SHUT UP Computer!!

C

Chrisdb

New member
I have quite an old desktop computer, unfortunately I can't afford a nice expensive quiet Mac to record with. The thing is it makes quite a lot of noise, not a terrible amount. But noisy enough so that my mics do pick up the fan noise? is that what it is? :confused:

And I only have one room to record in, so moving the PC out into another room away from the mics isn't an option for me, plus I need to be able to have access to the PC next to me in order record myself.

So I guess my question is, what can I do to make it quieter? or even better yet silent! I mean can you buy new fans to install? that are much quieter? Or maybe there are more unorthodox things I could do, I mean I could put pillows around it :rolleyes: but that would just make it over heat I guess?

What do you guys reckon?
Any advice would be much appreciated, it is a real pain in the ass having a constant noise in the background whilst trying to record.
Cheers ;)
 
Well, I don't think you want pillows around it. You have to keep it cool as well as quiet. There's a couple of things you can do. The first is to replace the power supply with a quiet one. This is probably the biggest noise maker.

The cpu fan can get noisey, too. Part of the cause is if the cpu is working hard, the fan is going to work harder to keep it cool. Your hard drives can make some noise. Maybe think about them on your 2nd tier approach.

Another thing you might consider is an isolation box for your computer. If you go this route, you can buy nice quiet fans for the box to keep it well ventilated. I was considering the box at first, but opted to buy a new PS, cpu, fans and mobo.
 
I tried getting a case designed for sound insulation (quiet fans, lined with acoustic foam, rubber pads for the power supply and drives). It helped a lot, but my motherboard and video card's fans are still loud in there. I ended up just ordering some new parts so the loudest thing should be the CPU fan, which I could replace too if it's too loud. $100 for the case, $230 for the mobo+cpu+ram+power supply, so it didn't break the bank too badly. Plus I can use the leftovers to upgrade one of the other computers :)

Other than that, I think an isolation box would probably be best. I'd probably build a fairly large plywood box, line the inside with blankets, with two holes with quiet fans for circulation. And if it's still too loud, add some "inner" walls, with fan holes offset from the "outer" wall holes, so the computer's sound would have to go through one hole, bounce around the space between the two walls, and out the other hole.

But there are probably better isolation box designs around from people who have actually built them.
 
I drilled a hole in the wall for the USB cable and put the interface and mics in the adjoining room.
 
Replace the CPU fan, case fans, and the power supply. If you have a GPU fan, replace that fan, too. Those things are notoriously loud. Either that or buy a fanless GPU. Either way.

I've had good luck with Zalman coolers. They're designed specifically to be quiet.
 
Ok, all my parts have arrived and wow, can barely hear it unless I put my head right at the back. The power supply was the last to arrive, and it was still pretty noisy before I put it in, so that is definitely one of the first things to take care of (I have a 360 watt Zalman, $60 on newegg). I'm still using the stock CPU fan, although that would probably be somewhat louder without the fancy case.
 
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