Help Me Silence My Rig :-)

Got a shopping cart of parts that you want opinions on? Get advice from members on your planned or existing system (or upgrade).

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Help Me Silence My Rig :-)

Post by munchgrunch » Wed Nov 09, 2005 8:23 pm

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums but recently became very interested in silencing my PC and maybe even cooling it a bit.

Here is my current set-up:

Case: Chieftec Dragon Mini-Tower Blue ATX Case
CPU: P4 2.8C
CPU Heatsink: Stock Heatsink
Motherboard: Asus P4P800
RAM: 2x256MB
Video card: MSI GeForce FX 5600 XT
Power supply: Ultra 300-W PSU
HDDs: WD 80GB, SG 40GB
Optical drives: Plextor 708A (DVD Burner), Toshiba SD-M1712 (DVD-Rom)

I am looking at getting a new 200GB harddrive (and removing the 40 and 80), getting a new CPU Heatsink, a new video card silencer, and eventually a power supply, possibly a new case.

Harddrive: I am currently deciding between a Maxtor 200GB or a Samsung 200GB. People are telling me the Samsung is quieter though so I think I might go with that.

CPU Heatsink: I'm currently interested in two main heatsinks: The thermalright XP-90 and the Zalman 7000b. I really don't know anything about heatsinks though (what other people have recommended) so any input on that would be greatly appreciated.

Video card silencer: I've heard 2 main suggestions for this as well: Arctic-Cooling Silencer and the Zalman VF700. Once again I know little about video card silencers/coolers so any input on that would be appreciated as well (does anyone know which artic-cooling silencer rev. is compadible with my video card?)

Power supply: I've been recommended the Seasonic S12 and the Enermax Noisetaker, I've found these to be too expensive though for me at the moment. If anyone knows a more cheaper power supply that is still pretty silent that would be helpful. Also, are there any decent power supplies that comes with a good case?

Case: This is more of an optional for me. I don't think I really need one at the moment but if it's a good case and it comes with a decent power supply and its not too expensive then I'll consider it.

If anybody could help me silence my computer (which sounds like a hairdryer) it would be much appreciated

Thanks a lot!

Ryan
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:40 pm

Re: Help Me Silence My Rig :-)

Post by Ryan » Wed Nov 09, 2005 8:50 pm

munchgrunch wrote: CPU Heatsink: I'm currently interested in two main heatsinks: The thermalright XP-90 and the Zalman 7000b. I really don't know anything about heatsinks though (what other people have recommended) so any input on that would be greatly appreciated.
The Zalman cnps7700 uses a silent 120mm fan, so It would be the best choice.
Video card silencer: I've heard 2 main suggestions for this as well: Arctic-Cooling Silencer and the Zalman VF700. Once again I know little about video card silencers/coolers so any input on that would be appreciated as well (does anyone know which artic-cooling silencer rev. is compadible with my video card?)
The Zalman VF700 is quieter, and performs better. However, there's a Thermalright (the v1 i believe it is) which has a mount for the 80mm fan of your choice. Pair it up with a nice yate loon, and it'll be nearly silent while cooling better than stock.
Power supply: I've been recommended the Seasonic S12 and the Enermax Noisetaker, I've found these to be too expensive though for me at the moment. If anyone knows a more cheaper power supply that is still pretty silent that would be helpful. Also, are there any decent power supplies that comes with a good case?
The Seasonic S12's start at $60, so it's reletively affordable for most people. The easier way is to take your current psu, open it up, then swap out the fan for a silent 80mm fan. There's a whole bunch of recommended fans somewhere.
Case: This is more of an optional for me. I don't think I really need one at the moment but if it's a good case and it comes with a decent power supply and its not too expensive then I'll consider it.
Antec SLK 3000 is a good silent case, for reletively cheap. In the cases section, there's a thread about sonata mods which you can also use on the SLK 3000. I highly recommend you buy some sewing elastic to suspend the hard drive, and some nice sound absorbing material. Not something like spire soundmat. Those don't work.

~El~Jefe~
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 2887
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:21 pm
Location: New York City zzzz
Contact:

Post by ~El~Jefe~ » Wed Nov 09, 2005 9:11 pm

samsung spinpoint series 200 gb drive is a great choice.

best dollar for gb yet silence right now. there are quieter drives but eh, give me a break, people need more than 60 or 80 gbs after a year.

