Silencing my PC… the finishing touches

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 5:54 pm

For the last few months I’ve been experimenting with dropping the dBA output of my system to as low as possible. I think I’ve done fairly well, the system is pretty silent… so I’m happy as it is now but I’d like to see how far I can take it.

Here is my system as it is now.

- Lian Li 6070, rear grill has been removed and replaced with a wire frame (cooler master style). Case fans have rubber washers placed between the fan and case.
-AXP 2500+, stock speed and voltage cooled with an Alpha PAL8045/ 80mm Sunon @ 1500rpms under 50C.
-Radeon 9500 Pro passively cooled via a Zalman.
-Tagan 380watt PSU.
-1 Panaflow L1A exhaust running at 50% under 30C system temp.
-2 Panaflow L1A intakes running at 30%.
-2 Maxtor Diamond Max series HDs. HD cage has dynamat between it and the rest of the case.
-Northbridge is passively cooled.

I’m not sure the rubber washers on the fans really did anything or not, its hard to tell. Same thing for the dynamat on the HD cage, but the HDs where never loud to begin with especially in my case.

So, what next..?

silencery · Post by **silencery** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:05 pm

try and find out what's making the most noise? most people here recommend stopping some of the other fans for a few seconds in order to isolate the sound.

You can always boot with some of the fans unplugged. Doing that, along w/ unplugging your hard drives will definitely be helpful in noise isolation.

starcycle · Post by **starcycle** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:18 pm

looks pretty good. i put rubber washers between my case fan and case (coolermaster) and it seemed to help.

how warm are your hard drives? maybe you don't even need the front fans, or only need 1.

for me, hard drives always seem to be the biggest source of annoyance. i'm upgrading my maxtor to seagate or samsung (if i can find a nidec). at first the maxtor was great (silent and no seek noise at all), but after a year or two it has started whining a little. so you might want to check those, see if they are starting to whine yet.

i don't know anything about tagan PSUs. does it have one fan or two? if two, you might experiement with disconnecting the inside one, see if your temperatures can take it.

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:47 pm

starcycle The Tagan is virtually dead silent, dual 80mm fans @ 600 RPM at 60% load.

silencery Yeah, I have but the room has to be completely silent, I end up doing it at 2:00AM, blah. Basically I've come to the conclusion that the Sunon on my Alpha is loudest component. It never gets as quiet as a Panaflow (no surprise) due to bearing noise but it’s not too bad. Its quieter then I thought it would be, and once the case is closed up its hard to pick it out from the Panaflows. My Lian Li has sound deading material on all the interior panels so that might be helping as well. The HD's are auditable with the case open but I don't think I can hear them within a meter or 2 with all the fans off, and I don't really care about how loud they when they are seeking.

I've seen thesehttp://www.siliconacoustics.com/fanisolators1.html around but the price seems a bit ridiculous for what it is so I went with the rubber washers instead, I'm not sure how well they are working though.... Maybe is should just go with the fan isolators?

The second thing I was going to do was replace the Sunon, maybe a Y.S. Tech, Papst, or Panaflow?

starcycle · Post by **starcycle** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:34 pm

operandi wrote:The second thing I was going to do was replace the Sunon, maybe a Y.S. Tech, Papst, or Panaflow?

i have an 80mm ys tech adjustable that at low setting is slightly louder than a panaflo M. it's just so hard to beat the panaflos. maybe try the japanaflo at jab-tech.com.

the noise isolaters will be better than washers, but for me, i found the washers good enough for now until i get the hard drive under control. if you don't want to shell out for the isolators, i think there's a place that used to give out free samples of hard drive/fan isolator kits, but i forgot the name of it, or if they are even still giving them away. (ear maybe? you could try searching the archives, i read about it on these forums). gl

burcakb · Post by **burcakb** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 1:50 am

I've had good experience with a 92mm Nexus on a SP97. As good (coolingwise) or even better (noisewise) as an equivalent Panaflo. Don't know how it'd work on an Alpha. And the 80mm version is supposed to push (pull in this case??) even less air

Tibors · Post by **Tibors** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:35 am

If you think the fan isolators are too expensive, then try this.

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 3:54 am

burcakb wrote:I've had good experience with a 92mm Nexus on a SP97. As good (coolingwise) or even better (noisewise) as an equivalent Panaflo. Don't know how it'd work on an Alpha. And the 80mm version is supposed to push (pull in this case??) even less air

I have an 80mm Nexus fan on a Coolermaster copper heatsink (originally an Aero 7+, ditched the fan but kept the rest) and it performs quite well on my OC'd XP2800+, keeping die temp at 55C under full load. While browsing/e-mailing the fan runs ~800rpm, keeping the cpu @ 48C.

I'd try undervolting the Sunon to see if you can get away with the lesser airflow of the Nexus fan on you Alpha sink. If you can, that would be the one I'd go for. Warning though: the (lack of) noise from Nexus fans can become addictive

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 1:50 pm

Thanks for the replys all.

I think I'm gona get rid of the Sunon, its already running at 1500RPM's (1/2 speed) under 50C, I don't thin it's going to get much quieter. I'm controlling via software/BIOS so I’m not sure how many volts it’s getting?

I'd like to stay away from re-badged fans, I'm not sure why but it bothers me. Dose anyone have any experience with this Sanyo Denki http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/sandenpetace.html? The price seems a bit steep but from what I've heard they make great fans. I'm open to other suggestions as well.

