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Help me quiet down my new PC

J

Jack31081

Member
So I've got my new PC up and running for just about a week now, and everything's running great, so now I'd like to turn my attention towards ridding my room of as many extra decibels as possible.

Currently, I have the following in my case:

- Antec TruePower 550W PSU (1x92mm fan, 1x80mm fan)
- 1x Delta 80mm fan
- 2x Top Motor 80mm fan
- 1x Zalman 120mm fan (built into 7700Cu cooler)

Well the cpu cooler is actually really quiet, and with the fanmate2, I can control its speed, so that's not a problem.

I know for a fact that Delta fans are loud, and the Top Motor fans I have are just the fans that came with the case, so nothing special there. They're not as loud as the Delta fan, but not quiet either.

Then there's the PSU. Antec says that the TruePower's fans run in proportion to the temerature in the case, but they still seem loud when the computer's idling (34C cpu, 32C mobo). I don't know what brand fans are in there, but I'd like to get them replaced as well.

The big question is, which fan? My case has room for an army of 80mm fans, but no 120mm fans. I tried to squeeze my sunon 120mm fan in the front, but the hdd bay is blocking it, so no go.

Considering I'm happy with the temps as they are, and have no plans on OC'ing, I'm going to go with 2 80mm's in the side panel and 2 80mms in the back for exhaust, in addition to the fans in the PSU.

Here are some fans I've looked at:

- Panaflo L1A : 24CFM : 21dB
- SilenX 80mm : 28CFM : 21dB
- Sanyo Denki : 29CFM : 23dB

After reading how the Vantec Stealth's aren't as quiet as advertised, and how different companies measure fan decibels differently, I figured I'd ask for people with experience to give their advice. If you've used any of these fans, let me know if they're as quiet as advertised, and if they perform well. Also, I'll need advice on a 92mm fan for the PSU intake.

Now the SilenX fans are a bit more expensive, but they come with rubber grommets built in. Will those really help cut down on noise enough to justify the higher price?

Thanks for any help.
 
The Vantec stealths that I had in the last case that held 80mm fans were quiet. Close enoght to the listed dB to not matter. With the higher CFM rating, even a little more noise than listed wouldn't be a bad thing. If you are certain about the SilentX or Sanyo fans get one of those. You can probably spin them slower and get decent temps (and less noise) out of your system.

Is the reason the 120mm fan was a no go because of the thickness of it? If you tried a 38mm fan, try a 25mm fan... Most 80mm fans are 25mm thick, so you have a much better chance of getting a 120x25mm fan to fit than a 120x38mm fan.

As for grommets, I've not seen them make much of a difference (if any) when it comes to a quality case. If you have a low quality case that isn't tight (put together/fitting) then they might do you some good.
 
Originally posted by: akira34

As for grommets, I've not seen them make much of a difference (if any) when it comes to a quality case. If you have a low quality case that isn't tight (put together/fitting) then they might do you some good.
Click to expand...

I used cheap rubber fan silencers that bit between the fan and the case. These actually worked slightly to reduce the case acting as a amplifier for fan noise. As there was little noise to begin with, the silencers only worked so well, but it was worth the $4 I paid for the set.

If you want a good 25mm thick 120mm fan go with the Enermax variable. It has a variable resister built in that allows you to change the voltage (ie RPM's) and reduce the noise. I use a fan controller with mine and typically leave it at 7-8v where it puts out alot of air for almost no noise.

As for the PSU, you can look into picking up a 92 and 80mm Panaflo M1A or L1A fans. These will reduce your noise while increasing (or at least maintaing) your cooling. Typcially you can find them for under $10 each and I have heard that replaceing the fans is easy.

-spike
 
Originally posted by: akira34
Is the reason the 120mm fan was a no go because of the thickness of it? If you tried a 38mm fan, try a 25mm fan... Most 80mm fans are 25mm thick, so you have a much better chance of getting a 120x25mm fan to fit than a 120x38mm fan.
Click to expand...

I was actually just coming back to post that. I didn't realize most 120mm fans were now 25mm thick. And yes, my sunon is 38mm thick, which turns out is why it didn't fit.
 
Originally posted by: Jack31081
Originally posted by: akira34
Is the reason the 120mm fan was a no go because of the thickness of it? If you tried a 38mm fan, try a 25mm fan... Most 80mm fans are 25mm thick, so you have a much better chance of getting a 120x25mm fan to fit than a 120x38mm fan.
Click to expand...

I was actually just coming back to post that. I didn't realize most 120mm fans were now 25mm thick. And yes, my sunon is 38mm thick, which turns out is why it didn't fit.
Click to expand...

Go for a 25mm thick one instead... As you said, most fans are the 25mm thickness now, but some are still 38mm. Make sure you get one that's 25mm and you should see a difference. Especially if you get the Enermax one and turn it down as mentioned by Spike...

In my current case, I don't know if the fans are rubber mounted or not. They came installed and I've not touchted them [yet]. IF I do, it will be to replace them with higher CFM, but lower (or at least the same) dB, fans.
 
Oh, man...I just did an ear check on everything in my case. Turns out the bulk of the noise isn't coming from the PSU. It's coming from the fan on my northbridge chip!

