The price you've paid for silence (in dollars)

Slayer of Noise · Post by **Slayer of Noise** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:53 am

Being a large opponent of what the average computer user is expected to put up with in terms of noise, I thought it would be a good idea for the forum members to reveal what they've spent on the parts and modifications utilized to make their rigs acceptably quiet.

Here are my costs:
Zalman heatsink/fan: $50
Nexus fan controller hub: $25
3 Nexus 92mm case fans: $50
Arctic cooling VGA silencer: $25
Smart Drive hard drive silencer: $80 (biggest ripoff on the list, by very far)
2 fan grommets: $10
5 panaflos: $45 (none of these were used, because they were worthless Chinaflos)
Enermax Noisetaker PSU: $25 (it was returned because it didn't fit my case; I just counted the RMA fee and return shipping fee)

That totals up to $310. And yes, that makes me quite angry. Most of the parts are overpriced because the quiet computing community is considered a niche, which means “ripoff opportunity” to your average company. A HDD silencer is some plastic, copper, and a small amount of acoustic padding. At $80, am I supposed to believe they're not making a profit return of over 1,000%?

Besides the cost in dollars, making a computer quiet can also take a large amount of time. This is a somewhat “hidden” cost when it comes to the quiet PC endeavor. Just modifying a power supply, which I've had to do multiple times, can take a couple of hours. The time lost adds up pretty quickly.

If computer noise interferes with other activities that require the perception of sound, like music or movies, there is a problem, especially if this interference can be significant, as it very often is on more quiet passages (like ambient music or soft-spoken dialog in a movie). Also, computers should simply be quiet enough in themselves, in the absence of other noises, to not be disturbing. Other home electronics that acquire significant heat loads, like home-theater receivers, are often acceptably quiet. Since the load on a computer is different and exists in a more compact space with a smaller heatsink, etc., it's understandable that a greater amount of noise may be necessary for cooling. Unfortunately, the goal of an acceptable noise level is nonetheless completely disregarded when it comes to computers.

nici · Post by **nici** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:47 am

Slayer of Noise wrote:
That totals up to $310. And yes, that makes me quite angry. Most of the parts are overpriced because the quiet computing community is considered a niche, which means “ripoff opportunity” to your average company. A HDD silencer is some plastic, copper, and a small amount of acoustic padding. At $80, am I supposed to believe they're not making a profit return of over 1,000%?

I dont even dare to caculate what it has cost me, i started couple years ago before finding SPCR and bought a lot of "virtually silent" products that wasn´t.. But i would guesstimate at least three times what youve paid...

Totally agree on the ripoff thing though.

Slayer of Noise wrote:
Besides the cost in dollars, making a computer quiet can also take a large amount of time. This is a somewhat “hidden” cost when it comes to the quiet PC endeavor. Just modifying a power supply, which I've had to do multiple times, can take a couple of hours. The time lost adds up pretty quickly.

This is the fun part isnt it? I dont take it as work, its more like a hobby

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:54 am

In total, maybe less than $300. Roughly...

$50 Fortron 350 (might have been less)
$30 Fortron 300 (slightly used from fellow SPCR'r)
$50 Scythe Heatlane Zen tower heatsink (might have been less)
$25 Zalman ZM80A VGA heatsink (used for Slot-1 processor)
$60 Western Digital Scorpio
$40 Various materials for homebrew silencing mods

Of these, the only piece of equipment retired from quiet computer duty is the Fortron 350 (now used for my file server). Like the Fortron 300, it's too loud for a silent computer; the Fortron 300 is used in my HTPC for which some noise is acceptable.

When I first started out, I spent money on quiet computer equipment. Nowadays, I do not. For example, I've found that stock heatsinks on Slot-1 processors are generally sufficient.

Now, if you want to know how much I spent on just my main workstation...well, it's got the Heatlane Zen, the Western Digital Scorpio, and one of the homebrew silencing enclosures. That adds up to maybe $125. That's actually a significant cost, compared to the ~$230 spent on the rest of the computer.

