help me silence my pc.

[xinzhitan14]

i'm new here and i'd like to silence my pc (more). here are my specs.
Athlon 64 venice 32000
Corsair 2X 512 twinx XMS4000
MSI K8N Neo2 Platiunum
MSI 6600gt AGP
Task TK6600b case.
Zalman CNPS7000CU and VF700CU @ 5v mode.
Antec Neopower 480w. (it's silent! =D)
5x coolermaster 80mm silent blue led fans @ 1500rpm
here is some internal shots


this is basically what i tlooks like inside /(except the video card the pic has a 5200 but my 6600gt is in there now). i got 2 80mm coolermaster fans on the front where the hdd's are located and one under my optical drives. they are all runing at 1500rpm at like @ 7v mode. it's quiet but whne i turn them off i cna notice a significant difference. is this due to air turbulance? also my Zalman cpu and gpu coolers are running at low 5V speeds and at fair good temps. here are my temps
here is hte front of my case with the weird intake 80mm filter covers i made

and the very very very tight side of my case...too many cables


CPU:
Idle: 26-28
Load: 37

i was thinking of getting some of those Spire "SoundPad" noise isolaters. how do they work ? do they block out a lot of noise? let me know if it's wroth forking out $20au on it.

any comments or help is welcome
thanks!

[disphenoidal]

It sounds like the case fans are the main source of noise in your computer now? Even though you're running them at 7 volts, 1500 rpm is still fairly high. Your temps are pretty good, so you could probably run your fans even slower, I think. Personally I can hear my case fans when they're run at 7 volts, so I run them at 5V and they're inaudible.

Also, how are you running them at 7V? Is it by wiring up a molex so that the fan is connected to the 12V and 5V rails? I mention this because you have a lot of fans, and people have had problems running several fans this way. It forces the PSU to sink current on the 5V rail rather than supply it, it's been discussed in some of the articles here I think.

[xinzhitan14]

It sounds like the case fans are the main source of noise in your computer now? Even though you're running them at 7 volts, 1500 rpm is still fairly high. Your temps are pretty good, so you could probably run your fans even slower, I think. Personally I can hear my case fans when they're run at 7 volts, so I run them at 5V and they're inaudible.

Also, how are you running them at 7V? Is it by wiring up a molex so that the fan is connected to the 12V and 5V rails? I mention this because you have a lot of fans, and people have had problems running several fans this way. It forces the PSU to sink current on the 5V rail rather than supply it, it's been discussed in some of the articles here I think.

well the 2 rear exhuast fans are using a fanmate (but one is going direct 12v but i use Speedfan to lower it anyway). the front ones are all going through molex 7v. if i run at 5v .. it's WAY too slow and doesnt push any air. 12v is normally 1800rpm @ 22dba.

my psu's volts readings in speedfan
+12V : 12.40v
3.3V : 3.17v
5Vsb: 4.96v
i dont understand it but i'm guessing it's normal because my back computer is fine like that.

[Trunks]

Welcome to SPC review.

Some mod might move this to the advice forum.

I think your hard drives might be the loudest thing. Look into a way to suspend your harddrives, you should find some immediate improvement. Think about only using one hard drive also.

Looking at your case, it looks like many similar cases that are made with thin metal. My search on the web shows 0.6 mm + 0.7 mm steel.

If you are looking to mod your case cutting the fan grills out may help you.
Adding some foam would not hurt.

[xinzhitan14]

Welcome to SPC review.

Some mod might move this to the advice forum.

I think your hard drives might be the loudest thing. Look into a way to suspend your harddrives, you should find some immediate improvement. Think about only using one hard drive also.

Looking at your case, it looks like many similar cases that are made with thin metal. My search on the web shows 0.6 mm + 0.7 mm steel.

If you are looking to mod your case cutting the fan grills out may help you.
Adding some foam would not hurt.

what kind of foam are we talking about? any kind of foam from packaging computer components? or motherboard boxes? i seen it done before but i hesitated because last time i saw foam catch on fire it wasnt pretty. it's perfectly safe right?

[Trunks]

what kind of foam are we talking about? any kind of foam from packaging computer components? or motherboard boxes? i seen it done before but i hesitated because last time i saw foam catch on fire it wasnt pretty. it's perfectly safe right?