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Wed Nov 09, 2005 9:14 pm

what is the difference between AlCu and just Cu? is one better then the other?

is the zalman 7700 worth the extra money? i was thinking about the 7000b but i dunno if its significantly better then the other or not

~El~Jefe~
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 2887
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:21 pm
Location: New York City zzzz
Contact:

Post by ~El~Jefe~ » Wed Nov 09, 2005 9:59 pm

the alcu has about 1 degree celsius over the alcu at low temps, where it is hard to shed the last 1 degree, say, 32 celsius vs 31. at high temps, doesnt really matter, ie, gaming time. too hard to say here, so many factors involved, alcu vs cu not as much difference.

there is a difference though. CU, copper pure, is better than aluminum and copper.

but, move your case around and the Cu one will SURELY rip apart your board and cards much easier than the composite.

cu has style, alcu is good enough for even overclockers and people with 3.4 ghz prescotts

OH, the zalman in the USA doesnt have B versions normally, I think those are the slightly lighter weight all copper ones right? It is an asian sold thing I was told long ago when i called zalman.

im assuming thats the B you are discussing.

stromgald
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:45 pm
Location: California, US

Post by stromgald » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:12 pm

For your CPU, I think a 7000B would be best. The 7700 has more cooling capacity than you need unless you overclock alot. You'll be paying for extra headroom you don't need and it isn't that much quieter. Save the money and get a Zalman 7000B-AlCu. The AlCu version of the 7000B performs almost exactly the same as the Cu version (check the SPCR review), and its generally not worth the extra weight and cost. I'm not sure if this is true for the 7700 series.

The Samsung SpinPoints aren't the most economical drives. Seagate and WD beats them by a mile with all their rebates, and even before the rebates usually. I'd recommend a Seagate 7200.8 200GB drive if you want to save some money. If you're more worried about noise, go with the Samsung, they're quieter by a bit.

I agree with Ryan, get the VF700Cu, its quieter than the AC Silencer series even though they don't exhaust the air out the back. Also, the 3000B is a great inexpensive case. If you're not big on looks and just want good airflow and quietness, thats the way to go.

For the PSU, you can get a pretty good one for about $50. Look into the Fortron 350W Blue Storm or the Antec SmartPower 2.0 350W. If you dig around you might be able to find those a little cheaper elsewhere.

stromgald
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:45 pm
Location: California, US

Post by stromgald » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:14 pm

~El~Jefe~ wrote: OH, the zalman in the USA doesnt have B versions normally, I think those are the slightly lighter weight all copper ones right? It is an asian sold thing I was told long ago when i called zalman.

im assuming thats the B you are discussing.
. . . Both my Zalman 7000s are the B version. I got them from newegg and mwave which are based in the US.

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:19 pm

well I'm based in Canada if that will make a difference lol

I'll get a Zalman heatsink BUT does anyone know if the 7000b and the 7700 are compadible with an Asus P4P800 mobo :?:

stromgald
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:45 pm
Location: California, US

Post by stromgald » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:29 pm

Hmm, its not on the list: http://www.zalman.co.kr/product/cooler/ ... st_eng.htm , but the CPU socket is pretty close to the top. Just make sure you follow their guidelines and there's >1cm between the edge of the board and the PSU, or at least 0.5 cm since the retention bracket isn't right up against the edge of the board.

ckolivas
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:16 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Post by ckolivas » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:30 pm

The 7000 definitely is compatible (I've used it), but I think the 7700 might not fit and hang over the edge of the motherboard, possibly even intruding on where the PSU is. If you're serious about silencing, though, I dont' recommend the 7000 stock. I have one and it is not quiet enough even at the lowest fan speed setting. I had to mod it with my own quieter fan to be happy with its noise level - but then we are talking about getting to extremes of quiet. The XP90 with an undervolted Nexus fan would be much quieter but also more expensive, however you would end up not needing to mod the fan to setup to get down to very quiet levels since you'd be starting out with a setup that already allows you to go to inaudible levels.

As for the case, the 3000 is hard to beat at the price.

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:40 pm

hmm since i have a micro atx case my CPU is very close to my power supply

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

anyone know if my case will still fit the 7700?

ckolivas
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:16 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Post by ckolivas » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:43 pm

The 7000 provides more than enough cooling for your cpu on the lowest setting and is quieter than the 7700. Why are you even considering the 7700 unless you're planning a fan swap?

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:47 pm

because Ryan said: The Zalman cnps7700 uses a silent 120mm fan, so It would be the best choice.

gosh its so hard when picking parts because two different parties have two seperate opinions on everything :?

ckolivas
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:16 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Post by ckolivas » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:53 pm

Not really. I get all my information from the SPCR reviews. Read them yourself to see that what I say is not purely my opinion. Furthermore, your motherboard is not listed on Zalman's 7700 motherboard compatibility page so the point is probably moot.