Shadowknight · Post by **Shadowknight** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:57 am

Current:
Black P180 - $180
Kensington Mouse: $12
Logitech diNovo: $80
Samsung HD: $120
Foam: $2
Smartdrive 2002: ~$80
Nexus fans: $34 (in case)
Nexus kit with isolators: $20
Antec Phantom 350w: $180
Zalman fan controller: $25
Acoustifoam vs. 2 - $80
Zalman VGA cooler: $40
Nexus 92mm: $12
DVD player - $80? (doesn't really count since I needed one anyway and it just happened to be quiet compared to my other one)
Approximate total: $900

Old stuff in old computer/pile o' parts
Panaflo fans: Net of !$25
JVC fans: $20
Evercool 92mm and 120mm fans: $30
Thermalright 900U - $45
Antec 3700AMB - $30
Acoustifoam kit for 3700BQE: $80
EAR isolators: $10
EAR grommets: $10
Verax isolators: $10
Foam: free
Zalman fanmates: $10
Zalman OP-1 for VGA sink: $10
Nexus 120mm: $17
Approximate total: $287

Total: $1,187
Having people ask if the computer is on: Priceless

It's cheaper using things stock, but there's a difference between "cost" and "savings". While there are super-cheap equipment out there, I'll estimate the average amount an "enthusiast" might pay for stock. There will be no heatsink because we'll assume they're using the retail package which includes one.
Case: $80
PSU: $70
DVD: $80
Fans: $20 (for 2, assuming they have a couple of slots that don't have included fans).
Keyboard: $30
Mouse: $30 (for a good/gaming mouse)
HD: $80 or $180 for a Raptor
So, depending on the hard drive, $390 or $490. Some enthusiasts might change cases anyway, assuming they get board with it or not, so the price might increase by maybe another $80, so I'll be generous and include that in the total, now equaling $480/$580.

So, $1,187-$480= $707
$1,187-580= $607

That's no including any aftermarket equipment people might buy anyway if they're an overclocker and buy aftermarket CPU heatsink, VGA cooler, or PSU. If they did the newest Lian-li case or whatever case, they may replace it for the latest and greates But just for fun, let's do it anyway.
CPU cooler: $45
VGA cooler: $20
PSU: $80 (assume a 500w bluestorm or whatever)
Case: $120 (Lian-li)
Total: $265

So taking the old numbers above,
$707-$265=$442
$607-$265=$342

Take out the Smartdrive because, like with Acoustifoam, that's for the "hard-core" crowd
$442-$80= $362
$342-$80= $262

In essence, it's about $400 difference between a "normal" person and a silencer. Less the acoustifoam and Smartdrive (not everyone is that hardcore) $362-$262, so maybe around $300 difference without the Smartdrive and foam.

qviri · Post by **qviri** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:16 am

Shadowknight wrote:In essence, it's about $400 difference between a "normal" person and a silencer. Less the acoustifoam and Smartdrive (not everyone is that hardcore) $362-$262, so maybe around $300 difference without the Smartdrive and foam.

Subtract $100 for getting a sane-priced case instead of the P180...

fox · Post by **fox** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:30 pm

I'm doing okay really; nowhere near as silent as some of you but its pretty silent in windows operation, 3d my G-card goes through the roof but still.

hardware:
DFI Lanparty ultra-D fan set to only be high when chipest =>55 deg
AMD64 3000+ @2.45ghz
Leadtek 7800GT @ 461/1171
Crucial ballistix 2gb PC4000 @ 272 3-4-4-8
maxtor diamond max plus 9 sata
Hiper Type R 480W (non modular) PSU

silencing:
1 vantec stealth 92mm, £6, which now makes noises so is unused
1 vantec stealh 120mm, £10
Thermalwright XP120 £30
Hiper 80mm near silent fan, £0(free with PSU)
elastic bands for suspending of the hard drive £0.99
Rivatuner to shut my damm gpu up, £0
1x92mm ys-tech (i think) leftovers from my old compaq, £0
1x60mm, ex-CPU ys-tech (i think) leftovers from my old compaq, £0 [cooling ram]

gunna take a lil jump when i go with a zalman for the gpu and i need some fanmates to have all case fans @ 5V, (Atm rear 92mm is off mobo running when PWM is >46. and i want a new case, but also a car ...

