CA_Steve wrote:
Ok, thanks for the info.
1) Get a new case. One of the primary purpose of a fanned case is to move air through it and to remove heat build up around the CPU/GPU. So, your current noisy cooler isn't getting the benefit of this airflow...and while it won'tr solve the cpu cooler problem, it'll help in the long term. If you don't need an internal Optical drive, the
Fractal Design Define C is a good fit. I don't know what their shipping costs are, but
Direct Canada has it on sale for $77. Another is the
Fractal Define S (which comes with 140mm fans vs the 120mm of the C) for $85. And if you need the internal ODD slot, the
Fractal Define R5 is a great case.
I'll probably get the Define C. Any recommendations for fans, or are the fans in this case quiet enough?
CA_Steve wrote:
2) Get a new cooler. Normally, I'd suggest a Scythe, but their distribution in Canada is...poor. Arctic A32: I like that a PWM signal of <40% can turn the fan off for your recording sessions (where the CPU load is pretty light)..although many current gen mobo's can do the same. I don't like that it only comes with AMD mounting...as you may be in the market for a new cpu/mobo down the road and it limits you as it won't work with the new AMD AM4 socket or any Intel. Check out the
Cryorg H7 or the
be quiet! Pure Rock. The former is a
better performer for $47, the latter is cheaper for $31....these will fit in the Fractal cases...don't know the height restriction of your current case.
I'll go for the cryorig cooler. I'll be ordering the case and cooler on one order so it doesn't matter if it fits the current case.
CA_Steve wrote:
3) Get a new PSU. A lot of the current gen PSUs are semi-passive designs and when on with heavy loads, you won't hear them over the gfx card. Again distribution/pricing in Canada seems lacking for some go-to models..
EVGA G2 550: is pretty good. Fan will turn on with ~125W load. There's also the
G3 version. I'd rather spend $115 on the
Corsair RMx550.
Noted, might go for the RMx550, though it depends on how the budget is for that month.
CA_Steve wrote:
While your HD 7850 might not be heard at the moment, it's always on fans may become noticable after you've solved the above issues. Just to compare the fairly old 7850 with the current gen of cards, the RX 560 and GTX 1050 both provide more oomph for much less power use and the cards we'd recommend have passive fans for low loads (all 2D stuff/recording, etc).
Oh, I can hear the 7850 a little bit at high GPU load, also I have a way to turn off the GPU fan but it's not a great idea with the higher load of this GPU.
GPU I will only replace if I can't get the SNR at my mic above the 50dB mark with everything else I plan on doing, since it plays all of my games at 75 FPS just fine.
How about things for case treatment? Do people still foam cases? If so, how effective is it, and how much would it cost to do one mid-tower's worth of foam? How should I treat the corner the computer sits in? Would curtaining the wall suffice, or would I need to dislocate the desk from the wall and foam the wall behind it to get any noticeable effect of the treatment?
Also, is this also a good place to talk about EMI noise? I get a large amount of that too at my desk, mostly from the keyboard (bass guitar pointed at the desk picks up the keypresses louder than any other EMI noise in the room, and the EMI noise is really high when the keyboard is plugged in) and visual monitors (turning off monitors seems to reduce EMI noise, but not as much as unplugging the keyboard). If so, what are some recommended keyboards and monitors for establishing a low-EMI environment? I don't currently (and will not in the future) have room to move away from the desk while recording electrical instruments, and while I'm already looking at purchasing pickups for the bass specifically that do not react as much to EMI, I would still like to reduce it if possible.