Silencing your PC....

[KenAF]

I already posted this in the Sonata thread, and re-posted in the case mod sticky, but thought silencing might deserve its own discussion thread...

I recently built a silent PC setup with the Sonata.

P4 2.8
Abit IC7
512Mb Corsair PC3200
Antec Sonata case w/ True 380W PSU
Seagate Barracuda V
ATI Radeon 9700
MIT MDP-120 HDTV PC tuner/pvr
Pioneer DVD-R A05 DVD writer

Then I added:

Fortran FSP-350-60PN power supply w/ 120mm fan - $47
Zalman CNPS7000-Cu P4 heatsink (uses 92mm fan) - $34
Zalman ZM80A VGA Heatpipe Cooler - $25
Zalman ZM-NB32J northbridge heatsink - $5
Sunbeam Rheobus (black, review here) - $19
Panaflo L1A 120mm - $13
AcoustiPak Deluxe (another pic, sold here, coming soon with version pre-cut for Sonata) - $79
Elastomer fan isolators (more info here, order cheap here) - $9.71 for pack of 20
Elastomer drive grommets (order cheap here) - $7.77 for pkg of 25
Smartdrive 2002 hard drive enclosure - $59
Rubber power supply washer - $8.99

What I did:

Installed the CNPS7000-Cu and set it to the lowest fan setting (5v)
Replaced the heatsink and fan on the Radeon 9700 with the Zalman ZM80A
Put Barracuda V hard drive in the Smartdrive 2002 enclosure
Replaced the Antec power supply with the much quieter FSP-350-60PN
Replaced the rear Antec 120mm fan with the Panaflo L1A, mounted with with the better Elastomer fan isolators
Added Elastomer grommets to drives in 5.25" bays
Connected the L1A to the Sunbeam Rheobus for 5 volt operation
Replaced the heatsink/fan on the IC7 northbridge with the ZM-NB32J, as per instructions on Hardforum
Lined inside of case with AcousticPak Deluxe
Inserted AcousticPak Deluxe foam blocks into extra 5.25" and 3.5" bays
Re-mounted Fortran power supply with rubber power supply washer

What I will do next:

Try WD Raptor in the Smartdrive2002 enclosure
Try Quiet feet case isolators (sold here)

More information people asked for (part numbers):

Elastomer fan isolators - part 5801K6 for 80/92mm fans, 5801K8 for 120mm 38mm fans like Panaflo; order here
Elastomer drive grommets - see here for more specs; G-410 part is 9311K138/ 9311K89, G-411 part is 9311K139/9311K91; high damp and low damp differ in softness

If you can tell your system is on from the noise, then it is too loud!

 

[KenAF]

Some other notes...

- Important: the (PF) versions of the Fortran 120mm power supplies typically found in Europe are much louder than the non PF versions sold in the USA. If looking for a quiet PSU, do not order the FSP300-60PN(PF) or FSP350-60PN(PF) versions. If European customers cannot locate the non-PF versions, they would be better served with an alternative like the more expensive Nexus.

- The Fortran FSP300-60PN (300w model of PSU with 120mm fan) is sold for only $27 at Newegg.

- Fortran reportedly has a 400w version of the 120mm fan PSU in the works

- The Nexus NX-4000 400W (uses 80mm fan) puts out about 3dB less noise than the Fortran FSP-350-60PN (uses low rpm 120rpm fan) at its lowest noise mode, but it also has less airflow, and costs twice as much

- Fortran also has some fanless power supplies in the works for 200-300w range; these will be available this fall, first to oems, then perhaps early next year at retail.

- Directron has posted info on this upcoming product to their web site. They claim the entire case is one giant aluminum heatsink; it uses copper heatpipes to transfer the heat from the cpu, graphics, and hard drives to the case. It also has a fanless power supply. They claim it will cool a P4 3.06.

- An alternative to the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu is the Thermalright SLK-900, when equipped with a Panaflo L1A 92mm running at 5volts or 7volts (note I do not have personal experience with the SLK-900).

