Best thing I've done for my DAW in months!

Dolemite

Dolemite

New member
I finally got tired of loud-ass case and CPU fans... :mad:

I replaced the case fans with PC Power & Cooling Silencers. You can get them now for $9 each with free shipping, which is pretty pricey as fans go, but these babies are the quietest 80mm fans I've heard - much better even than Panaflo's, though I don't think they move quite as much air.

I replaced the CPU fan on my Global Win FOP38 with a Nidec Gamma 28. I actually replaced the ridiculously loud stock Delta fan just minutes after I installed the FOP38 with a quieter 60mm fan I had laying around...then about 2 weeks ago I decided to see if my old whisper-quiet Gamma 28 would move enough air to cool my T-Bird 1.2 overclocked to 1.33 GHz. Sure enough, its actually a bit cooler with the Gamma 28 than with the slower 60mm fan. The Gamma 28 is what is caller a "squirrel cage" fan or "biscuit blower." It doesn't produce as much CFMs as a typical 60mm CPU fan but it is very directional, focusing airflow in a small area. So I went to work with some zip ties and attached the Gamma so it was blowing directly on the area of the heatsink right over the CPU core. You can get these fans at Radio Shack for $17.99, which is way too much to pay but not so bad if you have a local Radio Shack store so you can avoid shipping costs. They're also available at Overclockwarehouse.com for $9.

Anyway...now my system is just as cool and MUCH quieter. Before, the noise would start to bother me instantly if I didn't have any music or background noise, but now I can just sit here in relative silence. I also record in the same room with my DAW, so now I know I won't be picking up fan noise on my tracks.

:D
 
I really need to do something about my computer. It seriously sounds like an air conditioning unit. I can't even imagine trying to use a LD condensor in the same room as this beast.
 
why do i have to live in penang? no wi nee dto find a cheap way to get them over here! damn those international shipping rates!
 
don't sweat it, if i did that, i'd probably start micing my pc up out of nostalgia. ...which is what i should do anyway , since i don't have a copy of lou reed's metal machine music...;)
 
I honestly don't know how I put up with the noise for so long...I guess its one of those things you can live with and adapt to but once you actually DO something about it the difference is incredible.

Someday I'd like to have a completely silent computer, but for now I can live with a couple whisper quiet fans. That's an acceptable compromise to me for running a fast overclocked system. I'm working on a ducting system that should separate the airflow of the intake (case) and output (power supply) fans a bit, which are pretty close together. This should also lower the noise even more and make the case cooler by reducing recirculation of hot air.
 
do you think putting on of the PC Powercooling silent fans on my heatsink (Over CPU) would work? would it move enough air to cool it sufficiently?

i am using an XP 1800+
 
What heatsink are you using?

If you have a reasonably good heatsink and you're not overclocking, a Silencer or other quiet 80mm fan should work well on your heatsink with one of those 80mm -> 60mm fan adapters.

Otherwise, you might quiet your existing fan somewhat by running it at 7 volts. You simply hook it up to the +12 and -5 lines. It slows down and quiets down. Again, I wouldn't even attempt this if you don't have a very good heatsink to begin with.
 
Hmmm, isn't that the one that has a thermally-controlled fan - i.e. it changes speed with temperature?

If so, that heatsink actually uses an 80mm fan, so you wouldn't need an adapter, but I'm thinking the included fan would be equally as quiet as the Silencer when running at its lower speed. I'm sure the Silencer would be adequate cooling with the Volcano 7 heatsink, though. I would probably look at replacing the other fans in your system first unless you're sure the Volcano 7 is the loudest. If you're getting enough air in/out of your case, then the Volcano 7's fan should really be running at its lower speed, and running fairly quietly.
 
yeah the volcano 7 is running, with the case closed, at about 3800 RPM. if i put my aircon on at 16 degrees C with the case open, it goes down to about 2900! so, the problem is air flow in the case. the fans inside are obiously shit, but i don't want the loudness. So, you recommend buying the silencers for chassis fans and then if that only slows down the volcano 7 a bit, try another silencer on the heatsink?
 
Just wondering, Dolemite. I know you have the omni studio with the 66. Do you see a big dif in your noise floor now that youve changed fans?

Whats your noise floor now that youve changed fans? What was it before?

I used the omni for the better part of last year and couldnt get my noise floor much below 80-83dB with moderate gain. I did alot of electronic stuff and I used gear with digital outs so it didnt effect me most of the time but when I recorded drums and line level synths the A/D conversion definitely effected the overall clarity.

With the 1010 I have 10-15dB more headroom...which houses the converters outside the computer.
 
