QUIET computer cooling question

Jotosuds

New member
i want my computer to be nice and frigid, yet quiet as well.

how many fans does one need?

is one hsf and one case fan enough?

i'll be running XP1700, ASUS A7n266vm with XP.

any quiet fans in your experiences?

thanks alot
 
I quieted the two pc's here by building an MDF closet, lined with some cheapo foam and 4 80mm fans. The fans are on an adapter with voltages between 3 and 12V, so I can change the amount of noise they make.
One pc was like a jet flying by, and is now in silent whisper, the other one was already a whisper and is now quiet.

Of course, if you want 0dB, move them into another room.

I'll post pics if you want and as soon as my digicam gets back from repair...


Herwig
 
tried everything for a very similar combination...from a thermaltake copper 6cu to an aluminum fan adapter that i attached to that to fit 80 or 92 mm fans on it, none of which were as quiet or cost-effective as the one i finally found...the THERMALRIGHT AX-7. it will cost you (about 25 i think) but that's a lot better than spending a minute thinking about water cooling. the best thing about these heatsinks is that they're designed to work efficiently with low cfm fans, which is perfect for recording purposes, and it works with a larger 80mm size fan. the fan i use with it is the enermax adjustable which i thought would be perfect for recording purposes...it does work really nicely but it turns out i just leave it on medium because that cools plenty and it's quiet enough. it is nice to switch it low for a quiet take. but you could probably use any fan w/ similar specs as those settings, the enermax fan isn't required, but trust me the ax-7 is a good bet. i use it now to cool an xp2000 so you won't have any problems w/ your setup
 
For an XP processor I'd recomment a Thermalright AX-7 (or is it Thermaltake? Argh...) heatsink and a fan adapter that goes from the AX-7's 80mm to accept a 92mm fan.

Use a low speed "quiet" model 92mm fan, such as the Vantech stealth or Pabst fans.

For case fans, use as big of a fan as you can (i.e., 120mm or 92mm instead of a 80mm or 60mm). Again, use quiet low speed Vantech stealth or Pabst.

Replace the fan in your power supply with Vantech Stealth or Pabst of same size. Don't worry, it will work fine even if the original was temperature controlled.

If your chipset (northbridge) on your motherboard has a fan on it (40mm) then remove the stock chipset heatsink and replace it with one that needs no fan, such as one from Zalman. Those little 40mm buggers can be noisier than you expect, especially when their underdesigned bearings start to wear.

Most graphics cards aren't too noisy, but if you have a GeForce4 or a few others, you might want to have a close listen to make sure. There are replacement coolers for these, but often they're noisier than the stock fans.



The general idea is to, in every situation, use as large of a fan as you can. Then, use the quietest fan of that size you can. Larger fans typically move more air for the same noise, or the same air for less noise than smaller fans do. Therefore, you'll still retain good air flow rates and cooling capability but reduce your noise drastically.

This would be my first line of attack. If that isn't enough, then I'd consider a sound isolation box, moving the computer into a closet (what I did) or something along those lines.

For heatsinks and fans, www.plycon.com is a good place to start.
 
Check out www.plycon.com

There, a 92mm Vantec Stealth fan is $2 cheaper than the Enermax 92mm, and is considerably quieter... on the order of ten times less noise. Yes, it only moves half the air, but when used with an AX-7 and 80mm to 92mm adapter, that's all you need.

For a case or PSU fan that's also plenty of airflow.
 
I second all Zalman products. I use the northbridge and XP2,200 cooler on the quietest of two pcs. Made a helluva difference.


Herwig
 
One more thing...

I lined each side panel of my PC with dynamat... That adhesive soundproofing stuff they use in cars. You can get it at circuit city. It lowered it another few decibels...

I have an athlon 1.4 ghz processor, and I haven't had any overheating problems, and these are generally known as hot running processors. That's a cheap, simple mod to shave off a few db's. ;-)

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