought i could put a small amount of money to have it quieter. I will look into buying a new heatsink/fan. It's a 3 years old PC that i had put together myself at the time with acrylic windows, led fans and cold cathode. Now i just want something efficient that will do what i need when i need it!

What do you all think of the fanless SilentX power supply?

 

[wisdomtooth]

Here's a review article on quieting a computer-- Check out what happened to the temps when this guy tried to put in a fanless PSU HERE.

Talk about a system meltdown, that is it. :laugh:

I would avoid a fanless PSU at all costs. The PSU fan is an important part of your case ventilation system; take it away and you deprive your case of a major means of getting hot air out of the case.

As I mentioned before, you should get yourself a Seasonic Super Tornado or S12 PSU. These are the quietest fan-cooled PSUs you can buy, and at the same time they vent very well because of the 120mm fan.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I've tried Antecs, Fortrons, OCZs, Nexus, Zalmans, etc., and the Seasonics are the quietest PSUs I've ever come across. These days, I refuse to use any other brand of PSUs.

HTH.

 

[jmke]

for Athlon XP you can use Thermalright SP-94 or SI-97 for extreme performance with very low speed fans