JazzJackRabbit · Post by **JazzJackRabbit** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:47 pm

A hell of a lot... much more than $310, probably several times more. Partly because I have several PCs (about to build third one, make it a file server and move it in the closet, just need to get a CPU), but mostly because I did it incrementally. I always underestimated my inheritant noise paranoya. Every time I made some modifications, a week later, a month at the most something else would start to annoy me. First replacing hard drives with fluid bearing ones, then replacing all the fans, then replacing CPU heatsink to Zalman 7000 to Scythe Ninja, changing case several times, buying ACS5 for videocard and replacing it with VM-101 because ACS5 was too loud. Now that I've gotten my system as quiet as possible I have to build another PC as indicated above for a file server uses because four hard drives in my main rig are just too loud and there is no way to silence them other than put them in another room/closet. Now I just hope that a single Barra4 80Gb or a Samsung 2504c is going to be quiet enough for my tastes, otherwise I'd have to get a 2.5" 7200 HDD and make a DIY enclosure, which will cost me $200. *shudders*

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:14 pm

Does the bill from the I'm-obsessed-about-PC-silence-psykologist count?

I find this thread interesting, but to some extend, it's like comparing oranges with apples... Especially regarding PC housings, let's say I bought a P180. What should it be compared to? A cheap Codegen with PSU included or a Cooler Master Stacker + 600 watt PSU + 6 x 12 cm fans? What about the overclocker, which got a high end water cooling system? Compared to that, 3 12cm Nexus looks pretty cheap...

Another thing to consider; Buy cheap, cry all the time, buy expensive, and only cry once. I mean, if I had bought the right component for quietness from the beginning, it wouldnt have been much more expensive, than what I started out with...

But then again, it's good to make some indications of the total costs. So keep them coming

Eunos · Post by **Eunos** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:06 pm

Not counting the original PC I started modifying, or the Zalman Reserator1 that I later resold, my total has been roughly:

$230 Phantom 350
$225 P180
$60 Sonic Tower
$14 2.5 to 3.5" drive adaptor
$110 Toshiba notebook drive (not yet installed)
--------------
$639 in mods right there

Keep in mind this is all Australian dollars while other parts like the Phantom have since come down in price. Subtract ~25% to get USD.

Krazy Kommando · Post by **Krazy Kommando** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:44 pm

Zalman 7700AlCu ~$50
Zalman VF700Cu ~$40
Zalman NB47J ~$8
Aerocool Turbine 2000 ~$22
x2 Coolermaster 80mm Sleeve LED ~$20
Spire 40mm ~$9
Coolermaster Aerogate 3 ~$60
Arctic Silver 5 ~$8
ArctiClean ~$10

Seagate 7200.7 SATA 160gb ~$130 (bought it because it was quiet, and because i needed in)

Total = AU$357 (remove 25% for USD)

Next on my list is the Antec P150 $265.......im never going to get a case for its bling factor again

thats $150 wasted....

Elixer · Post by **Elixer** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:20 pm

As Thomas was hinting at, this isn't really a good way to look at it. Though you may have spent $50 on that hsf, maybe you were able to buy an OEM processor and saved $20 from not needing the stock heatsink. That Samsung hard drive that you bought probably only cost you $5-10 more than getting a WD or Maxtor. That Seasonic may have only cost $10 more than the Antec power supply you would have otherwise gotten. (Note that these are just examples, I'm not refering to anyone's builds)

My point is that you have to look at this from an economic perspective; the real price you pay for silencing is the difference between the item and its forgone alternative. Granted if you completely replace an otherwise identical product than you are paying the full price for silencing.

When I was piecing together my computer I looked at the difference in cost from my quiet build to a non-quiet build and the difference was only ~$100.

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:03 pm

Incremental costs (including shipping and tax):

Seasonic S12-380 PSU $50 (sold the PSU included with case for $25)
Thermalright XP-120 CPU HS $60
2 - Nexus 120 fans $40
Zalman VF700 AlCu Video HSF $35
Zalman NB47J chip cooler $7
Panaflo 80mm $10 (blows on chipset cooler)
Fanmate II -$6
AcoustiPack Std. $75
Misc Hardware & Silicone $10

Total: $293

Post by **MikeC** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:18 pm

Elixer wrote:As Thomas was hinting at, this isn't really a good way too look at it. Though you may have spent $50 on that hsf, maybe you were able to buy an OEM processor and saved $20 from not needing the stock heatsink. That Samsung hard drive that you bought probably only cost you $5-10 more than getting a WD or Maxtor. That Seasonic may have only cost $10 more than the Antec power supply you would have otherwise gotten. (Note that these are just examples, I'm not refering to anyone's builds)

My point is that you have to look at this from an economic perspective; the real price you pay for silencing is the difference between the item and its forgone alternative. Granted if you completely replace an otherwise identical product than you are paying the full price for silencing.