Yeah, I guess I would try to improve the airflow with some quiet fans and see if the Volcano drops down to 2900 rpm. Then if it doesn't or it just isn't quiet enough at that speed, I wouldn't have any reservations about putting a slower/quieter fan on it.

Panasonic Panaflo ('L' series) fans are also very quiet, and sometimes cheaper. The 80mm fans are readily available online for a very good price:

MPJA - $2.95

BG Micro - $3.19

They are said to move more air than the Silencers at the expense of just slightly more noise.

Probably the quietest 80 mm fan available would be the Pabst 8412NGL, which supposedly puts out only 12 dB ($20 here).

In Malaysia, I would probably look for the Panaflo's, or see if you can get them shipped internationally at a good price. Make sure you get the 'L' series which are low output/quiet models.
 
JuSumPilgrim said:
Just wondering, Dolemite. I know you have the omni studio with the 66. Do you see a big dif in your noise floor now that youve changed fans?

Whats your noise floor now that youve changed fans? What was it before?

I used the omni for the better part of last year and couldnt get my noise floor much below 80-83dB with moderate gain. I did alot of electronic stuff and I used gear with digital outs so it didnt effect me most of the time but when I recorded drums and line level synths the A/D conversion definitely effected the overall clarity.

With the 1010 I have 10-15dB more headroom...which houses the converters outside the computer.
Click to expand...

I haven't mic'ed anything since I switched fans and I do a lot with synths direct and guitars through my J-Station w/ SPDIF, but I'd estimate a drop of about 7-10 dB from where I sit at the computer...its pretty dramatic. Its hard to say what the difference is from where I usually mic stuff (in the same room though). I don't know offhand what kind of noise floor I was getting before with mic'ed stuff but I think its safe to say that it will be noticably lower with quiet vocals, etc. I live in an apartment with plenty of noise sources beyond my control but I'm kind of a perfectionist...I only try to record w/ mics when I know my neighbors aren't going to be making noise, furnace isn't running, fridge unplugged.... ;)

Still, I haven't had too much to complain about as far as noise on my tracks, and nothing I would really attribute to the Omni/Delta. 80-83 dB doesn't seem too bad with a lot of gain, either. I guess it would make more difference to me if I were micing drums...I can see how the lower noise and greater headroom would help then.
 
the panaflo's specs say 24 CFM, while the silncers say 28 CFM... so, the silencers move more air, yes?
 
Unplugging the fridge to record. Nice. Who needs chicken when youve got dozens of feet of cable.

:D

80dB was my line level average at moderate gain. At high gains I was down to 73dB or so. This is with monster cable 500. And there was a definite loss of quality as compared to softsynths and VST stuff where theres no conversion.

Micing is a dif story. If your tracking room isnt quiet then thats not a converter issue. My tracking room is quiet. No neighbors, no girlfriends, no dogs, no furnace. :)

BTW, if you have any hum issues, I know the omni doesnt have a filter. The DMP3 does though.
Ive gained 8-9dB by using a 50Hz or 100Hz cut on my envoice.
 
I think I must be exaggerating a bit...my apartment is actually very quiet (especially after all my precautionary measures ;) ). Its quiet enough that the computer fans were the most obtrusive noise, if that says anything.

I do notice the extra noise of external synths (vs. software) but beyond getting a hot signal, I mostly worry about whether it sounds good or not at that point. ;) Hum hasn't been too much of a problem.

How has the DMP3 worked out for you? Have you noticed any big differences between it and the Omni pre's, besides the filtering?
 
hey, guys:

I have a Dell PIII 650mhz. I know nothing about computer fans, and I was wondering what size and how many fans do I need to replace all of the fans on my PC.
Any help would be great, thanks
 
Is that a Socket 370 or Slot1 P3?

Depending on the answer to that question, you need either a Socket 370 or Slot1 heatsink and then as many case fans as you need/want. Most case fans are 80mm, though some Dell cases I've come across use 92mm. Actually, I've found that Dell uses some of the quietest CPU/case/power supply fans, so I'm a little surprised you're having excessive noise.
 
well, this baby is 3 yrs old. After all the smoke and dust it has collected, you can't blame it to be noisy, can you? :D

Now, how do I find out about it being Socket 370 or Slot1 P3? Where can I look once I open the case up? the fans?
 
I dont actually own the DMP3. Ive seen them though and I know they have a filter.

I havent heard them in action enough to hear a dif. I also didnt hear them with my mics so I wasnt totally familiar with the sound when I heard them.

I was into the omni pres for the most part. For the money you cannot do any better. They have an airy quality that some other very good midrange pres dont have. They are a bit thin though and not amazing on transients. But Im nitpicking. They will more than get the job done.
 
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