I'm also going to do something different with my case fans. I wouldn't mind decupling them on my own as in Tibors link but I don't break look of my Lian Li. The back of my case is visible so I don't want to look ghetto.

silencery · Post by **silencery** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:04 pm

I've personally tried the panaflos and nexus in 80mm. The nexus is definitely more quiet, but moves the least amount of air (feels that way at least). Don't think you can go wrong w/ either though.

Afraid I can't offer much feedback for the Sanyo Denki, but there is plenty of information both on the board and the site on 80mm fans. Hope you can find something!

Can't say I understand your reference on 'rebadged.' Was there a particular brand you were referring to? I know sunon is often rebadged as other companies...

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:31 pm

silencery Rebadged; I'd rather have the original fan. I think Nexus uses Nidec's? I'd rather have the Nidec, just one of those things that bugs me for some reason.

As for the Panaflows I'm really happy with mine, I did some experimentation when I first got them and they are nearly silent in open air on lower voltages. I'd like to try something else just for the sake of it I guess, rather then getting another Panaflow.

burcakb · Post by **burcakb** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:37 pm

If I'm not mistaken, the 80 and 120 mm Nexus fans are special Yate Loon fans that are nearly impossible to find any other way and the 92mm is a Dynaeon fan (again availibility nearly nill)

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 9:07 pm

Well I think I'm just going to go for the "fan isolators" unless somebody has a good DIY alternative that will be astatically stealth.

I'm also looking at this blue label Panaflow http://www.thermalfx.com/merchant2/merc ... =FBK08A12M or this Sanyo Denki http://www.thermalfx.com/merchant2/merc ... R0812M4011 for my Alpha. I'll be dropping the speed down with these as well just like my Sunon, Sound good?

Also, dose anyone know of a way to decouple the fan on an Alpha heatsink? I can't think of anyone of doing it without messing up the fan shroud.

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 7:16 pm

Well I think I'm done..... for now that is

.

I bought both the Sanyo Denki and blue label Panaflow, see above. The Panaflow wasn't particularly quiet compared to the Sayno Denki newer Hdyrowave Panaflows, much better then the Sunon however. The Sanyo Denki was very quiet, very close to L1A levels; it’s a great fan.

I also added the fan isolators to all the L1A (Japan) case fans, they were a pain to install but they work as promised.

All the fans are running at sub 1000RPM's at idle, it's very very quiet, not sure what else I can do.

Any other recommendations or comments?

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 6:28 am

operandi wrote:Any other recommendations or comments?

[heretical recommendation]
Use your computer as it was intended, enjoy the silence and try not to obsess about it.
[/heretical recommendation]

t_k · Post by **t_k** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 8:31 am

operandi wrote:
- Lian Li 6070, rear grill has been removed and replaced with a wire frame (cooler master style). Case fans have rubber washers placed between the fan and case.

HD cage has dynamat between it and the rest of the case.
-Northbridge is passively cooled.

Hello operandi. Can i see some pictures of what you have done with the HD-cage? I have also the Lian-Li 6070 and i would like to do the same. What exactly is dynamat?

Have you cut out the front intake (like some other's have) to improve the airflow into the case? What about cutting and fitting a fan under the case? (That's what i'm hoping to do next!)

burcakb · Post by **burcakb** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 10:30 am

Ralf Hutter wrote:..... and try not to obsess about it.

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 5:35 pm

Hello operandi. Can i see some pictures of what you have done with the HD-cage? I have also the Lian-Li 6070 and i would like to do the same. What exactly is dynamat?

I ended up removing it, I don't think it made any difference. Once the case is closed its almost impossible for me to hear the drives anyway. Dynamat is sound and vibration deadening material used mostly car stereo installations. It comes in sheets or rolls, has adhesive side, is flexible and about the thickness of card board. I think its sound deadening properties are minimal but it's very good at soaking up vibrations.

Have you cut out the front intake (like some other's have) to improve the airflow into the case? What about cutting and fitting a fan under the case? (That's what i'm hoping to do next!)

I haven't opened up the front intake yet, but I'm planning on it. I'm hesitant to buy a dremel just for that sole purpose though. As for putting a fan on the bottom, why? The 6070 already has positive air pressure, adding another fan on bottom would just make things worse (positive air pressure is useless).

alexb · Post by **alexb** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 2:26 am

Hey man... I think your system is quite good already!

The weakest link that I can see from ur list (best is to hear it)... are those Hard drives... do u hear them?

The rest seems ok to me... try stopping each fan to see what makes most noise... good luck!

Operandi · Post by **Operandi** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 9:58 pm

alexb wrote:Hey man... I think your system is quite good already!

The weakest link that I can see from ur list (best is to hear it)... are those Hard drives... do u hear them?

The rest seems ok to me... try stopping each fan to see what makes most noise... good luck!

Yep I'm done.

I just modded the front intake vent to open it up, at the very least it shouldn't fill up with dust as fast even if it doesn’t make a tangible sound difference. Thanks to everyone that helped out and posted. If I get board I may post pics in the gallery

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Silencing my PC… the finishing touches

Silencing my PC… the finishing touches

Re: Silencing my PC&#8230; the finishing touches

Re: Silencing my PC… the finishing touches