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Silent PC

C

calyco

Senior member
I just installed the Zalman 7000a and it works great but now I noticed that the psu is the loudest component. I have a crappy case and $100 to spend so I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions for a nice case that already comes with a fairly silent psu (350w). Last any other advice or tips on how I can quiet down my pc? So far I got the 7000a, getting the Zalman vga cooler and a new psu. Any opinions would be appreciated.
 
Yep Sonata uses 120mm fans (PSU and exhaust) for quiet but effective cooling. Or if you decide to just get a PSU, I have a Zalman quiet PSU in my music server box and it is wabbit hunting qwiet.
 
I agree w/BW86, but I couldn't afford that particular case, so I modded my antec psu w/a panaflo l1a 80mm fan...it's a little quieter. But if you're gonna buy a new case, go with the sonata. If i'm not mistaken it's got a 120mm exhaust & does an excellent job of keeping the "innards" quiet.
 
If you cant afford a Sonata, they're over $100 with shipping most places, look into an Antec Solution Series case... same basic stuff/layout, just not as fancy.
 
Originally posted by: Tullphan
I agree w/BW86, but I couldn't afford that particular case, so I modded my antec psu w/a panaflo l1a 80mm fan...it's a little quieter. But if you're gonna buy a new case, go with the sonata. If i'm not mistaken it's got a 120mm exhaust & does an excellent job of keeping the "innards" quiet.
Click to expand...
and no risk of electrocution 😉

Yes, the PSU and case exhaust fans are both 120mm, and there is an (empty) front holder for an intake 120mm if it's ever needed (I haven't, with a P4 3.2 GHz, fx 5900 nu, 2 hard drives).
 
Another case to consider is the Antec 3700AMB. Probably would want to replace the PSU in it though. It has 120mm fans like the Sonata. The LX-6A19 case at Directron.com is nearly identical the the 3700AMB, same basic chassis. It comes w/o a PSU so you could add whatever you wanted there. Seasonic makes some real nice and quiet PSUs. For all the latest stuff I'd take a look at silentpcreview.com, they take their silent computing seriously and could give you some good advice.
 
The key features of the Antec Sonata are:

- Hard Disks are attached using rubber grommets bolted to the bottom of the drive - superior arrangement for reducing seek noise chatter.

- Power supply only uses one fan, which adjusts speed depending on temp.

- Power supply has "fan only" molex which like the PS fan, adjusts speed with temp.

- Rear of case uses a large, slow 120 mm fan.

Good stuff really.

Downsides to Sonata (being picky):

- Gloss black paint not for everyone.

- Metal a little thin for $100 case.

- "Antec" holes punched in side panels.


Overall a very nice case - I receintly bought one🙂

Ed
 
the fan for the zalman vga cooler isn't THAT quiet. Was it called the OP-1? It's not particularly loud, but you'll probably get more and more into silencing your box (read: obsessed) as you start to quiet down your machine. If you can, see if you can passively cool your video card. I hear the arctic cooling vga silencers are pretty good too. I haven't tried, so unfortunately, i can't give you a comparison.

check out www.silentpcreview.com
 
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