Whats the best Silent Computer for Recording...Fan-less vs no power supply?

I use a Microsoft Surface 3 tablet. Responsive and dead quiet.

I seen some of those higher end Surface tablets, they do a really good job. However, they are limited in USB connections and going through a USB hub may prove to be a problem.
 
It opened with some app File Viewer....

heres the picture...pretty wild all this info is kept.

The computer nerd in me says to get a new system because a 2nd gen i3 is really long in the tooth in 2019. But if it's serving your needs, maybe just a good aftermarket cooler would solve the noise issue. If your chassis has room, the Hyper 212 Evo from Cooler Master plus a Noctua NF-F12 fan would do a great job at a grand total of $40 plus the cost of your time to install it. If each spoken curse word is worth a dollar, then plan for your time to be worth at least $30 before it's properly installed :D Toss in another $5 for a tube of Arctic Silver thermal paste to substitute for the included Cooler Master brand thermal paste if you're feeling rich.

I think that the simplest solution is just to put the computer back in the other room and let it whine and whir all day without destroying your vocal takes. I assume that you already have the necessary cabling and connectivity for that to work, if that's how it's been set up for a while now. If you're feeling adventurous, then the aftermarket cooler would be the way to go. And if you're feeling wealthy, a whole new system wouldn't be a bad investment.
 
The computer nerd in me says to get a new system because a 2nd gen i3 is really long in the tooth in 2019. But if it's serving your needs, maybe just a good aftermarket cooler would solve the noise issue. If your chassis has room, the Hyper 212 Evo from Cooler Master plus a Noctua NF-F12 fan would do a great job at a grand total of $40 plus the cost of your time to install it. If each spoken curse word is worth a dollar, then plan for your time to be worth at least $30 before it's properly installed :D Toss in another $5 for a tube of Arctic Silver thermal paste to substitute for the included Cooler Master brand thermal paste if you're feeling rich.

I think that the simplest solution is just to put the computer back in the other room and let it whine and whir all day without destroying your vocal takes. I assume that you already have the necessary cabling and connectivity for that to work, if that's how it's been set up for a while now. If you're feeling adventurous, then the aftermarket cooler would be the way to go. And if you're feeling wealthy, a whole new system wouldn't be a bad investment.

That reminds me... I did have overheating issues on my last build.

Hyper 212 Evo is exactly what cured the problem. From what I have heard the stock coolers and thermal paste stock with Intel processors are not so good. Saying it nicely... Screw it, they are shit.

You need a pretty big case for the cooler though. The EVO barely fit in mine, but it is quiet and cool.

I was hitting around 90c without pushing the PC with mostly audio 80 or so track projects. Now I cant get past 40c with full on CPU usage. Which by the way does not happen until I do a stress test.

I put my ear to the PC and can barely hear it is on.
 
All I do is either spec a computer with silent fans or change them out myself? Including the power supply fans.

I get my fans from here, but they also have a good range of quiet computer components.

Alan
 
does anyone even have the Fanless $360-$350 ish i5 computers? or even a 4gig ram i3 Fanless?
the laptop method seems fine too but Id want a full size monitor and keyboard.

I do have a 2nd gen i3 and the 8gig ram and a spinning HD. ..maybe its a worn out fan?
I can drop $20 or more on a fan for the CPU....though Im not sure why is it on 100% of the time at the full speed? Its simple to put on and plug in.
The other large fan is running but its not even 2% as loud.
 
. ..maybe its a worn out fan?

Funny thing happened to me, my very old laptop that I leave in the car for emergency recording and playing MP3's on my radio show slowed to a crawl. I eventually pulled it apart and found that the fan had dropped 2 blades and the fan was jammed. No wonder it was slow as the cpu was red hot. Found a new old stock fan out of China, put it in and back to normal (which is still slow for todays spec but up to speed for the Old laptop).

