Whats the next step for my Sonata

dshreter · Post by **dshreter** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:33 pm

Here's what I have now...
Sonata Case and stock 380W power supply (These can be purchased cheaper than you realize, $60 after rebate at Fry's. Beat that BQE)
P4 3.2 GHz E (Prescott) (Yes, I know)
Zalman 7000 Al/Cu
Seagate 120 Gig 7200.7 (I know, but it was only $35)

Rear 120mm fan @ 5V

First off, how does everyone get 5V to their fans?

I found this to be the easiest way. I just switched the metal pins one end of this connector. Super easy to do and didn't require any soldering or anything. I hadn't seen this method on here but I'm sure many people do it. I put the label on the connector so I don't mistake it for a 12V connector and attach it to something important.

I realize I have a super hot CPU, but this isn't a problem because my room stays cold almost all the time, and I don't do anything CPU intensive. Regular CPU temps are right around 40° with the CPU fan turned all the way down on the fanmate.

Right now my main noise maker is the 120mm fan, followed by the power supply fan, followed by the HD, then the CPU fan I guess. If I got rid of all fan noise I would be fine wth the HD noise because I actually like being able to hear that my computer is working.

The question is what's the next step if I would like to make this a silent PC? I repeat silent, not quiet. If I replace the 120mm fan, I'll just hear the PSU, and if I replace that I'll hear the new 120mm fan probably. To me it seems like an incremental improvement in noise won't do much because I, (like many others here) will just hear the next component instead.

Short of getting some absurdly expensive fanless case or sticking my computer in a closet, do I have any good options to make this silent from 5 ft.? (Hard drive excluded from silence requirement) I'm hoping to find someone locally to trade me a Northwood for my Prescott because this will help in my quest by putting a smaller load on the power supply. I'm not too stressed out about having this hot processor though because it really isn't a serious reason that I have noise in my computer.

If I get one of the recommended PSUs and a better 120mm fan will I have a rig that I'm satisfied with? I'm starting to think the guy who did a really nice job of putting his computer in another room without losing much functionality had the right idea. I still don't know why everyone gave him such a hard time.

Sorry for the long post, but what shall I do next? Or maybe I should just leave well enough alone until I'm really ready to make a BIG step toward silence.

Any input is appreciated..

ecto · Post by **ecto** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:05 am

You found the easist way to get 5V. That's what most people do, reverse the pins on a molex connector.

As for your system.. if you're not willing to make a big system overhaul, exchanging both this and that, I find it hard to see how you can have it much more quiet as your main source of noise is a 120 mm fan at 5V.. oh joy, the ever ongoing task of silencing. There's always a louder component behind the next improvement.. ;(

caber · Post by **caber** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:04 am

Take heart and dont give up! you will reach your destination if you hold on. After obsessing component after component, it is like nirvana. (each time you hear PC noise from normal computers, you will smile ) Take time and effort to mod your system and hopefully you will be fine!

May I ask which fan you are using for 5v? Have you tried the recommended 120 mm fans? This might be risky but... maybe mod your PSU and replace its fan, not as expensive as buying a new PSU... I think you have pretty good hearing =)

As for the temperatures, try cutting the fan grills and taping the cables along the panels. have better airflow and clean up the interior. hopefully that might help

dshreter · Post by **dshreter** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 6:09 pm

Thank you for the advice. Part of me was hoping someone would say "just stop now, be happy, and save the cash for another project", but then there was that little devil that said to keep on moving along. The fan I'm using @ 5V is the fan that comes with the Sonata. Is this fan actually not very quiet, or do other fans just spin slower and more quietly?

As far as the PSU is concerned, its certainly an option to sell this one without modding it and buy a different more quiet one.

So, if I change the 120mm fan, what should I put there? And if I replace that fan, and the PSU, will it be silent from 5ft?

EEE! I SHOULD STOP NOW>

burcakb · Post by **burcakb** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:20 pm

I'm assuming you didn't cut the fan grill at the back. That's a major source of noise & blocked airflow.

The default 120mm fan on the Sonata isn't bad at all at 5V. If you cut out the back grill, you could also run it at 3.3V and see if it's enough cooling. At that voltage, I guarantee you won't hear it

Or you could plug in a Nexus there but your gains will be marginal.

The stock PSU becomes pretty decent when fan-swapped. Use it if you're connecting anything to the fan-only lines. That's a very nice source of 7-10V power. If not, get a more efficient PSU.

Don't ditch the HDD as a noise source though. Even though my HDDs in my Sonata are relatively quiet (a Barracuda IV - quietest 3.5" hdd ever, and a Samsung) the vibrations they produce rattle the side door enough to be a major annoyance.

caber · Post by **caber** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:56 pm

Cutting the fan grills is not too bad at all, get some tin snips and a file and start cutting away =) Have not tried the 120mm fan for sonata but if people say it's fine then great =) I think Antec has pretty good power supplies (think that's why it's popular at first ? good stable power...) but try a fan swap! Lots of people have good efficient PSUs but noisy fans so a fan swap helped many people with their noisy PSUs.

MainframeGuy · Post by **MainframeGuy** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 12:33 am

by all means snip and file - but when you do MAKE CERTAIN no fragments can get into your innards to become a potential source of shorting!!!

I cannot stress this too highly from personal experience! If you mess it up you end up having to strip your system and clean and reassemble to fix it!

dshreter · Post by **dshreter** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:12 am

Will snipping and filing make it quieter, or just cooler? Cool I am not concerned about, at least not right now.

burcakb · Post by **burcakb** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:17 am

Both

fan grills block air passage, create air turbulance. The noise that comes from having a bad grill is similar to that of a hair dryer, ie, air being forced through. Cut the grills and you get rid of blockage, air flows freely and doesn't make sound.

Bad grills also significantly block air passage. So either you have to use a faster/noisier fan to force enough air through or you run your fans slow and suffer the effects of inadequate cooling.

The honeycomb grill on the sonata is one of the best stamped grill style. Still it's no match for a wire grill or no grill if you can get away with it.