what is the quietest cooling setup you've had?

[ManDooM]

I'm begining to record music on my PC but my condensor mics pic up the fan noise. The fans I currently have running are:

92mm Tornado (cranked down to half speed with controller)
PCI blower to take heat away from oced video card
PSU fans (they're actually VERY quiet)
chipset fan
GPU fan
80mm exhaust fan when putting load on CPU

I'm using some Akasa Paxmate to dampen the sound a little but it's just not working. It's quiet enough to play games but not to record with. I have my CPU oced so I don't want to downgrade its fan.

If I switch to water cooling, then I can get rid of all the fans except the PSU fans and a 120mm radiator fan which would be *awesome* but I'm exploring some cheaper options, first. What quiet setups are you using?

 

[gotensan01]

Just some advice, I think you'll still need another fan besides the PSU and 120mm rad fans. It will depend on your setup but you will need something to exhaust the air that the 120mm fan will draw in to the case, and the PSU fans will not exhaust enough.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

I'm not sure, but wouldn't a directional mic help a ton?

Also, I'd either make a second rig just for audio recording (cheap Dell 400SC or something) or put the computer in the closet/behind a sound wall while recording. Hell, you'll pick up road noise and the sound of the wind blowing, so don't get all anal about the computer hum.

 

[ManDooM]

I would have the radiator attached to the back of the case and have the 120mm fan blowing the exhaust air out and over it. Kill two birds with one slug.

Buying more mics is not an option. I picked these because I liked them. Not that it wouldn't help, but I'm past that point already.

I've thought about building a second rig but it's just not practical. It's not hard to quiet a rig - I'm just trying to find the cheapest way.

And there's no wind around here.

 

[PumpActionWalrus]

I have a nice little program that you can use to slow your cpu down, drop voltage and all that which will allow you to slow those noisey fans down to nithing, I am running the same cpu fanless on a crappy heatsink at 1400mhz 1.1 vcore, email me if you want it, it is kinda hard to find

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

1. Ditch the PCI blower.
2. Step down the processor, then you can turn down the tornado Or replace it with something like a Panaflo M1A....that's probably 90% of the noise you're hearing. Get a Zalman fan mate to regulate the fan speed if you aren't using speedfan.
3. Get a VGA Silencer for the 9800....$9.99 + shipping.

 

[MEDISIN]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
1. Ditch the PCI blower.
2. Step down the processor, then you can turn down the tornado Or replace it with something like a Panaflo M1A....that's probably 90% of the noise you're hearing. Get a Zalman fan mate to regulate the fan speed if you aren't using speedfan.
3. Get a VGA Silencer for the 9800....$9.99 + shipping.

I second that - this would make a dramatic drop in the noise you are experiencing.

 

[WobbleWobble]

- Replace the chipset fan with a passive heatsink.
- Replace the GPU fan with a Zalman, the Silencers are better performers but they have fans and the Zalman doesn't.
- 7V your 80mm fan
- Get rid of your PCI blower
- Clock down your overclocked CPU and slow down your fan or replace it with a quieter one, or replace it with a Zalman CNPS-7000A

Your hard drives may also be a source of noise, what brand/model are you using?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

92mm fan mounted on rubber screws in PSU.

That's all.



- M4H

 

[ManDooM]

Good tips. From the sounds of it I'll either have to slow down my proc or go liquid. I don't want to lower my clock because, well, I like it fast Plus I can record more audio tracks in my program (Sonar 3) with the faster proc.

Believe it or not, the PCI blower is the quietest fan in my machine (as quiet as the almost non-audible PSU fans). And yes, it is the Tornado that makes most of the noise. It's turned down half way and I maintain 47C at load. And my hard drive is a WD800JD (Western Digital special edition 80GB). And it's quiet enough.

Thanks people, I think I'll have to go water cooling from the input. Anyone know how to do that cheap?

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: ManDooM
Good tips. From the sounds of it I'll either have to slow down my proc or go liquid. I don't want to lower my clock because, well, I like it fast Plus I can record more audio tracks in my program (Sonar 3) with the faster proc.