Edit: I just checked and they're the same loudness in the review.

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:59 pm

i thought that list was only motherboards from January 2005 and onward though?

ckolivas
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:16 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Post by ckolivas » Wed Nov 09, 2005 11:07 pm

You may be right indeed, so I'm not sure if it's compatible.

Just to throw another spanner in the works, what I use for friends' pcs that want good quiet cooling without any real fuss is the arctic cooling freezer series running at 5 or (more commonly) 7V. They're even quieter and cheaper and would be more than enough cooling for your 2.8C.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article223-page5.html

These coolers are noisy without being undervolted, but a simple fanmate will fix that to make them very quiet.

Edit yet again: The 3000 case takes this fine provided you unscrew the duct.

stromgald
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:45 pm
Location: California, US

Post by stromgald » Thu Nov 10, 2005 12:09 am

From the pics, the Zalman 7000B-AlCu will fit fine in your case. Simply put, the 7700 can cool hotter proccessors than the 7000 and costs more. Noise levels are about the same. The 7700 would also have problems fitting on that motherboard in that case since it will hang over the edge a lot.

The Arctic Cooling Freezer 4 is quieter and cheaper than either Zalman, but its also heavier and torques the motherboard a little more than the Zalman heatsinks. I also don't like how flimsy the fan looks on it. Nevertheless, its a very good, quiet solution from a reputable company. Its really your call on the 7000B or AC Freezer 4, both are excellent choices IMO.

From the pictures, I also noticed that you don't have a rear fan. That is a big no-no in most air cooled cases. You absolutely need an exhaust fan. Its ok for a case not to have an intake fan, but an exhaust fan is crucial for keeping components cool. Get a 92mm Nexus fan or undervolt a Panasonic 92mm L1A (or L1B-X) for that rear. If you have a noisy front fan, either take it out or put it in the rear while the new fan is on order.

IMO you probably don't need a new case that bad. For silence you should get your components quiet first. A good case won't help that much with noisy components. Replacing the loud CPU heatsink/fan, hard drives, PSU, graphics card heatsink/fan, and getting a good quiet rear fan will help immensely with noise. I know its alot, and may cost around $250 or so, but you should tackle the noisiest components first. Here's MikeC's sticky on identifying noise sources: http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=4094

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:59 pm

hey,

i've finally decided to just go with the Zalman 7000b.

Now that that's outta the way, I can focus on the GPU cooler next.

I was thinking about the Zalman VF700 but does anyone know if this is compadible with the nVIDEA 5600XT Ultra?

thanks

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Fri Nov 11, 2005 2:39 pm

munchgrunch wrote:hey,

i've finally decided to just go with the Zalman 7000b.

Now that that's outta the way, I can focus on the GPU cooler next.

I was thinking about the Zalman VF700 but does anyone know if this is compadible with the nVIDEA 5600XT Ultra?

thanks
alright change of plan

people are telling me the artic cooling freezer 4 is just as good but even quieter so I might go with that.

does anyone know yet if the VF700 is compadible with the NVIDIA 5600XT Ultra?

also for the power supply does everyone recommend the Seasonic S12

stromgald
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:45 pm
Location: California, US

Post by stromgald » Fri Nov 11, 2005 2:59 pm

Here's Zalman's compatibility list: http://www.zalman.co.kr/product/cooler/ ... t_eng.html . The 'Ultra' version isn't listed there, but if the layout is the same as the plain 5600 XT, I think it should work.

The Seasonic S12 series is probably the quietest PSU you can get without going fanless, but they're quite expensive. A 300 or 350W Seasonic Super Silencer would be cheaper, but they're harder to find and are probably a little bit louder. Another very good inexpensive option would be the Antec SmartPower 2.0 (300W or 350W).

munchgrunch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:07 pm

Post by munchgrunch » Fri Nov 11, 2005 3:11 pm

I can get a seasonic s12 330W for cheaper then the antec smartpower 2.0 so i will probably get that

~El~Jefe~
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 2887
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:21 pm
Location: New York City zzzz
Contact:

Post by ~El~Jefe~ » Sun Nov 13, 2005 5:57 pm

sounds liek you have good stuff now.

the 7700 is louder than a 7000, so that for me is out, plus its huge, just cant hack that big thingie slapped on my board.

i guess the B version is for sale in US now, zalman last fall said it was not meant for US distribution.

Post Reply