Could this be noisy?

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 3:33 pm

Hello anyone.

I selected this components for my new PC and I`d like to know if, in your opinion, it could be an overall quiet (enough) choice. I think IBM/Hitachi are quite good in quietness, since SPCR even recommends them. Then note the case/heatsink/PSU triplet.

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Component      Specs
-------------------------------------------------------
Motherboard    Asus A7V8X-X Socket A KT400 LAN
CPU            AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Socket A Barton
RAM            Twinmos 256MB DDR 400MHz PC3200 (x2)
-------------------------------------------------------
HDD            IBM 180GXP 80GB 7200RPM ATA100 (x2)
Video          ATi Radeon 9200 128MB DDR
Monitor        Philips 15.1" 150S4FG LCD TFT
DVD/CD-ROM     Pioneer 120T 16x48x
CD-RW          LiteOn 52x24x52x Bproof
FDD            Mitsumi 1.44"
-------------------------------------------------------
Audio          Creative Audigy Player
Speakers       Creative Inspire 5.1 5100
TV tuner       Pinnacle PC TV Pro
-------------------------------------------------------
Case           Enermax CS-305-S3
Heatsink       Thermaltake Volcano 7+
PSU            Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W PFC

I can`t actually afford a more expensive/quiet case/heatsink/PSU configuration, but according to many reviews I read about them (the Thermaltake parts indeed), they seem to be quiet, though not reviewed here on SPCR. One more: I`m from Italy, and most of the reviewed silent hardware could be neither easily nor "cheapily" found.

Thank you in advance. Bye!

P.S.: I think that Enermax case bundles with no fans. Suggestions appreciated, then.

Vaeltaja · Post by **Vaeltaja** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 5:20 pm

Hello r0x

While I am somewhat new around here, I'm going to give a try to answer your question.

Will the computer you quoted be quiet enough? As with most things, it depends. Mostly on what your threshold for noise is, and also on how much ambient noise there is where the computer will be.

The components that you quoted aren't particularily quiet, in my personal opinion. The 2500+ Barton CPU and the Radeon cards are cool running enough, but the Volcano7 heatsink may not be the best choice for a quiet computer. Same goes for the power supply. However your standards in regards to noise may be different from mine, so you may be satisfied with those.

Were that computer mine, I personally would switch the the heatsink to a Thermalright SLK-800 or -900 or the like, coupled with a quiet-like Panaflo fan. Add to that a nice quiet exhaust fan. Next I would pursue a bit quieter PSU; the make of it depending on what's available to me.

I'm sure the more knowledgeable folks here will gladly tell you more, and perhaps correct what I've said here

oogabooga · Post by **oogabooga** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 6:43 pm

Well, the first thing I would do is stay away from Thermaltake. Their product lines are either for mainstream or overclockers, and not useful for quiet. I've modded my Volcano 7 with a L1A panaflo, but that's only because I'm too cheap to get anything else

. I'd get a Thermalright 800.

As for the HDD, I'd get 2x 80GB Cuda IV's, or it you can't find those get the 7200.7's (I love mine).

For the vidcard, is the Radeon9200 fanless? If so, great, if not, there is a fanless Radeon out there (9600 i believe). ATI's fans get real noisy, real quick (and hence the new ATI Fanmod Club!)

Actually, now that I see you want a TV-Tuner, maybe you should consider an ATI AIW Radeon 8500DV. They are a combo TV-tuner/64MB vid card, and have S-Video and RCA in/out, as well as some decent recording software and decent games performance. They also come with a nifty RF remote controller - great for watching TV. Just get a Zalman northbridge cooler (ZM-nb32J), and use it (and another panaflo L1A) to get the proper cooling. Another bonus is that they are gettting cheaper as the 9xxx series start to roll out, yet they can still hold their own.

As for the CD-RW/DVD solution, I'd just get a Samsung SM-348B Combo drive - it's 48x24?x48x/16xDVD. It's also super quiet. Pioneer's DVD drives have a tendency to sound like a jet engine. If you can't find the Samsung, get the LG GCC-4480B combo drive - a little louder than the Samsung with same speeds. I couldn't find the Samsung in Vancouver so I went with the LG - I love the damn thing!