- If you don't need loads of 3D performance, Newegg has the Radeon 9200 w/ DVI (passive cooled) for $70

 

[boyRacer]

:Q Wow... looking at how your post is constructed... and what you did to your computer... you are one anal retentive guy. I don't think i have the patience to do all of that. You got a faster rig than i do and a lot quieter.

 

[JZilla]

Nice work.

That Directron case looks like a dream come true.

 

[Twilling]

I can't wait to read the reviews on that case! I wonder how much it will cost and whether or not it will revolutionize Computer Case Technology. The big name case manufacturers should follow suit and design a fanless/noiseless case. I'd still install a blow hole or 2 in order to have low case temps...

 

[Tab]

Tell me how the smart drive fares out eh? I really want one along with that Zalman Heatsink unit

 

[pelikan]

Brilliant job on the quiet system. Wait a minute here...am I at SilentPCReview?

And thanks for the link to the case at Directron. It's about time for some fanless cooling technology.

 

[paperfist]

How much impact would you say the AcoustiPak Deluxe has on lowering the volume of noise? $79 seems a little steep for foam. Does it impact heat accumulation inside that case at all?

 

[hmsrolst]

This is great work and a terrific write-up. Could you please post mobo and CPU temps to give us an idea of any trade-offs between quiet and cool? Thanks.

 

[BG4533]

I am using 1" Sonex Mini Foam from 2CoolTek to line almost my entire Plusview1000 (with the exception of the window and behind the mobo). I purchased 2 sheets of this stuff at $9 sheet and there was plenty to do the whole case. The foam does a great job killing the highs from my WD Raptor and all but the air sound from fans. This foam maybe gave me a 1-2c temp increase.

The foam also has decent heat transfer properties I think. Well...I will see shortly. I ordered a second Raptor to run in RAID0 and I am planning on building an enclosure for both to sit on the bottom of my case in, fully enclosed with a fan over them. I will tell people how it goes.

 

[GnomeCop]

thats all fine and good, what I want to know is.. how much was that hdtv tuner card

 

[GnomeCop]

oh yeah and please post how long your WD raptor lasts in that smartdrive 2002

 

[CotswoldCS]

Nice post.

I have a number of products in my rig to you and am interested to know a little more. Most importantly, what are your temperature readings?

 

[50]

Can someone explain what the grommets and isolaters do? The website doesn't really explain that well what they do. BTW Man that is a cool setup

 

[BG4533]

Grommets and isolators both help to reduce noise due to vibration. You can put grommets in the screw holes of hard drive racks or where fans go to eliminate metal on metal contact and hopefully reduce noise from hard drive accesses, etc. Isolators work on similar concepts and do what their name says.

 

[BG4533]

Originally posted by: BG4533
I am using 1" Sonex Mini Foam from 2CoolTek to line almost my entire Plusview1000 (with the exception of the window and behind the mobo). I purchased 2 sheets of this stuff at $9 sheet and there was plenty to do the whole case. The foam does a great job killing the highs from my WD Raptor and all but the air sound from fans. This foam maybe gave me a 1-2c temp increase.

The foam also has decent heat transfer properties I think. Well...I will see shortly. I ordered a second Raptor to run in RAID0 and I am planning on building an enclosure for both to sit on the bottom of my case in, fully enclosed with a fan over them. I will tell people how it goes.

I tried an enclosure for my first Raptor. It did completely silence it, the whine was gone even with my ear right next to it, the access noise was dramatically reduced. However, heat transfer abilities were worse than I thought. The hard drives reached 59c with a fan under continous ATTO testing. The Raptor is rated at 65c, but 59c is a bit too close for my tastes.

Anyone know of any soft foam that conducts heat well? I see a lot of people at SPCR that use special rubber, but it does not stop vibrations.

 

[dfi]

How come you didn't opt for a fanless psu, kenaf?

While reading about that case at directron, I think I almost had an orgasm.

dfi

 

[JZilla]

Originally posted by: dfi
How come you didn't opt for a fanless psu, kenaf?