So fans have to move air and the fan and cooling fins need to be clean :facepalm:

Alan.
 
fan blades falling off is pretty bad..dang?


makes sense moving parts wear out. cheap moving parts wear out faster.
i like the idea of non-moving parts for SSD and ram and USB memory and Fan-less falls in the category, within cost reason.
 
I seen some of those higher end Surface tablets, they do a really good job. However, they are limited in USB connections and going through a USB hub may prove to be a problem.

Could be. I have a mouse plugged in and a USB mic. I'm getting another (used) S3 with a docking station.
 
they upgraded us at work with a docking station and some little notebook laptop, but I never undock it. It has an abundance of USB ports!!keyboard has 3 USB then the monitor has a few more USB jacks and the docking station has a few USB jacks and the little laptop has a few USB jacks....

I will buy a CPU fan today and see if thats a "good -enough" fix.
I have the CPU fan removed and dont expect this to be a expensive part. Im still not sure why its running full on?
When its in "sleep mode" the fan turns off, I noticed that this morning. One article said the CPU fan should idle down after 5 to 20 seconds, but mine never does.

If the CPU fan isnt the fix.... might be upgrade time. Those little Fanless PC systems seem appealing. SSD, no fans, USB ports, newer CPU, Windows 10....hmmm? $250 for an i3
 
does anyone even have the Fanless $360-$350 ish i5 computers? or even a 4gig ram i3 Fanless?
the laptop method seems fine too but Id want a full size monitor and keyboard.

I do have a 2nd gen i3 and the 8gig ram and a spinning HD. ..maybe its a worn out fan?
I can drop $20 or more on a fan for the CPU....though Im not sure why is it on 100% of the time at the full speed? Its simple to put on and plug in.
The other large fan is running but its not even 2% as loud.

You can still run a fill sized keyboard and mouse* and a monitor with a laptop. This old HP i3 has both HDMI and VGA.

*Handiest to get a wireless kbd. I have a Microsoft wireless keyboard with integrated trackpad that I use for my living room PC. Saves having wires and having to hunt up a mouse.

Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard with Integrated Track Pad - Monotone: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Dave.
 
thats kind of what I have at work, a closed laptop would be some desktop space too. how does a laptop get so silent though?

I understand the power supply is a walwart= fanless, ....the case fan and cpu fan..... smaller = quiet?


CPU FAN 80MM x 25MM

Specifications
rated dba 12
dimensions 80x80x25mm
rpm 1400
cfm 25
operating voltage 6-14v
current draw 0.05A
power consumption 0.60w
bearings 3rd generation fluid dynamic bearings


Interesting ...heres whats in it now and is not bad or faulty its just a noisy fan!
Brand: Protechnic from Taiwan

Model: MGT8012UR - W25
Rated voltage: DC 12 v
Current rating: 0.66 A
Power consumption: 7.9 W
Revolution: 5800 + 10% for RPM

Noise: 38 dba

Bearing: hydraulic bearing
Connection: the red line is positive, the black is negative, the yellow line is speed, the blue line is the temperature control
 
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I understand the power supply is a walwart= fanless, ....the case fan and cpu fan..... smaller = quiet?

Actually the opposite is true. At the same RPM a 2" fan is going to sound like a wasp in a tin compared to a 6" or bigger fan which may, or may not, even be audible.
At fast rpms I guess any fan is a probably going to be a problem but smaller usually means higher pitch and more audible.

Laptops and mobile devices usually run lower power-consumption versions of gpus and cpus so heat output is lower, relative to a desktop.
Conversely they're not usually as capable of demanding tasks and often end up running their fans full tilt anyway.

Just like an engine, if the computer is capable of more than you need it will run comfortably and cool.
If it's getting pushed to its limits, it's going to be hot and loud.
That app you pushed a screen shot from will tell you % cpu load; A good thing to keep handy and reference once in a while under load.


I don't know if your temperatures are higher than they should be because ambient and fan speeds aren't in the screenshot,
but I'd be inclined to think you should be able to make your machine quieter.