When I was piecing together my computer I looked at the difference in cost from my quiet build to a non-quiet build and the difference was only ~$100.

Right on the money!

If you start w/a clean slate, the price difference between a normal and a nearly silent PC can be as little as $50, and probably rarely more than $200 -- depending on how creative / DIY / silencPC-savvy you are.

Krazy Kommando · Post by **Krazy Kommando** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:09 pm

Elixer wrote:As Thomas was hinting at, this isn't really a good way to look at it. Though you may have spent $50 on that hsf, maybe you were able to buy an OEM processor and saved $20 from not needing the stock heatsink. That Samsung hard drive that you bought probably only cost you $5-10 more than getting a WD or Maxtor. That Seasonic may have only cost $10 more than the Antec power supply you would have otherwise gotten. (Note that these are just examples, I'm not refering to anyone's builds)

My point is that you have to look at this from an economic perspective; the real price you pay for silencing is the difference between the item and its forgone alternative. Granted if you completely replace an otherwise identical product than you are paying the full price for silencing.

When I was piecing together my computer I looked at the difference in cost from my quiet build to a non-quiet build and the difference was only ~$100.

that maybe true, but most of parts that i have now i would never have bought if i wasnt on a silent PC quest. and this looks to be the same with alot of other people in this thread. i mean, who would buy a ninja if they wernt looking for silence? they would just keep the stock cooler instead. who would buy acoustipack if they wernt looking for silence?
i can see where your coming from, but i think thats basically restricted to hard drives, optical drives, and PSUs, where the price of the silent product is only a few dollars more than the price of the part you would have otherwise bought. imo this is completely different to HSFs and nexus's etc

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:59 pm

let's see before I go about this, I'm hoping below $200

let's see
this is after I read SPCR and the infection goes to wallet, the 3700AMB and zalman cooler bought prior to this doesn't count (though I do recall that I might have read SPCR's reviews on these before I bought them)
A sad and early attempt at quieting my computer by taping individual packing peanuts on case panel does not count

(it was free though)
Includes tax shipping
$21 for Aerocool VM-101 at compusa
$7 for coolermaster 120 UV silent fan at ClubIT
$11 for two panaflo fans 80L and M
$59 for Seasonic 330 from case-mod.com
$33 for thermalright XP-90 from Jab-tech
$16 for Akasa 120 Amber fan from sidewinder
$30 for 24x24, 24x48 melamine foam, 12x54" volara foam from McMaster
$3 for 3 vinyl tiles, glue gun and 25 glue sticks at the local dollar Store, I must say the best spent, the 1 dollar 3 pack of tiles was AWESOME to what it did to my right side panel(unfortunately I had already put volara foam on the left side panel) it made it a dull "thud" when knocked

soooo..grand total of
$180 of achieving silence I mean inaudibility

I guess I didn't do too bad
I must admit, I paid in other terms, mentally *sigh*

However, cost aside
It's been fun modding/replacing stuff in my computer to achieve inaudibleness (new word!)
It's also a nice little hobby
I myself have gotten to the point where the outside ambient noises have become the new quiet

CRAP-I just remembered that I bought the WISS tin snips, add 25 dollars

that probably was the worst investment, I got the shortest use of it
anyone want to buy it?

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:35 am

Krazy Kommando wrote:that maybe true, but most of parts that i have now i would never have bought if i wasnt on a silent PC quest. and this looks to be the same with alot of other people in this thread. i mean, who would buy a ninja if they wernt looking for silence? they would just keep the stock cooler instead. who would buy acoustipack if they wernt looking for silence?
i can see where your coming from, but i think thats basically restricted to hard drives, optical drives, and PSUs, where the price of the silent product is only a few dollars more than the price of the part you would have otherwise bought. imo this is completely different to HSFs and nexus's etc

What he was saying is that you should only include the incremental costs of silencing, if it applies. For example, if you bought an OEM CPU for less than the retail CPU (which includes a stock heat-sink and fan), then you should subtract that difference from the cost of your Ninja HSF.

Obviously it does not apply to AcoustiPack, or any HSF's where you throw away the stock HSF and buy a new one.