No, I specifically had AcoustiPack or a similar product in mind. Also You could consider “decouplingâ€

[Le_Gritche]

i'm new here and i'd like to silence my pc (more).

First you have to pinpoint what is doing the noise you want to reduce.
HDDs ? -> suspend them
The five 80mm fans ? -> remove some and 5V the others
PSU fan ? -> make a fresh air duct

it's quiet but whne i turn them off i cna notice a significant difference. is this due to air turbulance?

It's hard to tell if you don't describe the noise. Is that a wind noise (turbulence in that case) or a mechanical sound (undervolted fans sometimes emit a clicky noise).

i was thinking of getting some of those Spire "SoundPad" noise isolaters. how do they work ? do they block out a lot of noise? let me know if it's wroth forking out $20au on it.

I have read countless times in articles and in the forum that foam and other silencing kits are a last resort solution. You should always start by reducing the emitted noise, because that's the more efficient way to silence your computer. Besides with so many openings in your case, the noise will still find a way out, no matter the amount of dampening material you put inside.

Your CPU temp are really low, I don't know what are your HDDs temp, but I would say you can safely remove some of your 80mm fans.
50°C or even 60°C under load is safe for your CPU (it's rated for 80°C or 90°C probably depending on your particular model)
HDDs are rated for 50°C, but it's better to stay below 40°C for better reliability.
With so many fans in your PC case (8 ?) that's probably where you have the most room for improvement.
More fans create more noise. Even worse, with so many of them inside, you can have back pressure problems with fans competing with each others, creating even more noise.

[Trunks]

I have read countless times in articles and in the forum that foam and other silencing kits are a last resort solution. You should always start by reducing the emitted noise, because that's the more efficient way to silence your computer. Besides with so many openings in your case, the noise will still find a way out, no matter the amount of dampening material you put inside.

You are correct, dampening material is not the true path to silence. More it makes the noise your PC makes dull. Ideally you dampen the audible noise completely.

Dampening material has two different functions. To dampen vibration, and to dampen sound. The first is very useful for poorly designed cases that are susceptible to resonance.. The second if really only effective with a case that does not “leakâ€

[xinzhitan14]

umm ok here is what i got.

2 Hard drives arnt really that loud. just when it's seeking its noticable. i dont think i should suspend them as it's not really bothering me.

the 2 rear exhaust fans are not relaly a problem but i can hear the hum of the front 2 fans in front of my hard drives. i think i should 5 v then. i tried 5 v'ing them in the past but they ran under 1000rpm i think. O_O. my hard drives heated up quite a bit. this is how my hard drives sit atm
160GB : 28degrees
250GB : 33degrees
are these acceptable temps for 7v fans running around 1300-1400rpm?

moving onto the powersupply which is a antec neopower 480. this has got to be the most silent thing in my case (apart from the passive objects). the fan runs under 1000rpm and is Very quiet. so its definetally not a problem.

normally i have my side panel off to show off the crappy cathodes i got but when its on i do notice a small change in noise levels.

i think it's just the main hum of the front case fans which is considered loud. but my work environment is a bascially 0dba. nothing else in the room which makes a noise and not many people are walking around and talking. my case is located on my left of my table. it's perfect there so i dont think i can put it anywhere else to "ignore" the noise.

[Le_Gritche]

OK, to sum up you hear the HDDs seek noise and a hum-like noise in the front of the case, probably caused by the 2 intake fans at 7V.
Are you sure the hum is caused by the intake fans and not by HDDs vibrations transmitted to the case ? You can try unplugging the fans for a few sec if you are not sure of the noise emitter.

If you suspend the HDDs, it will reduce the seek noises and get rid of the vibration induced noises. It's a compromise, because the drives will then get hotter, maybe needing more air cooling, and in turn more noise.

It's a shame you have your side panel off normally, because another solution (a perfect one) would be to suspend the HDDs in the 5.25 bay where you have openings right now. You could then remove the front fans, and rely on the air sucked in by the exhast fans to cool the HDDs on its way to the back. You remove the hum front the fans, the seek noises and you still get adequate cooling for your HDDs. Seems like a perfect solution to me, except you have to keep the side panel closed otherwise you can't ensure that the air flow will come from through the HDDs and not from the open side panel.

