Quieting a computer

tsmvengy · Post by **tsmvengy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 3:42 pm

I have an already built system that I feel is too loud. I'm looking for some recommendations as to what products I could add/upgrade to quiet it down a bit. Here's my current build:

Antec Solution Case w/ 350W Smartpower Power Supply
Asus A8N5X Motherboard
Athlon 64 Venice 3500+ - Stock Cooling
XFX Geforce 6600GT
Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Samsung DVD Burner
1GB RAM

Now, I'm not sure what exactly I can do. I know the graphics card is a banshee - it's really loud when you start it up but quiets down a bit. I think my power supply is known for being loud too - and it died on me once, but I RMA'd it.

Anyway, I'm looking for advice. I'd be willing to upgrade just about anything except the hard drive. I am looking to upgrade my video card as it's getting to be the bottleneck in my system I think. I'm not really looking for a total rebuild - please don't direct me to buy a C2D or anything. I'm just looking to see what I can do to quiet things down.

yenemy · Post by **yenemy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:12 pm

Since your video card is that loud (i'd try stopping the fan with your finger as suggested in the intro thread to make sure), and you're willing to upgrade slightly, this video card would probably be a decent start. My 7600GT matches fairly well with my x2 3800+ -- that is, I don't see either particularly bottlenecking the other -- so it should pair well with your 3500 as well.

tsmvengy · Post by **tsmvengy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:59 pm

OK, thanks for the advice to start. I had looked at that video card in the past - do people have problems with overheating? It's probably fine for what I do - I definitely don't play the most cutting edge stuff, but the 6600GT is starting to show its age.

Any CPU heatsink suggestions? I've looked at the Zalman stuff, but I'm not sure about these giant heatsink/fan combos. Do they put too much stress on the mobo because of weight?

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:35 pm

Welcome to SPCR!

The stock CPU cooler has to be contributing to the noise. What is the case fan? And does the northbridge have a fan? Is the PSU noisy -- it probably isn't bad, but you'll notice it once the other stuff is quieted.

You can safely put either passive cooling on the video card, or use a Zalman with a quieter fan.

tsmvengy · Post by **tsmvengy** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:06 am

The case fan is just a regular 120mm "low speed" fan according to Antec. I do have a front fan installed, but it is off for noise reasons.

I've read that the NB fan on this mobo is also notoriously loud - don't know what to replace it with tho.

Any suggestions on CPU heatsink? Is Scythe good?

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:28 am

Hello,

Zalman and Thermalright make very good passive northbridge coolers that should have no problems cooling it -- and silent is a lot better than notoriously loud.

The CPU heatsink/fan could be a Scythe, or a Thermalright, or a Zalman. The 3500+ is relatively cool running (especially if you can undervolt it in the BIOS), so possibly even the Zalman 7000 Al/Cu. What socket is it?

The weight is only an issue if you ship the computer.

Which Antec Solution case is it, and is the fan grill a honeycomb, or something else? Is the Antec fan the three speed model (w/ switch), or just one speed?

StanF · Post by **StanF** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:51 am

I will second the recommendation for the Gigabyte silent 7600GT. I have two of them, and in a well-ventilated case, you will not have any temperature issues. The only downside is that it doesn't have HDCP, which may not matter to you.

That being said, there are rumors of a 8600Gx coming out in March. If you like to be on the bleeding edge, you might want to wait.

tsmvengy · Post by **tsmvengy** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:18 am

@NeilBlanchard - I posted those links so people could actually take a look at what I have and find out the specs... It's socket 939, the fan has one speed.

I'm not that interested in undervolting the processor - although I do use Cool & Quiet, which undervolts it automatically when its not being heavily used.

I've been thinking about waiting on the video card - the price will prob. go down when the new 8 series are released.

tsmvengy · Post by **tsmvengy** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 6:42 pm

Here's another set of questions:

With this Gigabyte 7600GT, what kind of amperage from the PSU does it require? And furthermore, how do you measure what your power supply can put out on each of the lines. Newegg says my current PSU does +3.3V@22A, +5V@21A, +12V1@10A, +12V2@15A, [email protected], +5VSB@2A. Could this handle the card?

Moving on, power supplies. I'm probably going to want to upgrade when/if this one dies or I want to upgrade my computer for a 8600 card. What are the opinions on the Antec NeoHE or TruePower Trio series?

Northbridge coolers: Is something like this Zalman good enough?

CPU heatsinks: That scythe ninja looks TEH HUEG! And the fan points where? Towards the back? My current setup has it pointing towards the side (into the mobo) and it draws air from the side vent (which you can see on the antec link in the OP). What specific models of heatsink/fan combinations would work well? Also, I don't think the weight issue was addressed. Do these need extra supports connected to the case? Or are they not heavy enough? Some of them weigh a pound!

tsmvengy · Post by **tsmvengy** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:26 pm

So right now, I'm thinking about the following:

Zalman for the Northbridge

Scythe Ninja for the CPU

I have thought about upgrading my video card, but not sure if I'm ready to spend the $$ (since I might go bigger than a 7600GT and then I'd have to upgrade the PSU methinks) What kind of performance boost do you think I'll get from the 6600GT I have to the Gigabyte 7600GT?

In lieu of upgrading the card, what could I get to make the card quieter? Is the Arctic Silencer really quiet?