I did reduce the cost of my Seasonic S12-380 from $75 to $50 because I sold the PSU that came with my case for $25. So the incremental cost of the PSU is only $50.

BlueCan · Post by **BlueCan** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 1:01 am

Krazy Kommando wrote:
Elixer wrote: When I was piecing together my computer I looked at the difference in cost from my quiet build to a non-quiet build and the difference was only ~$100.
that maybe true, but most of parts that i have now i would never have bought if i wasnt on a silent PC quest.

Yeah, that may be true. Right up until you run into someone who's built a non-screamer and you ask, "Hey, is your computer really on?" Then, you're looking at building.

What got me started was an unbearably bad case for a PC I built from parts I had lying around or had recently purchased. Enter a Sonata. Helped a ton. Then, the HSF got to me. Enter Zalman. Again, helped a ton. PSU went next. Got a ST300 on "fire sale" for $40. Helped a ton. The wife inherited the Sonata/ST300 when I got a P150.

Except for fans. Went through a few. Got a bunch of YateLoon low speeder's for about $6 a piece. Used a couple, bought some Nexus to see if they were "that much better" (they weren't) and gave a bunch of fans away as "gifts" to loud PC friends. ...along with the Zalman when I got the XP120... Suckers. They thought I was crazy. Bwahahahaha!

Total initial outlay: $80 (Sonata on sale), then $30 (7000 used), then $12 on YL Fans, then $40 for a PSU.

The rest have been "iterative upgrades" to new parts as I'm replacing old components. My wife's PC was a ground up "quiet" build--except for the case. The only significant additional cost... The heatsink.

Next to go out the door on my rig: The MB and P4.

Krazy Kommando wrote:i can see where your coming from, but i think thats basically restricted to hard drives, optical drives, and PSUs, where the price of the silent product is only a few dollars more than the price of the part you would have otherwise bought. imo this is completely different to HSFs and nexus's etc

The only "different" cost is the Heatsink. ...and you're talking $40. Since I'm "junking" old gear (donating to the local schools) and replacing with "quiet" gear along the way, I'm really not spending much more than I would by building a PC from the ground up. ...and my Thermalright heatsinks (which move case to case and PC to PC) work GREAT on Athlons and P4s and...

-Patrick

EndoSteel · Post by **EndoSteel** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:06 am

This rig had cost me about $150 (two 2HC2's, four heatsinks, some copper and aluminum blocks, a scrap case, various nuts&bolts). Not much, compared to the price of a TNN300 but it took a month of hard work to machine and assemble everything.

P.S. Yeah, I know I am a maniac

.

Captain John · Post by **Captain John** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:00 am

My quietest system really didn't set me back that much...

Free baracuda 4 80gb,

$9 Artic cooling silencer 4
$18 FSP 300-60thn
$3 Zalman fan (only used resistor from fan, applied to silencer 4)
$11 block stamping rubber- for enclosure for HDD
$4 acoustical foam that the block-stamping-rubber enclosed hdd sits on
$12 (?) MS comfort curve keyboard

Looks like I'm at $57.

The system (a northwood 2.4c overclocked to 3.2) is inaudible at a distance over 2 feet.

Other systems in the house, though, are near impossible to cool quietly. my intel 550 drives me completely insane, especially in that I can't underclock or undervolt it.

Costs are based on the fact that I actually get these parts at their cost working at a computer store.

-John

wwenze · Post by **wwenze** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:23 am

Prices in SGD:

Rig 1
CNPS-7000AlCu $40 (2nd hand, retail $70)
Superflower 350W $50 (promo, retail $75)
Barracuda ATA IV $not considered coz I did need a hdd upgrade and got that by chance
CM CoolViva $35
5V tricks ~$0
"Foam legs" for HDD ~$0

Total extra cost $125 ($180 if all retail)

Rig 2 (not silent, quiet only)
(some parts taken from rig 1)
Skyhawk PowerOne 400W $68
Some 0.23A Sunon 120mm (to replace stock AMD fan) $7
5V tricks ~$0

Total extra cost $75

Rig 3 (noisy without damping, silence with)
XDream $20
FSP 300W $29
Globe 0.23A 80mm $3
5V tricks ~$0
1.5-inch thick wood on top and below system $0

Total extra cost $52

Rig 4
(Relatively quiet Compaq rig to begin with)
Samsung 250GB $160
"Foam legs" for HDD ~$0
Speedfan $0

Total extra cost $160

Total total cost $412 (USD$257.50)

Looks like I'm not a true SPCRer, but then I can't afford all those stuff.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:33 am

Looks like I'm not a true SPCRer, but then I can't afford all those stuff.

