Please help with silencing my system - I've tried - HELP

darcus · Post by **darcus** » Wed May 25, 2005 1:32 pm

Hi

New here!

Anyhow - let me tell you the specs of my PC:

Lian Li pc65 case - lined with acoustimat
Zalman 400B PSU (unmodified)
Hitachi 120mb HD
Maxtor 120mb HD
Asus P4P800E Deluxe
1Gb OCZ Ram
Pentium 4 2.8 (NOT Prescott) Cooled with Zalman CNPS 7000Al
4 Case fans (2 in, 2 out) Noisekiller S3
Rheobus Fan controller (all four case fans running at 7 volts - cant hear them at that voltage)
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro with Arctic Cooler attached
Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS.
Sony Dvd Writer (not bothered with keeping this one quiet - hardly ever used)
Liteon dvd rom drive

Thats about it.

I have tried running one fan in and one fan out - it has no effect on overall noise - I chose the fans specifically to be run at 7 volts as a 2 in and 2 out configuration - they work well.

The whole pc is encased in a foam lined MDF Box - the front has a lid - the back end is left open - the top, bottom and sides are lined with foam.
the inside of the case is raised off the floor and the box has rubber feet - it usually sits on carpet. The back of my desk has foam on it where the exhaust of the pc ends up.

I am considering changing my case - will this help?
Also modifying my psu may be a good thing - any pointers on modifying it? Are there any websites/instructions out there to do this?

Thanks
d

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Wed May 25, 2005 2:24 pm

Often times, the best approach is to determine which component is making the most noise, and fix one problem at a time. It is not clear to me from your post, which component is the noisiest.

Shadowknight · Post by **Shadowknight** » Wed May 25, 2005 2:55 pm

disconnect the power to the hard drives - one or both might be causing the noise.

darcus · Post by **darcus** » Wed May 25, 2005 3:15 pm

Hi.

I've just done a really naughty test. I stuck a chopstick in the fan of the psu - it seems to be causing all the noise. The hard drives are actully not too bad.
What is the best way of modifying this psu?

I have some money to spend on the pc if needed - would changing the psu to one where the fan can be controlled externally or a totally fanless one help?

I have been looking at the Antec Phantom 500 - but I think it may be too big for my case - it will block the top exhaust fan.

What would be the best case to stick all my components into? I need one with loads of room.

thanks again

cruelsister · Post by **cruelsister** » Wed May 25, 2005 5:09 pm

Please check out the Coolmax CR-450B at newegg. At $50 it is a great buy and very quiet. Also if you ever do heavy gaming there is a switch to increase the fan speed.

Spod · Post by **Spod** » Sun May 29, 2005 12:02 am

darcus wrote:I've just done a really naughty test. I stuck a chopstick in the fan of the psu - it seems to be causing all the noise. The hard drives are actully not too bad.
What is the best way of modifying this psu?

The best way of modifying that PSU would be a fan swap, but there are a number of caveats that may persuade you to replace it instead.

1. PSUs are dangerous. They can give you a very, very nasty electric shock, even when they've been disconnected for hours. You need to be sure of what you're doing, which bits you can touch and which bits you can't. You can probably find that information on these forums. This is not for the faint hearted (no pun intended, but it's something to think about).
That said, it's quite safe if you know what you're doing.

2. If you replace the fan with something that has too little airflow at the voltage the PSU's fan controller will give it, your PSU may overheat. Ideally, you want a fan that has comparable or slightly lower CFM with a better noise signature.

3. Obviously, doing a fan swap will void your warranty, and you can't make it look like it never happened if the PSU subsequently fails.

luggage · Post by **luggage** » Sun May 29, 2005 11:54 am

4. in some countrys you don't only void your warranty but also your house insurance

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Mon May 30, 2005 9:47 am

On a more positive note: I've modded my ZM400-A with a Nexus 80mm fan about a year ago and couldn't be happier. In you case, I'd take out the top fan and use the opening as a fresh air duct for your PSU. Without a construction like that the airflow a Nexus puts out may be a little low but you might still be fine.

I agree with the previous posters that doing a fan swap on a PSU should be done carefully and only when you feel you know you are doing... but if those conditions are met, there is silence to be gained