Chip

Going to buy a new PC which will be based in the lounge so I want it to be as quiet as possible. Any ideas as to what to look for when buying as I know nowt about PC's.

Cheers

Chip

D16GER

All you really need to know about quiet pc's....

Quiet PC UK - Quiet Computer Hardware for a Quiet PC

jowl

Mac Mini?

agent003

m8 if you want something super quiet i sugest you have one built purposly.

In general I sugest a water cooler for the cpu and quiet fan PSU.


WBR

lightwave693

Dells are very quiet...

chrisowe

Get a laptop.

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

apart from the crackle of flames from the burning batteries

D16GER

You don't need water cooling. All you need is a well configured setup with quality fans, quality PSU, quality heatsink and good quality hdd's.

It is very important to choose a system that has room inside, and is designed with good airflow balance - equal in and out setup. Ideally you want to have a 120mm fan bottom front for intake and one top rear for exhaust.

Also, be sure to buy a case that is at least 1-1.2mm thick. Anything less will be very tinny and will reverb any vibrations, making fans etc sound a lot worse than they are.

I can give you pretty much any advice you want about various components, having spend many £100's in the last few years in the pursuit of a silent system, yet one with high performance.

I currently have 2 x Akasa Amber 120mm fans (1 front, 1 rear), a Tagan PSU, Thermaltake Silent Boost heatsink, Arctic Cooling fan on the gfx card, 1 x Zalman 80mm fan over the RAM and a Samsung Spinpoint HDD.

I also used Akasa Paxmate sound deadening on the side panels to help cut noise levels and a Fan controller to fine tune the sound/performance.

My system is virtually inaudible. You need to have your ear approx 2-3 feet from it before you can even hear the fans. And even when you do hear them, it is a soft whoosh, rather than that awful whiny sound!

Scooby-Doo

Nice one D16ger. I was after the same quest and opted for this case

Overclock.co.uk :: Components :: Cases :: Aluminium Cases

changed the front fans to variable speed units along with CPU/GPU monster coolers with big fans fans and I'm not always sure if its on anymore

InvisibleMan

what case do you use D16GER? Just curious on your front ventilation.

Im trying to sort mine out using different fans at different locations & speeds but its not making any difference. The system is running at 30c but maybe ive hit the minimum

D16GER

My case is something a little bit different. A Jeantech Phong (Here's a review). It was very well priced and I wanted to see how it performed.

For the money it was excellent. Fan controller, filter, 2 x 120mm fans and front USB all as standard. And well made of (I think) 1.2mm steel.

A nice surpise I have to say. Cost me £40 when I bought it. Is cheaper now, in fact they also make a version 2.

As for your system temp, I would not worry too much. There are a lot of factors that can affect it - room temp, location of your case (close to wall, close to floor - both can have negative effect on temps). Also, make sure all your cabling is very neat and tidy, so as to minimise airflow issues.

But I have also found that where the sensor is located on the motherboard can make a huge difference.

My system currently sits at 36c system, 42c CPU with a room temp of 25c. Not too bad IMHO for a really quiet setup. But there is no way the CPU should only be 6c higher than the system temp, so you can probably tell the sensor is in a poor location, making temps appear artificially high. The difference should be closer to 10-12c between them.

I take it you have your fans installed correctly? I have seen this done wrong so many times. General rule is 1 in, 1 out.

AndyMoody

iTrader: (2)

I've got a similar setup using an Antec P160, Enermax 600w PSU with a 120mm ultra silent fan in and out. It only gets a bit louder in the summer months if the room temp goes up. Running AMD 64 bit 3500+ CPU with OEM cooler and 6800GT graphics card again with standard cooler.

Andy.

InvisibleMan

Have a 120mm Nexus at the back & have put in an old Delta 120mm at the front. Its running at slower speed cos its a noisy bugger at full speed and doesnt seem to make any difference in temps So im thinking maybe it isnt exhausting quick enough

D16GER

Is anything blocking airflow inside the case? At the back of the case, outside? What is at the front of the case? Can the intake fan freely take air in? Also, depending on your motherboard, you may find the case temp sensor is in the lower corner where the PCI slots are. Thus, very little airflow gets near it, hence the higher temps being reported.

InvisibleMan

Its an abit AI7 - no idea where it is, not sure ive seen it mentioned anywhere.

its a small vented front cover, putting a piece of tissue next to it holds it so seems ok. I had the HD behind it but have moved it up out of the fans airflow. May put it back if its ok to be behind the fan.

D16GER

It's not a bad idea to have the hdd there. That's where mine is, keeps it cooler, while only marginally increasing system temps. Move it back. If it's a small vented front cover, remove it for a short time and see what happens to your temps. Mine has a cover and when removed, temps lower by 2-3c, but nothing too dramatic.

If you are really concerned about the system temp, increase the exhaust. Either add another fan if you can, or one with higher flow.