Being a "true" SPCRer has nothing to do with how much $$$$ you've spent on your rig. You can spend thousands on your rig and it still may not be quiet, depending on what components you have bought. Some of the most admirable and inventive efforts on here have had a nonexistent budget, being mostly made up of spare parts and sticky tape (necessity being the mother of invention and all that). It would make more sense to categorise SPCRers on the basis of dB levels, given the founding principles of the site.

wwenze · Post by **wwenze** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:35 am

jaganath wrote:
Looks like I'm not a true SPCRer, but then I can't afford all those stuff.
Being a "true" SPCRer has nothing to do with how much $$$$ you've spent on your rig. You can spend thousands on your rig and it still may not be quiet, depending on what components you have bought. Some of the most admirable and inventive efforts on here have had a nonexistent budget, being mostly made up of spare parts and sticky tape (necessity being the mother of invention and all that). It would make more sense to categorise SPCRers on the basis of dB levels, given the founding principles of the site.

Lol, sticky tapes, you caught me.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:01 am

well i spent around $300 when i tried watercooling to get silence.

i've spent around $50 for each aftermarket HSF, and i've probably bought at least 6 of them. so thats $300

bought 4x 120mm panaflow's at like $20 back when they were the new popular thing to get, then switched to 3x 120mm Papst's at $25 each. a handfull of 80mm fans at around $10 each. so fans total is probably around $200

Put acoustical dampening in the last 2 cases i had at $100 each. so $200 for dampening materials.

Aftermarket VGA coolers. I think i've bought 2 of those so far at around $50 each. so $100 for that

i bought an HD enclosure for $50

i've bought at least 2 "high effeciency/quiet" PSU's that were $100 each. so $200 for power supplies.

Modding equipment to open up fan grills and drill new holes n such. I use the hole saws to make my cuts and they are around $30 each, and i have 3 of them for various sizes. The drill was around $50. The dremel was like $50. various cutoff wheels and excessories for it were probably up to around $50 by now as i only like to use the expensive "reinforced" cutoff wheels. So tools bought exclusivly for modding quieter pc's. $250

i'm sure i'm forgetting a few odds n ends. so lets add all those to the "Various Extras" catagory at around $100. like spiral wrap for cable management etc.

TOTAL: $1700

and thats ONLY stuff to make it quiet, that doesnt include ANY actual computer hardware, except the powersupplies. One thing that may offset this price tag a bit is that this wasnt just for 1 system. It was for the last 2. so around $800 per computer to make them quiet.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

so to sumerize for those that dont want to read everything above:

PRICE TAG PER COMPUTER TO MAKE IT QUIET: $800

diver · Post by **diver** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:23 am

Old Rig (Dell, presently used by Mrs. diver)
150 ohm resistor from Radio Shack, $1 for 5.
Zalman Fanmate 2 $6

New Rig
Zalman 7700 AlCu $35
I only count the 7700 used to replace the stock AMD cooler. Everyhing else was selected to be quiet in the first place and changing the wires on my case fan to 5v cost nothing.

Slayer of Noise · Post by **Slayer of Noise** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:58 pm

Wow, I have to say I'm a bit surprised. Assuming the replies here are representative of the average quiet modder, it is a real drain on the wallet to get some quiet. I've reviewed my own procedure and decided that, if I got all good parts on the first go and was to settle for more work and DIY solutions (like planting a regular, quiet case fan to the stock heatsink that came with my P4 instead of spending $50 on the Zalman heatsink/fan) that I would still have to spend around $150. I guess that seems paltry compared to the $310 I actually wound up spending, and what some of you guys have spent.

Sometimes I think I should just get two computers. One could be a low powered, easily cooled and thus easily quieted machine. The other could be of a moderate noise level and would primarily be used for gaming and other high intensity tasks. Since I mostly do low-intensity things I could keep the louder computer off most of the time. Of course, there might be some problems getting an older machine that can use things like USB 2.0 or firewire.