There could be something wrong with one of the fans, or a heatsink may be badly fitted. There could be a physical obstruction in the case, a broken blade on a fan, or even something touching a blade.
There may be a fan profile at work that just tells the computer to ramp from 0-5k between 30+50C...Who knows.

1200rpm is unlikely to be full-tilt. Most common fans peak at 4.5k or 6k, as far as I know.
 
I shopped local at FRYS, and finally found a 12Vdc, and the 4 pin etc... $6.00.

Bearing Type ENLOBAL Magnetic Baraometric Bearing
Fan Speed (RPM) 1500RPMAir
Flow (CFM) 24 CFM
Noise Level (DBA) 14db
Rated Voltage 12V DC
Rated Amps 0.16Ae
Power Connector Type 3pin / 4 pin adapter
Dimensions 80x80x25mm

Will give this a shot tonight.

Thanks for the inputs! A learning experience, that screen shot might be my fault for not scrolling down? Pretty wild all the data is somehow "read" of the MOBO?
 
Thanks for the inputs! A learning experience, that screen shot might be my fault for not scrolling down? Pretty wild all the data is somehow "read" of the MOBO?

Yeah, there's another section above what you showed which should have your various fan speeds, and an overall system temperature.
Don't know if there's an ambient sensor or it's just an average of all others but, still, the fanspeeds themselves are useful to know.

When you pop off the cpu fan, make sure the fins (you expose) on the heatsink aren't glogged up with dust or whatever.
A can of compressor air or a paintbrush should be enough to clear it out, if there's stuff in there.

I wouldn't wiggle the heatsink so much that you force it to move, but give it a very gentle wiggle to make sure it isn't loose.
It should be fairly solid.
 
I did see the fanspeeds the CPU was 1300 and the case was 1100 apprx. Looking at the Data the CPU was running only 40%...so not really Hot.

this chart shows my DB meter was right on, with the db spec of the fan 38db, and what I was reading 42-45db.
I noticed a lot of fans are 25-38db. The Silent can get to 10 approx.
 

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Installed "Silent Fan" $6....DB meter is still reading 40+db.
It seems a little quieter but the db meter isn't showing much change.
All three fans going, and the hard drive is clicking away. If I move the mic to the other side, 4ft from pc, I can get 35db.


oh well... down the rabbit hole I go? :rolleyes:

last test for the day....Im getting 33db without the pc on, its as good as it gets without the pc, so now I wonder is 7 or so db worth the cash in this situation?

hmm? think Im done for a few days on this one. thanks for the ideas. I shall ponder them, over some scotch....
 
As for the fans, I'd really recommend taking a look at all the data, in one place, and making an informed decision.

If you look at individual fan speeds, individual component temperatures, and ambient temperature, and cpu load, you can decide if the fan is running faster than it needs to be or not.
If it is, you can customise that with some fan control app.

If, for example, CPU temps never go over 40C ish but the fans are just too loud,
then the default profile can most likely be made less aggressive.

1: Carefully make sure the CPU heatsink isn't loose.
2: Make sure there are no obstructions over/near the fans. (cpu+case)
3: Make sure none of the fans looks, or sounds, broken.
4: Tune speeds according to temperatures under load. At this stage you can control the fans one by one and figure out which one is the main offender.
5: If things still aren't good, and you're comfortable doing it, renew thermal paste and ensure that CPU heatsink fins aren't clogged.

If it's still loud after that maybe consider replacing fans/cpu coolers with better parts, adding an additional case fan, or just giving up on it. :P
 
The hard drive is clicking?
You've got bigger issues than a fan, my friend. Back up everything important!

Wait, I hope he meant 'clicking away' as general term. If you hear actual clicks, you need to backup immediately or lose all data on the drive. IMMEDIATELY!
 
My old HP running Win 7 has no fan noise when running 20 or more tracks. Only time the fan kicks into high speed (with some noise) is when processing HD videos.
 
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