About 2 years ago I figured I'd build a nice quiet HTPC system. Unfortunately I hadn't discovered this excellent site and knew very little about building a quiet computer.
What I ended up with is a moderately low noise system that runs VERY hot. I've lived with it for a long time, but now I'm hoping some of the experts out there can help me make some tweaks to get this system both quieter and cooler.
Here are the components:
Case - Silverstone LC03 (with ONE 60mm fan mount at the back)
PSU - Silverstone ST30NF 300W Fanless (a mistake, I think)
Mobo - Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
CPU - P4 3.2GHz w/ Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu Cooler & fan controller
GPU - GeForce 6800 GS w/ Arctic Cooling NV5 Cooler (full PCI slot)
Case Fan - Everflow 60mm 12V
With these components, the system makes a fair amount of noise.. enough that I can hear noticeably sitting ~12 feet away.
It also runs VERY hot. Just now I was watching Empire Strikes Back in 1080p / h264 (very CPU-intensive) and these were the readings from the ASUSProbe utility:
CPU Temp - 70C
MB Temp - 34C
CPU Fan - 2400 rpm
Chassis Fan - 3700 rpm
In an effort to quiet the system, I recently bought a SilenX 60mm 8dBA fan. It was dead quiet, but pushed very little air and caused even more overheating. It also gave very strange readings in AsusProbe - ~1800 rpm, then -27000 rpm (self-throttling maybe?).
I was able to reduce the noise somewhat by cutting out the rear fan grille and using the silicon fan mounts that came with the SilenX. Overall, though, the system is still louder than I would like it and way hotter than I would like it.
One big heat problem I think is the fanless PSU. The LC03 has very little airflow to begin with so not having any air flowing out via the PSU really adds to the heat. The PSU sits very close to the CPU and gets quite hot to the touch.
I've done extensive searching on the forums (see reference links below) and here are some options I'm considering:
- Replace fanless PSU with a SeaSonic S12-330
- Cut another 60mm hole in the rear of the case, mount another 60mm fan (but which kind? These SilenX fans didn't do much)
- Make use of the 80mm intake fan mount on the bottom of the case (however the airflow is so blocked by cables / memory / etc. it would be hard to imagine this would make a huge difference)
If any experts out there have any recommendations, I sure would appreciate your help. I'm worried that I'm going to continue spending money on solutions that don't end up getting the system any quieter/cooler.
edaly
References:
viewtopic.php?t=31860&highlight=lc03
viewtopic.php?t=18831&highlight=lc03
viewtopic.php?t=20560&highlight=lc03
viewtopic.php?t=18373&highlight=lc03
http://www.systemcooling.com/sst_lc03v-01.html
viewtopic.php?t=16696&highlight=lc03
Silverstone LC03 - help needed
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar
I've got an HTPC built in an LC02 - and have also been having heat issues. I didn't want to add fans, so I've concentrated on swapping out hot components (or buying cool ones in the first place).
Have you worked out what's making the most noise? Try stopping the fans one at a time to work it out - or use a funnel made from a rolled-up piece of paper to listen to one component at a time. You could also try to see if airflow is a problem by running it with the cover off - or even by pointing a hairdryer (blowing cold) or external fan at it to see how much difference it makes. If it's considerable, look at bigger vents (if you feel comfortable modding your case).
I'm replacing my flex-psu with a pico PSU shortly - which puts all the PSU heat outside the case, and can be run from a silent external power brick, so no noise.
You don't mention any budgetary constraints, but swapping out your P4 might help, they're notoriously hot. I've got an e6400 core duo (in my server) which runs at approx 45C at full load, with a Zalman cooler running at 5V - essentially silent.
I haven't tried playing much HD material, but even with SD, the software seems to make a huge difference in CPU usage - maybe try running VLC? For me it uses 5-10% CPU vs 25-30% with Zoomplayer or Media Player Classic - if you can slow your CPU down a bit it should run cooler.
You don't say what HD you're using - I bought a laptop drive - quieter, cooler, and it'll withstand a hotter environment better.
Have you worked out what's making the most noise? Try stopping the fans one at a time to work it out - or use a funnel made from a rolled-up piece of paper to listen to one component at a time. You could also try to see if airflow is a problem by running it with the cover off - or even by pointing a hairdryer (blowing cold) or external fan at it to see how much difference it makes. If it's considerable, look at bigger vents (if you feel comfortable modding your case).
I'm replacing my flex-psu with a pico PSU shortly - which puts all the PSU heat outside the case, and can be run from a silent external power brick, so no noise.
You don't mention any budgetary constraints, but swapping out your P4 might help, they're notoriously hot. I've got an e6400 core duo (in my server) which runs at approx 45C at full load, with a Zalman cooler running at 5V - essentially silent.
I haven't tried playing much HD material, but even with SD, the software seems to make a huge difference in CPU usage - maybe try running VLC? For me it uses 5-10% CPU vs 25-30% with Zoomplayer or Media Player Classic - if you can slow your CPU down a bit it should run cooler.
You don't say what HD you're using - I bought a laptop drive - quieter, cooler, and it'll withstand a hotter environment better.
-
Chris Chan
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 8:15 pm
- Location: Michigan
I guess if I have to I could go as far as the systemcooling.com guys did, but at that point all the labor is probably worth more to me than the cost of just buying a new case/PSU/fanset that is built for cooling.
I did a little more investigation and found out that the case airflow is indeed a huge problem. With the case off (and the case fan disconnected), the CPU is ~55C at load, ~45 idle. This compared with temps of 70C with the case on.
One very strange thing I discovered is that the GPU cooler (Artic Cooling NV5) doesn't actually blow any hot air out the PCI slot exhaust as it's supposed to. Instead of pulling air in from the fan and out the PCI slot, it is actually blowing a lot of hot air out from the fan into the inside of the case. Which of course leads to higher temperatures. I wonder somehow if the fan is spinning in the wrong direction or something weird like that.
Another weird thing about this cooler is that the fan makes a very loud grinding noise when it starts up. I actually have to whack the case (or tap the fan casing if I have the computer case off) to get it to stop making the noise.
Tomorrow I'm going to try swapping in another videocard/cooler and see if that helps.
My current plan is to:
- Try swapping in another videocard/cooler
- Buy an 80mm fan for the intake mount on the bottom of the case
- If it's still too hot/loud, get a new PSU
- If that doesn't work.. give up and get a new case
edaly
I did a little more investigation and found out that the case airflow is indeed a huge problem. With the case off (and the case fan disconnected), the CPU is ~55C at load, ~45 idle. This compared with temps of 70C with the case on.
One very strange thing I discovered is that the GPU cooler (Artic Cooling NV5) doesn't actually blow any hot air out the PCI slot exhaust as it's supposed to. Instead of pulling air in from the fan and out the PCI slot, it is actually blowing a lot of hot air out from the fan into the inside of the case. Which of course leads to higher temperatures. I wonder somehow if the fan is spinning in the wrong direction or something weird like that.
Another weird thing about this cooler is that the fan makes a very loud grinding noise when it starts up. I actually have to whack the case (or tap the fan casing if I have the computer case off) to get it to stop making the noise.
Tomorrow I'm going to try swapping in another videocard/cooler and see if that helps.
My current plan is to:
- Try swapping in another videocard/cooler
- Buy an 80mm fan for the intake mount on the bottom of the case
- If it's still too hot/loud, get a new PSU
- If that doesn't work.. give up and get a new case
edaly