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:15 pm

Aris wrote:PRICE TAG PER COMPUTER TO MAKE IT QUIET: $800

You're not married, are ya?

JazzJackRabbit · Post by **JazzJackRabbit** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:55 am

Slayer of Noise wrote:Sometimes I think I should just get two computers. One could be a low powered, easily cooled and thus easily quieted machine. The other could be of a moderate noise level and would primarily be used for gaming and other high intensity tasks. Since I mostly do low-intensity things I could keep the louder computer off most of the time. Of course, there might be some problems getting an older machine that can use things like USB 2.0 or firewire.

Keeping a gaming rig quiet is not that hard actually. I have P4 [email protected] and 6800GT@ULTRA in P180 and those can be cooled fairly easily considering how much heat they produce. Of course during gaming I have to raise case fan to 1200RMP (normally it's 1000) because of the heat build up, but even then it's not so bad. I use gaming as an example because that's probably the most stressful thing I do with my PC that loads both CPU and GPU. The last time I had to load my CPU 100% for several hours was for school project, and for obvious reasons GPU idled then. The real killer is 4 hard drives, they are just way too loud. I tried using foam around the drive cage, but it doesn't help much. So my only choice is to build a file server and move it to the closet, which is going to be my next project if everything goes right (may have to sacrifice my newly purchased hardware for a linux box for the school project... again, arghhhhhh).

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:24 am

From silencing point of view, I have spent very little.

Nexus nx-3500. Got 30e less fro it then I paid. It didn't even silence my computer, because the problem was my HDD and not the PSU.

Glacialtech Silent Igloo II to replace the stock cooler of my palomino. 24e.

Nexus Disktwin, when I had my older 5400rpm ball bearing HDD. Paid 29e.

Zalman 7000b-alcu 29e.

So that would total to a loss of 112e.

I also bought Nexus Breeze for 165e couple of years ago, but I consider it a pretty good deal even in terms of money.
Availability of silent PSUs was really bad then. The price included 22e for nexus case fan and the 88e cost of the psu, which was the most silent psu available in Finland at that time. Add in pre-applied dampening material worth prolly 30e and that leaves 25e for the actual case itself.

The only real contender for Breeze at that time was Antec Sonata, which was worse. I wasn't familiar with SPCR back then.

Everything else, that could be consider "investments in silence" are just choises of components, not adding any extra premium price. Actually I even made a great deal on used SP1614N (nidec) for 50e, so that should also tip the balance to the direction of saving money

, since the old HDD is still in active duty on my old computer I wouln't count this one in.

I'm lucky I never truly got to the part where replacing of components begin. And I have learned so much from SPCR, that I will never get there.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:27 am

m0002a wrote:
Aris wrote:PRICE TAG PER COMPUTER TO MAKE IT QUIET: $800
You're not married, are ya?

actually i am. my wife knows who makes the money, and when i tell her i need it for somthing i get it. i dont ask often.

sun.moon · Post by **sun.moon** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:10 am

Antec SLK3000B 45 Euro
Seasonic S12 430W 68 Euro
Seagate 7200.7 120GB SATA HDD 45 Euro
Thermalright SI-120 45 Euro
AeroCool VM-101 21 Euro
3x Papst 4412 F/2GLL 45 Euro
2x Potentiometers 7 Euro
Y Cable fan adapter 2 Euro
Antivibration rubber for fans & PSU 5 Euro
Elastic for HDD suspension 1 Euro

Time doesnâ€™t matter
Satisfaction unmeasurable

Total: 284 Euro, or 340 USD

Not to mention black FDD, black DVD Player and now a black DVD R/W (on order) â€“ to match the case.

I would have needed a new case, PSU, DVD R/W and HDD anyhow. The difference for having a focus on quietness in my situation is probably no more than 130 Euro, or 155 USD. My ambition has bottomed out to quietness in respect to ambient noise, and not silence. Additionally, irrespective of spending money on quietness, I still rather pay a bit more up front for a certain level of quality, than a lot more down the road.

But I donâ€™t see these expenditures as costs, rather funding a hobby. I have never once bought a new and complete PC system. Incremental upgrades have formed my systems over the last 10 years. Itâ€™s amazing what you can still â€œsaveâ€

The price you've paid for silence (in dollars)

The price you've paid for silence (in dollars)

Re: The price you've paid for silence (in dollars)