Believe it or not, the PCI blower is the quietest fan in my machine (as quiet as the almost non-audible PSU fans). And yes, it is the Tornado that makes most of the noise. It's turned down half way and I maintain 47C at load. And my hard drive is a WD800JD (Western Digital special edition 80GB). And it's quiet enough.

Thanks people, I think I'll have to go water cooling from the input. Anyone know how to do that cheap?

You could probably run 2.2 or 2.4 with a Panaflo and be fine. And it would be memory not CPU that allows you to run more tracks/effects.

I have Sonar 2, what's better in Sonar 3?

 

[CraigRT]

I at one point had a home-made water cooling setup for everything but my PS

it was nice and quiet

 

[ManDooM]

I don't know, never used sonar 2. I know that with 3 you can record up to 24-bit/192khz. You can also create midi and audio Groove Clips. Basically you iput some data into a track and turn it into a looping clip with two clicks. Then you can click and drag the edge of the clip in the track view to stretch the loop as long as you want. Then you can go back and make manual changes as necessary in the loop. It's really nice. It also supports VST effects and instruments through an internal adapter. Using samples and VSTs is incredibly easy.

However, Sonar 4 is coming out soon and it supports 5.1 audio recording among some other cool features, so if you're going to upgrade I'd wait for 4.

 

[Operandi]

How fast is the tornado spinning at 1/2 speed?

 

[ManDooM]

Originally posted by: Operandi
How fast is the tornado spinning at 1/2 speed?

about 2400. Stock with the one I own is about 4700

EDIT
the sound is decreased by probably 2/3rds, tho. Which is really nice. But it's still pretty loud.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: ManDooM

Originally posted by: Operandi
How fast is the tornado spinning at 1/2 speed?

about 2400. Stock with the one I own is about 4700

EDIT
the sound is decreased by probably 2/3rds, tho. Which is really nice. But it's still pretty loud.

Well I think its safe to say that?s what your hearing. 2400 RPM is still pretty fast for a 92mm fan, I can easily pick out my 80mm Sunon at that speed so a 92mm would be that much worse. Since you want to keep your overclock I would check out the Thermalright XP-120 and pair it with a Panaflow. If you want to go watercooling check out Zalmans Reserator I, its expensive but good water cooling is going to be, and the Reserator is going to be extremely quiet.

For the record my system is pretty silent, the only thing audible is my exhaust Panaflow LIA, and my Alpha/80mm Sunon (1500RPM's nominally), both temperature controlled with SpeedFan. Northbridge and GPU are passive, and the Tagan PSU is dead silent.

 

[Degrador]

Another option is to get a good case using only 120mm fans (like the CM Stacker minus blowhole), and then use the XP-120. Only fans I have smaller than 120mm are the VGA Silencer on a 9800 pro (pretty quiet already), and the psu, and you can now get psus with 120mm fans. And I certainly don't skimp on the overclock (using a 2.8 at 3.22 at the moment - can't be bothered tweaking much more, and the vid card is overclocked about 20%).

 

[0roo0roo]

get a sonata. i think they are still 59 at frys with a truepower 380.
very quiet. the psu and case fan generally run at 1500rpm or so. there are rubber fan and hd grommit mounts etc.

and no, the foam crud doesn't work.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: ManDooM
I don't know, never used sonar 2. I know that with 3 you can record up to 24-bit/192khz. You can also create midi and audio Groove Clips. Basically you iput some data into a track and turn it into a looping clip with two clicks. Then you can click and drag the edge of the clip in the track view to stretch the loop as long as you want. Then you can go back and make manual changes as necessary in the loop. It's really nice. It also supports VST effects and instruments through an internal adapter. Using samples and VSTs is incredibly easy.

However, Sonar 4 is coming out soon and it supports 5.1 audio recording among some other cool features, so if you're going to upgrade I'd wait for 4.

Actually, it looks like Sonar 4 is already out. I'll see if it's worth the upgrade. I really need a new software synth since Bitheadz went under before I could get an XP upgrade for DS-1.

 

[Mosad]

Ok, before i begin i must say that i did not read every single reply - i read the first few, skimmed the rest. HOWERVER, i believe what i have to say may well be the solution you decide to adopt...