Right now, the easier and less obtrusive solution is probably to 5V the front fans. Monitor your temps under normal work, maybe even under heavy load (defragment), and post them. 28° and 33°C are fine, you can add 5° without problem if you are confortable with it.
(BTW, is your office air-conditioned ? because you are headed to winter down under, but you wouldn't be the first having to revamp your setup when summer makes you reach unbearable temperatures)

I don't know if it would fit in your case in that place, but maybe a single 120mm fan would be quieter for the same airflow. I've no experience with them, maybe someone can provide some advice about that.

[xinzhitan14]

OK, to sum up you hear the HDDs seek noise and a hum-like noise in the front of the case, probably caused by the 2 intake fans at 7V.
Are you sure the hum is caused by the intake fans and not by HDDs vibrations transmitted to the case ? You can try unplugging the fans for a few sec if you are not sure of the noise emitter.

If you suspend the HDDs, it will reduce the seek noises and get rid of the vibration induced noises. It's a compromise, because the drives will then get hotter, maybe needing more air cooling, and in turn more noise.

It's a shame you have your side panel off normally, because another solution (a perfect one) would be to suspend the HDDs in the 5.25 bay where you have openings right now. You could then remove the front fans, and rely on the air sucked in by the exhast fans to cool the HDDs on its way to the back. You remove the hum front the fans, the seek noises and you still get adequate cooling for your HDDs. Seems like a perfect solution to me, except you have to keep the side panel closed otherwise you can't ensure that the air flow will come from through the HDDs and not from the open side panel.

Right now, the easier and less obtrusive solution is probably to 5V the front fans. Monitor your temps under normal work, maybe even under heavy load (defragment), and post them. 28° and 33°C are fine, you can add 5° without problem if you are confortable with it.
(BTW, is your office air-conditioned ? because you are headed to winter down under, but you wouldn't be the first having to revamp your setup when summer makes you reach unbearable temperatures)

I don't know if it would fit in your case in that place, but maybe a single 120mm fan would be quieter for the same airflow. I've no experience with them, maybe someone can provide some advice about that.

ok now i've 5v'd all the front fans and you cant hear them. pushed the speeds of the back fans down a bit through my zalman fanmates. case fans are now not a problem (just i need to make them 7v when summer comes by when it's 40degrees C + here). ok the harddrives are making all the noise and a bit from my zalman hsf's. zalmans are making a little hum when on 5v mode. i dont think i really notice it when the side panels are on anyway. the hard drives are going to be a problem. because i got no space under my optical drives and the hard drive cage fits 3.5" drives and when the drive goes in it has to hit the sides of the cage. any ideaS? i dont relaly plan on moving the front inake fan because it's doing quite a bit for my system. bringing in cold air and also keeping my ram cool.

to answer you quesitons above. my room is air conditioned but only in summer (mainly because it does get quite cold down here and there is no point having it on in autumn, winter or spring).

and the hard drives do vibrate the case quite a bit. but i got no idea how to fix this considering there isnt much room where i can put the hard drives and i'm not good with tools such as dremels etc.

but overall.. this is actually very quiet (as i had a noisy AXP previously with a volcano 12.. O_O and a bad generic psu). i think it should be good for now. until summer comes by.

thanks for the help guys. if theres anything else i should do feel free to post.

[matva]

if i were you....

First, suspend the HDDs. While you may not hear them now with your 5 fans, the noise is there, and the best way to make them quieter is to suspend them.

Second, if i could, i would get rid of the 5th fan under the optical drives. I'd also tin snip any fan grills that may be adding resistance to air flow. Actually, i'd probably buy some quieter fans (nexus or something along the lines) and undervolt them.

Third, id try to go passive with the 6600gt. Either that or make the vf700 run at low speed with riva tuner or something. I can do that with my 7800, don't know about the 6600.

That would be my start. I'd eventually get rid of the zalman and go for a nexus+ninja or xp combo. Does your mobo have a chipset fan? The pic won't load for me.

To be honest, i think i would just buy one of antec's silent cases (SLK comes to mind) rather than try to silence something that is not specifically designed to be quiet.

[xinzhitan14]

if i were you....

First, suspend the HDDs. While you may not hear them now with your 5 fans, the noise is there, and the best way to make them quieter is to suspend them.

