Quieting down my Hackintosh HTPC

[aphex]

So i recently built a cheap hackintosh for running plex/xbmc/boxee in my home theater. Everything is exactly what I had hoped, except the system is a tad louder than I would prefer, so while I'm still within my return policy, I decided to quiet things down a little.

Specs:
Gigabyte G31M-ES2L Mobo
Intel E5200 2.5ghz Dual Core CPU (stock HSF)
4gb OCZ PC6400 RAM
500GB Samsung HD
Sparkle 7200GS 256MB Video Card
Apex-PC-390 w/ 300w Power Supply - Link

The power supply (Allied) is darn near silent, as is the Samsung 5400rpm HD, most of the noise seems to be from the rear 80mm fan as well as the CPU cooler (to a lesser extent). Temps inside the case seem fine, in fact the CPU heatsink is darn near cold to the touch when the system is running, only the passive HS on the video card and north bridge feel moderately warm.

Now, in hindsight, I should have bought a case with 120mm fan support as I previously had a Lian-Li with 120mm fans and it was dead silent. Figured I would save some money this time, and while the system isn't loud by any means, for a home theater its a bit louder than I would prefer.

So, my question to you, should I;

1. Return the Apex case ($40), pick up this Cooler Master 341 Mini Tower with 120mm fan support, then throw in a $30ish 300-400w power supply with a 120mm fan.

2. Just replace the 80mm rear fan with a quieter (albeit lower CFM) 80mm fan, and maybe swap the stock cooler for something a bit quieter (though the stock HSF isn't too loud).

 

[PCTC2]

That case or pick up an Antec 300 on sale. Something with a 120mm fan. I currently run my Hackintosh out of a P182. 120mm will be a much better investment over time. As for the PSU, you might want to check out over to the Power Supplies forum for a cheap PSU.

 

[elconejito]

You definitely want to get a case with 120mm fan. 80mm fans are *sooooo* noisy. I think trying to find a quiet 80mm will just lead to a lot of frustration. 120mm pushes more air at a lower volume, a win all the way around.

If you want to go really, really quiet (and your budget allows) look at a case like the P183 (or older P182, P180). They have real solid walls which help absorb sound. The Antec 300 is a real nice case too, but it's sidewalls are a bit thin and allows some sound to escape. --- Basically, the more vents/holes the case has the more sound will escape. So minimize the number of vents, and get really thick walls

But that cooler master looks nice, I have a similar one for my file server, running mostly passive except for one rear exhaust fan. I can hear it from close up, but it's effectively silent.

Another way to get lower noise, is if you can passively cool that CPU. Unless you've overclocked it, it probably doesn't generate much heat. Look for a big heatsink and see if that will cool it. My fileserver has a Xigamatek S1283 passively cooling an AMD BE-2400 (one of the 45w chips). There are a couple of Scythe coolers specifically designed for this type of task, the Mugen and another one I forget the name. But any LARGE heatsink will do I think. That would be one less fan.

For the PSU, if you can swing it in your budget, look at some of the low wattage "nice" PSUs. An Antec EA380w or one of the Seasonic 300 or 350w, or the Corsair 400cx. All are probably 40-50 bucks. Much better efficiency than a "cheap" one for just a little bit more to save a few watts on your power bill. They also add less heat to the system (because they're more efficient) which means less fans which means less noise.

So after a long ramble... get the case with 120mm fans. If it's in the budget, get a nice PSU. If it's in the budget get a nice CPU cooler. That should get you reasonably close to quiet.

 

[faxon]

if you want a good HTPC case that's silent look at the coolermaster 360. it's one of the few HTPC cases that will take a standard ATX board, and it takes 120mm fans. alternatively, the Selio 500 from coolermaster is also pretty silent, since the inside has been lined with dampening padidng

 

[Binky]

HTPC deserves an HTPC case. The antec NSK2480 has very good airflow and a good power supply too. It has dual 120mm fans right next to the CPU. These make a passive cpu cooling setup extremely easy. The Mini Ninja cpu cooler fits perfectly.