I myself, want to achieve absolute silence in a computer, as i sleep 5 feet away from one and my neighbohood is silent... everything is quiet, except my computer, and it drives me crazy. So, i did research. A lot of research over the course of a few months. My results:

This is the case i am pretty much decided on. I like the size, cooling, and its reliability. Also, i am pretty set on going water cooling... as i read above, some people say that the fans are not enough. Here is the thread i put on extremeoverclocking forumnsthread. It details my learning curve on water cooling and the eventual decision i made.

For those of you who are either lazy or running short on time, here are the sparknotes:

Buy a dual 120mm radiator, from dangerden, its the Black Ice Pro II. Mount in the case i have chosen above... on the top... taking place of 1-2 CD Rom drives out of the total of 4, leaving me 2. (although, in truth you could go external, and if tahts teh case, go with a dual heatercore... also available at dangerden.com - which if you do, you wont even need any fans, unless you overclock a lot). I will most likely purchase a quiet pump, the details of which are on the thread.

Now, i know i need fans. That is why you should visit www.silenx.com. Not a single fan of theirs goes above 14 dba. the 120 mm also have 58 cfm, which is very respectable. Mount a few of those in yoru case, on your radiator, and you will achieve silence. Especially if you control them by plugging them into the motherboard and using a program.

Lastly, for the hard drives. An effective method i learned of is using rubber bands... perhaps 10. Wrap them around the hard drive and it should buffer out all vibrations and sound. You may want to replace the rubber bands once every 2 weeks... maybe not replace, dependso n the hard drive... at least check on.. Its a cheap, effective method. Otherwise you may need to purchase a hard drive sleeve from companies such as coolermaster.com.

There are my 2 pence. Take my advice as you may. Hours upon hours have been spent to come to these conclusions... but, i am still learning as we all are. If anyone wants to advise me, critise me, anything of the sort, feel free to do so. On this thread, extremeoverclocking thread i put up, or, perhaps preferabbly, through private message. I will be glad to hear from you and continue learning.

Enjoy

 

[pretzelb]

If you want real overload of information you should try this site for ideas. Seems like half of my posts recommend this site.

The basic keys are:
* get rid of all small fans including video card fans and mb fans
* get largest fans possible (120mm being best)
* keep fans moving slow as possible - get good controller
* keep number of fans down to minium (1 or 2, maybe 3)
* get quiet fans - panaflo is one of the best if you can get them
* get biggest case possible (allows you to mod easier and harder to heat a larger space)
* get steel cases and not aluminum
* look for good quiet psu (some are even totally fanless)
* look for quiet hard drives (I like seagate right now)

I'm amazed you think your WD drives are quiet. They were incredibly loud in my last rig. Right now I can only hear my stock a64 cpu cooler and I have two 120mm fans and 3 hard drives. When I replace that stock heat sink I expect the rig to be pretty quiet.

 

[HardWarrior]

You could buy KVM extension cables and move your chassis to someplace isolated so as not to foul your mics. I don't know much about recording music, but won't your mics pick up any fan noise at all?

 

[pretzelb]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
You could buy KVM extension cables and move your chassis to someplace isolated so as not to foul your mics. I don't know much about recording music, but won't your mics pick up any fan noise at all?

This is an excellent idea. With some long extension KVM cords you can use furniture to isolate the pc noise.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Personally, I bought a new computer desk for $55 from Office Depot that has a fully enclosed cabinet for the computer. A plain computer with just quiet fans, becomes silent when you enclose it like that. There's 1/2 inch on all sides which I'll line with a layer of dynamat and melamine foam.

 

[glorygunk]

Instead of that Vantec 92mm tornado you have on your SLK-900a, use a Zalman 92mm fan. I have one that I'm not using right now as a matter of fact. This is because I replaced the fan on my PSU and there wasn't enough clearance for a big 92mm fan on my CPU.

However, the Zalman is super quiet...so quiet I can't even hear it when I unplug my other fans. Oh, and for 80mm size fans, use Panoflo fans. They're the best for silent enthusiants like myself. I have 4 in my case