Second, if i could, i would get rid of the 5th fan under the optical drives. I'd also tin snip any fan grills that may be adding resistance to air flow. Actually, i'd probably buy some quieter fans (nexus or something along the lines) and undervolt them.

Third, id try to go passive with the 6600gt. Either that or make the vf700 run at low speed with riva tuner or something. I can do that with my 7800, don't know about the 6600.

That would be my start. I'd eventually get rid of the zalman and go for a nexus+ninja or xp combo. Does your mobo have a chipset fan? The pic won't load for me.

To be honest, i think i would just buy one of antec's silent cases (SLK comes to mind) rather than try to silence something that is not specifically designed to be quiet.

ahah mate i'm not rich you know. anyhows i cant suspend the hdd's because there virtually is no room for anythign else in my case.

the 6600gt cant really be heard.. unless you stick your head next to the case. adn the power doesnt go to the pcb of the card. it goes to the psu through a fanmate which is running at 5v mode.

my cpu cooler was cheap $15au from my mate and it was only 2 weeks old. it's served me well and it's fairly quiet. might want to mod it and put a 92mm nexus on it. i'll see, because the fan will actually cost more than my cpu cooler ahah.

but the silence of my case is at an acceptable level. it's not bad actually. i'm very happy with the case fans i'm using atm. the 3 front ones are running at 5v which is around <1000rpm, i turn them off and i get a 3 degree increase. the rear ones are running at around 1200rpm with the fanmates.

[Trunks]

You would benefit from moving both hard drives to the upper bay. Suspend/soft mount them. Then moving your 80 mm fans up in to the rear upper of the area pulling air in over the drives. Use tape or foam the inside of that upper bay to cover the little holes in the side of the drive bay and defuse some cavity sound. Make a small baffle right behind your grills. Close up the lower intake fan area once the fans are removed.
Try:
Removing the rear fans cover areas with holes. If that is unacceptable:
Try:
Using one 80 mm as exhaust, cover other holes. Cut out grill on rear fan.
If one fan is not working, then Try the second.

Use thick tape or mat to cover the back of your case. the PCI slot covers and the sheet metal.

Having your case open makes things tricky.
You can suspend your hard drives. Turn them long ways in the lower bay, or in the upper bays.
If you case has to fans in the lower front bay they must be in pain. You have no air flow (maybe a tiny slot under your bezel).

[matva]

but the silence of my case is at an acceptable level. it's not bad actually. i'm very happy with the case fans i'm using atm. the 3 front ones are running at 5v which is around <1000rpm, i turn them off and i get a 3 degree increase. the rear ones are running at around 1200rpm with the fanmates.

.... as long as you're happy.

[xinzhitan14]

but the silence of my case is at an acceptable level. it's not bad actually. i'm very happy with the case fans i'm using atm. the 3 front ones are running at 5v which is around <1000rpm, i turn them off and i get a 3 degree increase. the rear ones are running at around 1200rpm with the fanmates.

.... as long as you're happy.

its almost winter so meh.

[xinzhitan14]

bad news: hdd's sit at 33 and 38.. O_O

are these temps safe???
i think i might just turn my front fans back to 7v.. it only got rid of some noise.. wasnt a lot though.

[Trunks]

bad news: hdd's sit at 33 and 38.. O_O

are these temps safe???
i think i might just turn my front fans back to 7v.. it only got rid of some noise.. wasnt a lot though.

What did you change?
Are you talking about the front fans? Just look at your case, they don’t have a great airflow path.
Did you move your drives up to the larger bays? Did you move the fans too?

[jaganath]

bad news: hdd's sit at 33 and 38.. O_O

are these temps safe???

Well, they're well within manufacturer's spec, yes. Frankly, I would love your temps; my HDD's never go below 40C (except when they're started from cold) and no observable ill-effects so far (touch wood).

[xinzhitan14]

bad news: hdd's sit at 33 and 38.. O_O

are these temps safe???
i think i might just turn my front fans back to 7v.. it only got rid of some noise.. wasnt a lot though.

What did you change?
Are you talking about the front fans? Just look at your case, they don’t have a great airflow path.
Did you move your drives up to the larger bays? Did you move the fans too?

yeh tehre isnt much room on the front (which is why i open the side sometimes). i cant suspend the hdd's because i go lanning regulary .. so i dont like the feeling of my hdd's hanging on by a thread.. yeh i was talkin about my front fans