While reading about that case at directron, I think I almost had an orgasm.

dfi

I don't really see the point of a fanless psu. A psu also cools the system and do not solely cool the psu. So if one goes with a fanless psu, one would just have to add additionally fans. Aren't the fanless psu rather weak anyway?

 

[dfi]

Originally posted by: JZilla

Originally posted by: dfi
How come you didn't opt for a fanless psu, kenaf?

While reading about that case at directron, I think I almost had an orgasm.

dfi

I don't really see the point of a fanless psu. A psu also cools the system and do not solely cool the psu. So if one goes with a fanless psu, one would just have to add additionally fans. Aren't the fanless psu rather weak anyway?

I think I recall seeing a fanless psu capable of 300 watts. Now I know ppl love to install 400 and 500 watt psu on their computer but personally I have never had to go over 300 watts. And since he is already installing a case fan as well as having a cpu fan already, I would think that alone would cause enough air flow through the case. But then again, I like my computer toasty if it means it'll be quieter.

dfi

 

[KenAF]

How come you didn't opt for a fanless psu, kenaf?

I didn't opt for a fanless PSU because the fanless models currently available generate a lot of heat, and some don't run all that reliably, based on the comments over at the SilentPCReview forums.

 

[JZilla]

KenAF, I have some additionally questions:

1. Where have you placed the rubber grommets on the optical drive? I'm having a hard time imagening this. My dvd/cdrw makes the whole case shake when it's spinning fast.

2. And this is out of curiosity. You said that the Fortron psu wouldn't be the best choice, seeing as the european version has active pfc. Why is this? Isn't it the same fan or am I missing out on something here. Not that I am in the market, I'm mighty sattisfied with the Truepower, this just made me wonder about it. But it would be nice to know, if I at some point find the psu annoying.

Cheers.

 

[Tab]

Any alternatives for the smartdrive? Or any DIY SmartDrive tuts? I could really use one

 

[stardust]

stay on topic i wanna kno more about silencing

 

[BG4533]

Originally posted by: Tabb
Any alternatives for the smartdrive? Or any DIY SmartDrive tuts? I could really use one

I wanna build my own. Anyone have any ideas? This is my thread I posted yesterday.
Link. I have ideas, I just dont know where I can get the materials and what specifically to use. How thick is the aluminum on the SmartDrive? Could it be drilled with a normal drill and cut with a dremel?

Brian

 

[KenAF]

Answers to some questions...

Could you please post mobo and CPU temps to give us an idea of any trade-offs between quiet and cool? Thanks.

At 2.8GHz, my idle temp is 49 and my full load (prime95) temp is ~60. This is for the Zalman on the lowest fan setting. That said, keep in mind the Abit IC7 board is known for reporting higher temps, so it's hard to say exactly how these would compare to reported temps on other boards. I can run Prime95 for 24hrs straight without a hiccup, so there is no impact on system stability.

1. Where have you placed the rubber grommets on the optical drive? I'm having a hard time imagening this. My dvd/cdrw makes the whole case shake when it's spinning fast.

I use them when screwing on the plastic mounts for the 5.25" bays. I doubt this does much good. My Lite-On CDRW is by far the loudest thing in my case; when burning at full speed, it sounds like a fleet of 747s has entered the room. Fortunately, I don't usually burn and work at the same time. You could probably do without buying extra grommets for the Sonata, as it already includes them for the hard drives.

2. And this is out of curiosity. You said that the Fortron psu wouldn't be the best choice, seeing as the european version has active pfc. Why is this? Isn't it the same fan or am I missing out on something here. Not that I am in the market, I'm mighty sattisfied with the Truepower, this just made me wonder about it. But it would be nice to know, if I at some point find the psu annoying.

The active PFC model sold in Europe evidently uses a different fan and/or fan controller. See this graph. The non-PFC version sold in the USA evidently uses the 3-stage fan control seen in that graph, while the PFC version sold in Europe uses the linear type fan control. The brochure indicates that the active PFC version should be available in a 3-stage version, but it is currently not according to Fortran. Several people have speculated that since active PFC generally costs more, Fortran may have cut costs in the fan controller on that model to maintain the overall cost of the unit.

Ken