Hey all,

My current setup:

Pentium D 805 w/stock hsf
ASRock 775i65g
Vantec Stealth 480W PSU (3 x 80mm fans)
Asus TM-211 mATX case
1 x 80mm case fan (generic brand)
1 x DVD Burner
2 x 512 PC3200 RAM
1 x 500GB HDD (7200)
1 X 160GB HDD (7200)
ATI AIW 9800 PRO

No overclocking.

I'm finding my current setup quite loud and am looking for some advice on how to go about silencing it without doing too much harm to my wallet My inclination is to change the stock HSF, PSU, and 80mm generic case fan but don't know what to replace them with.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Hello & welcome to SPCR!

I'd say your inclinations are probably correct -- you can check the thread on figuring out what is the loudest thing, and go from there. Check the recommended heatsinks list, and the recommended fans list, too, or undervolting it might work. I'll bet the PSU should be considered -- three 80mm fans in a small space can add to the din.

stock HSF, psu and case fan are going to make a lot of extra noise for ya

Pentium D 805 w/stock hsf -> Arctic Freezer or Scythe Ninja
Vantec Stealth 480W PSU (3 x 80mm fans) -> New PSU... Seasonic 430/500W
1 x 80mm case fan (generic brand) -> 7V/5V mod or new fan, Nexus or Coolermaster
1 x 500GB HDD (7200), 1 X 160GB HDD (7200) -> Suspend, enable AAM
ATI AIW 9800 PRO -> Zalman VF900

Scythe Ninja = $40
Seasonic 430 = $80 (could a 380W do?)
Nexus fan = $10
Zalman VF900 = $40 (worth it for an older card?)

So total's around $170ish (CAD). Anywhere I can cut corners (cheaper parts)? I'm thinking of just doing the psu and scythe for the moment - think I'll see a nice improvement?

Thanks for the suggestions folks!

Yes, or even 330W.



You can get D12SL-12 (same model) from jab-tech.com but shipping probably wipes out any saving.

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice. I've gone ahead and ordered the Scythe Ninja Plus rev. b and the Seasonic 380W S12 psu. I don't think I'll meddle with my video card (not worth it in my opinion) and I'm going to get rid of the 80mm fan in my rig seeing that I will now have two 120mm fans pushing air out.

Since you're in Canada, it seems you can now order the Yate Loon D12SL-12 from NCIX. I think it's 8 or 9 dollars. This would have to be for your CPU (?) though, since the case itself has only 80mm.

I noticed that you have an Asus TM-211. I am not sure that it was this exact model I saw or not (it looked great!), but this case might be on the small side, so make sure that you have room to fit the Ninja, since it is fairly tall (and basically large all around).

Ventilation might be a limiting factor since I don't imagine that there is much intake in the front, and the rear only has your PSU and 80mm fan to exhaust the heat. With cooler components it wouldn't be a problem, but a Pentium D and 9800 Pro create a fair amount of heat. Most members might recommend a change to a 120mm fan case, like the Antec 3000B ($50-ish if on sale), but sometimes you really like the case you have and want to keep it. Maybe making one of Bluefront's slot fan gizmos to blow in or suck out air would help? Some people also get creative with cutting out fan grilles and things like holes in the bottom of cases.

I'm not sure what you mean about the VF-900 being worth it or not, but I would keep that video card unless you plan on gaming, and your solutions are probably limited since you likely can't use large, wrap-around heatpipe coolers. Maybe read about how people like the Arctic Cooling solutions these days (it's been hot and cold on them). They are the same price or cheaper and would blow the heat out of the case, making cooling the other parts easier.


EDIT: AARRGH! I need to type FASTER!

Thanks for the tip Brian. I am planning to keep the video card but don't think I'll try to silence it's fan...

Just cancelled the order the the ninja - I did jump the gun - I don't think the ninja will fit in my case. This is my exact case (my mistake above):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811173013

It is a mATX case - think the arctic freezer will fit (I should be asking myself that question )? I did some preliminary measurements and it appears okay.

OMG! That's the case I saw.... I should have bought one back then but didn't really see a need for it at the time. Too bad they seem to have stopped selling it.

Glad you caught that with the Ninja. The Freezer should fit as far as height goes, and as for the video card some people get good results with creatively pointing or mounting a slowed 80mm fan with the stock heat sink and just unplug the stock fan.

Don't know how hot is your (non-overclocked?) CPU, the Freezer is not quiet unless it spinis at 1400 rpm or less. Take a look at the SPCR review for details.

Thanks for the link. According to the review it actually has about the same noise level as the stock hsf at 12V. So maybe not worth getting it... any other options for a hsf you guys can recommend? I am restricted by my mATX case...

If you wanna stick with tower designs, maybe a smaller unit like the Noctua NH-U9F could handle the job: it's just a little taller then the Freezer.

I'll read up the Noctua. Any other low-profile quiet hsfs? I don't plan to OC so anything that'll keep my cpu cool (relatively speaking) and is quiet would be ideal...

Hey all,

I installed the Seasonic 380W today and boy did it make a difference. The Vantec Stealth PSU I previously had was in no way 'stealth'.

I've also enabled the Quiet CPU function in my BIOS and set the CPU fan speed to low. It's made a nominal difference but nice nevertheless.

Finally, I installed a Globe 80mm fan, replacing the stock fan provided with my mATX case. It's got a temperature sensor which is suppose to speed up the fan if it detects higher temperatures. It's made a bit of a difference as well.

All in all I'm quite happy with the current noise level of my setup. If anyone has any suggestions as to a low profile, easy to install, quiet hsf please post in this thread. Otherwise, thanks for all the help!