I actually can't hear my PSU at all. I turned off all the other fans, turned the 7700 to the lowest setting, and all I can hear is the northbridge fan. It's not quiet at all. And it sounds like it' vibrating a little.

Guess I don't need new PSU fans after all...What I need is a new northbridge cooling solution (Asus A8N-SLI). Any recommendations?
 
Originally posted by: Jack31081
Oh, man...I just did an ear check on everything in my case. Turns out the bulk of the noise isn't coming from the PSU. It's coming from the fan on my northbridge chip!

I actually can't hear my PSU at all. I turned off all the other fans, turned the 7700 to the lowest setting, and all I can hear is the northbridge fan. It's not quiet at all. And it sounds like it' vibrating a little.

Guess I don't need new PSU fans after all...What I need is a new northbridge cooling solution (Asus A8N-SLI). Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

Two words for you... Arctic Cooling... I went to one on my 6800GT and LOVE it... Easily quieter than stock, and cools a lot better too. Plus, it will vent the heat from the GPU to outside the case, unlike stock heatsinks on GPU's (except for the ultra level cards).

Not sure if there is one that will work on your card though. If not, then look at the Zalman solution. I would suggest at least getting their 'optional' fan so that you can use that too if your GPU temps are higher than you'd like (if you don't need it right off the bat). Still, if you can get the Arctic Cooling unit, do it.

Hunt down the NV Silencer 6 (Rev. 2)... it's rated for the 6600 (GT) cards as well as a few others...
 
Originally posted by: Jack31081
Oh, man...I just did an ear check on everything in my case. Turns out the bulk of the noise isn't coming from the PSU. It's coming from the fan on my Gigabyte 6600GT!

I actually can't hear my PSU at all. I turned off all the other fans, turned the 7700 to the lowest setting, and all I can hear is the GPU fan. It's not quiet at all. And it sounds like it' vibrating a little.

Guess I don't need new PSU fans after all...What I need is a new GPU cooling solution. Any advice on a quieter (doesn't need to be passive) gpu cooler?
Click to expand...

Well, if you had a 6800 series I would say get a Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 5, but I do not know which (if any) of the NV silencer series fits a 6600. There is also a Zalman cooling solution (something like the MC80) that works on graphics cards, but again, I don't know 6600 compatibility.

There are usually ways to reduce fan rpm's via software and that might be your main option right now barring some modding until after market 6600 coolers become common.

-spike

EDIT Man Akira, you beat me too it and said almost the exact same thing. Darn phone call distracted me...
 
Looks like you two were posting as I made my edit?

Anyways, I realized shortly after my post that it's not the GPU, it's the chipset fan that's making all the racket. I used my thumb to slow down the chipset fan to make sure, and sure enough, once the chipset fan stops, the case is dead silent. Granted the HSF fan is on 'silent' mode and all the other fans are off, but at least now I've tracked down the cause of all the noise that I originally thought was coming from the PSU.
 
Well chipset noise is easy to handle as there are ALOT of after market chipset coolers. I personally use the Zalman passive cooler.

Zalman Passive Cooler

This works on most motherboards and does an awesome job, my NB temps have not increased since using it.

there are many other coolers, but thats the best one IMO.

-spike
 
I use the freeware program Speedfan to control the NB fan on my Abit IC7. Works like a charm, I dropped the speed from 6000 to 3500 and the whine is entirely gone. Best part was, it's free and the fan will last longer! I have heard of alot of people running this fan unplugged with no problems, so I figured, 3500 rpm is still very good, and it is. Now, the NB is cool to the touch even at 3500 under load. Couldn't be happier......

m 🙂
 
If it was the GPU cooler, the NV Silencer 6 would take care of it. You might want to get one anyway, when you can get it, since it should do a much better job than the stock cooler on your card.
 
The chart might be close, if they used the cheapest case ever made. Anyone concerned with noise wouldn't get one of those...
 
Originally posted by: Jack31081
I'm assuming this is the page you were linking to?

http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/p...code_list.asp?code=014

Which cooler do you have, the blue one or the gold one?
Click to expand...

The blue one, sorry, dunno how I screwed up my link.

Originally posted by: akira34
The chart might be close, if they used the cheapest case ever made. Anyone concerned with noise wouldn't get one of those...
Click to expand...

Actually they would, I bought the rubber fan "cup" linked below

Fan Silencers

They actually might work slightly, mine did and it was enough to justify the cost of $6. Even the most expensive case can still act as a speaker for fan vibrations so something like these as well as rubber standoffs work well. I don't like the stondoffs listed above as they look like they would push the fan too far away from the exhaust hole causing some air turbulance.

Personally I would first look at a good case, then good fans and cooling all around, then look at smallers touches such as these to quiet the case even more.

-spike
 
Originally posted by: Mucker
Damn Spike, yet another link for me to add. thanks!

m 🙂
Click to expand...

The best part is, this link actually worked! 😉

If anyone is strapped for cash, I would not reccomend getting these as the difference is not that great, but when I was all-ready ordering from fcpu and saw these I decided to try. No regrets so far for me! 🙂

-spike
 
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