Age old problem, noisey computers!

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arena rock

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Ok. I have recorded myself for the last several years using a PC and the one constant has always been computer noise! (and CRT interference from my monitor, but that's another topic :) )...anyway, what are my options for silencing this beast? Currently , my PC is in a 4 space , rack mounted chassis , in a 3 foot high rack , (right next to my L-shaped desk and very handy at arms reach) and I constantly hear the steady buzz/whirr/spin of the various fans. (and the power supply was advertised as 'silent'....YAH RIGHT! lol ) . The rack case does have a flip down front , which aids in quieting things , but it is still much too loud for a studio, even my humble home studio....I don't really have anywhere close to relocate it. Ideally a closet with long cables for the monitor and a wirless keyboard/mouse seems feasible. The other option is, finding components that aren't so noisey....I can't really pinpoint any one device that's louder than the rest, it's a cumulative thing! I have two spinning hard drives that i believe I hear constantly, 1 mounted in a pullout chassis, then there is the CPU fan and the power supplys fan. They all seem to equally contribute. I don't see any low dollar solutions to the problem right off the bat, but if anyone has stuff that's worked for them, I'm all ears....
 
Don't know if this helps any, but I built a new computer about a week ago. Its got a Vantec 400w dual-fan low-noise power supply and a pair of Seagate Barracuda HDs and you can barely hear it when its running, even with the side of the ultra-cheap case removed. I bought the Seagates because some people here recommended them as being very low noise, and they were definitely right. My friend that helped me assemble everything said he'd never heard a computer that quiet, and the drummer of my band said he was scared because he didn't know it was even on.

FYI, the Vantec power supply ran about $56, and the hard drives were like $50 each for 80GB 5400 RPMs. Just look around on Pricewatch.com.

Then again, I don't know much about computers so I just went with what was recommended to me.
 
flexible hose off the output vents on the back of the pc connnected to a dryer type vent allowing a unobstructed exhaust into another room or thru outside wall. insulate the outside of the hose. For tower type pc you can spray paint a cardboard box any color you want and insulate the inside to absorb any resonance from the pc case, but leave enough room for air intake on the front. Put a few small holes near the bottom of the cardboard cover on the front side for fresh air intake. The vent hose can be attached to the back near the top of the box. Super quiet....for a rack mount I guess you could hose the exhaust outlet and wrap the enclosure in some type of foam to absorb any resonance but leave a fresh air intake vebt of some type, it doesnt have to be big, just enough to support the output in the rear.
 
Can you say "using a sledge hammer to kill a mosquito"?????


Get some long cables and put the CPU in the next room or closet.

I run my cables through a small (2"x4") hole in the wall to the next room.

You can use USB for keyboards, mice and external drives.
 
TimOBrien said:
Can you say "using a sledge hammer to kill a mosquito"?????


Get some long cables and put the CPU in the next room or closet.

I run my cables through a small (2"x4") hole in the wall to the next room.

You can use USB for keyboards, mice and external drives.
Click to expand...



It's more than a bit impractical the way my stuff is situated to do this right now ( cables would have to be run across the bare, open floor, as there is no 'next room')...but I agree this is the way I wanna go when I get moved to a different recording space eventually. I wonder there is a way to remotely flip on power to the DAW? I mean, I know my rack power conditioner switch can turn on whatevers plugged into it's outlets, but my mobo uses a softswitch to turn on and that's inside the rackmount case?...(I'm just tryin' to avoid getting up and going to the next room to turn the thing on lol) , assuming I do the 'put it in the next' room deal eventually.
 
A rack, huh? I don't know what I'd do about that. But I just built a PC for about $700, and it's nearly silent. The important silent parts are a RealCase case for $45 (totally silent ps) and a coolermaster cpu fan ($8, can't hear it). I've never heard a PC so quiet. You could go water-cooling, but that would probably be overkill and too much effort.
 
I can't find RealCase anywhere Progger....care to provide a link?
 
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