I won't recommend a case to you as I don't know a good one other than the Sonata, and they come with a 380W PSU. But, if you can get by with 380W (and you should be able to with this setup), the Sonata is a great case to start with, and comes with a relatively quiet PSU.

Hope that helps you out some!

Post by **MikeC** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 6:48 pm

Seems to me you can do better than the Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W PFC. This is a 2-fan unit; any quiet 1 fan unit will beat it. The Nexus NX3000, and even the Seasonics seem to be not too hard to find in Europe.

Regarding the Volcano 7+, it is actually a good HS, but the fan that comes with it screams at any setting. Just get another quieter fan to replace the original, and run the original "bare" if you have to, rigging up some way to mount a quiet 80mm fan to it. The supplied 3-speed switch is probably worth using. If you can get it, the Alpha 8045 or Thermalright SLK800 + Panaflo 80L(maybe from "Dorothy") are better choices.

I also think the Antec 1XXX series or similar like this 710 Enermaxwould be a better choice than that Enermax -- it looks terrible for airflow. Naturally if you can get An Antec Sonata or 3700, even better...

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 11:49 am

Thank you for support.

I revised a lot my configuration, switching to Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX and Flex-ATX like Shuttle XPC and similar .. Now I'm back to ATX again.

I followed your suggestions, and made this modifications to the potentially noisy hardware:

- Case Antec Sonata. I read some reviews about it, and beyond its quiteness it seems to be really beautiful too. However, the black version could be disappointing for the other hardware looking, so I'll possibly look for a white/silver one.

Btw, colour is not what I'm looking for. Not here at least.

- HDD Here in my city I could afford a Seagate 80GB at about 30€ more (IBM 79, Seagate 108), but I can't remember the model, only it was 7200rpm.

- Video board Since I chose a DVI LCD monitor I included a Radeon 9100 - that has the DVI-out port and V.I.V.O. even - in the setup. It seems to me it's fan-cooled, but dunno anything about the noise issue.

- Optical drive Unfortunately, I can't find the Samsung Combo you suggested, but I found a LG one (I'm not sure about the model). Alternatively I could buy a LiteOn Combo to kick out the Pioneer DVD-ROM.

2 more.

1) I chose a PC TV Sat instead of Pro because of satellite capabilities, but a PC TV Deluxe could be better, mainly for a future notebook option. It's only TV/FM though.

2) Do you think I'd be better buying any additional fan/heatsink for the hardware and especially considering the Antec Sonata (HDD,RAM,chipsets..)? I'm not gonna to overclock anything. Underclock is on the way instead..

Thank you guys. Nice forum!

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 2:15 pm

P.S.

- I found both the Samsung and the LG Combo drives, but I noticed they don't support DVD+R/DVD+RW, that LiteOn Combo supports instead;

- The XFX GeForce FX 5200 runs fanless and then it's completely silent (*cool*). Furthermore, I'm not a gamer, so performance is not a problem. It has DVI/TV outputs too;

- Er.. PC TV Deluxe is too expensive, forget it;

- Are really IBM 180GXP HDDs that bad?

Bye.

Post by **MikeC** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 2:39 pm

- Are really IBM 180GXP HDDs that bad?

They're pretty quiet in general, but they do whine & they have that occasional odd head reset noise.

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 12:12 pm

Uhm.. I'm gonna test it.

I forgot the heatsink! I'm on the Thermalright SLK800, but I just can't find Panaflo fans, they don't seem to exist in Italy.

It's bundled with several other brands' fan, like Vantec (Stealth), Top Motor etc.
Vantec Stealth is told to be quiet, but until Athlon XP 2200+. Which then?

Oysterman · Post by **Oysterman** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 1:52 pm

www.siliconacoustics.com sell 80mm Panaflo L1A's and ship overseas. That's where I got mine. Gotta admit that shipping cost me more than the actual fan, but it's a small cost compared to what the rest of the parts cost me.

I guess you also always have the option of Papst. I believe they are sold all over Europe.

ruprag · Post by **ruprag** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 2:11 pm

You can try to get panaflos from Dorothy (jafb2000) she has a listing in our "Deals, Vendors & Classifieds" section

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 2:58 pm

Uff!

I surrended to Seagate.

I'm gonna buy an A7V8X with SATA, then two Barracuda V Serial ATA too!

However, I'm having problems in buying the Sonata case (always 'Out of stock'), so I'd rather buy an alternative case. MikeC, I noticed you put the Sonata and the 3700 on pair.. Well, I can buy the latter for a noticeably lower price than Sonata. But.. would this make quietness an issue?

Thanks, again!

Post by **MikeC** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 5:35 pm

As cases go, I prefer the Evercase. The only serious issue is the single 80mm fan exhaust -- for hot systems, this might not be enough. Plus they all now come with an intake left side panel fan hole, which I really am not fond of.

There are a few issues I have with the Sonata -- the PSU fan is too noisy for my taste, the holes on the two sides ("Antec") allow noise to escape, and the front bezel could definitely be less restrictive for airflow.

No case is perfect.

CFD · Post by **CFD** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 2:07 am

I'd go with Samsung for HDD's instead of seagate. Faster and better warranty. Also, excuse me for asking, but why do you want two HDD's? Desktop RAID is crap unless you use it for backup.

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 3:22 am

Because since I use 2 operating systems I always used to have 2 indipendent HDD instead of partioning one.

CFD · Post by **CFD** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 12:42 am

THAT I can agree with!

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:10 pm

That's me again.

I have these (exclude Panaflo for availability..

) 80mm choices for SLK800:

- Vantec Stealth;
- Sunon PTB4;
- TopMotor Low;
- YS-Tech Silent;
- Papst GML/GL.

They all claim to be silent. A site/forum search upset me though.

For the 2500+ Barton, remember.

Thanks!

Zhentar · Post by **Zhentar** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:16 pm

I've got a Vantec Stealth; other forums claim it equal to the panaflo (which I have unfortunatly never had a chance to hear). I don't have any complaints about it....

ruprag · Post by **ruprag** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 11:56 pm

I have a Vantec Stealth. I am getting panaflos (just need to get to customs and get them) I can post in a few days how I feel about the difference.

futureweaver · Post by **futureweaver** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 4:58 am

I have a Sapphire 9100 64M. If you can find one with VIVO it's good value at around £50, but you'll have to buy a DVD player separately (PowerDVD can be had for about £4 on eBay) or make sure you get one with the DVD drive.

However ... it's now the noisiest thing in the system, it doesn't have holes for the Zalman cooler, and the HS is glued on. So the only quiet cooling option is to take off the existing fan and attach/suspend a larger and quieter one.

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Sun Jul 13, 2003 12:23 pm

Finally I'm ready to post the actual configuration!

Here it is:

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Component      Specs 
-------------------------------------------------------
Motherboard     Asus P4PE Deluxe
CPU             Intel Pentium 4 2.4B Boxed
RAM             TwinMOS 256MB DDR333 PC2700 (x2)
-------------------------------------------------------
HDD             Seagate Barracuda V 80GB 7200RPM SATA (x2)
Video           Creative 3D Blaster 5 nVidia GeForce FX5200 128MB
DVD/CD-RW       LG GCC-4480B 48x24x48x16x Combo
------------------------------------------------------- 
Case            Antec SLK3700AMB + Antec SmartPower 350W

I excluded the Athlon setup because at the moment good cooling components are very hard to find here. Due to the period, retailers aren't gonna order anything new till September. So I settled on a P4 with the stock heatsink (which had good reviews on the web, and on SPCR too). I just couldn't wait!

The matter for P4PE instead of Springdale/Canterwood is that Linux and similars only well-support Intel chipsets until i845.

I'll buy other "optional" components (Monitor,Audio/Speakers,TV tuner) as possible. The core is ready to be assembled.

Thank you *VERY* much, "Silent men"!

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 12:08 pm

Wait!

http://www.antec-inc.com/images/400/bac ... 700amb.jpg

This is NOT the standard ATX layout, is it!?

The audio, LAN and other USB 2.0 ports simply won't fit with that fu**ing arrangement. What about that?

lazybum131 · Post by **lazybum131** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 2:55 pm

you're talking about the ports at the back right for USB, audio jacks, parallel, mouse, keyboard, etc. right?

you should be able to pop that out of the case, and replace it with the one that should be supplied with your motherboard.

r0x · Post by **r0x** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 12:16 am

Yes, you're right.

I've read about it on the Antec FAQs just a minute after having posted. That would have been too stupid.

Thanks anyway!