computer noise - what to do about it

  • Thread starter Thread starter junplugged
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junplugged

junplugged

Taking the slow road
AcoustiCase - anyone have this?

also saw quiet pc noise .com

and some others - some are expensive...
 
1. Replace stock PSU with quiet alternative
2. Get a fanless gfxcard
3. Replace stock CPU fan with something quiet, like Zalman
4. Replace fan/remove fan/go fanless motherboard
5. Seagate harddrives are quiet and reliable
6. Eliminate any HD vibrations
7. Watercooling could be an option for several of the above

Good website for silent PC DIY

Good luck!
 
Thansk, I have a fan that I probably can't return, so i'll try it but i might replace it if it's loud.

i just ordered a case for $100 that is built to be quiet, and the pwrsup should be less noisy, i'll find out in a few days

i was going to use my hard drive drawers like the others, but decided not to for this machine. they have a fan and are right out front of the case

i'll bury this hdd inside.

i see these can really get up there in price, thanks fer response, i'll return with results.
 
Another consideration is keeping you computer in another room. Seriously.

You'll spend a bit on extension cables, but it is possible to have your computer in another room where it can whirr, tick and buzz away merrily to itself without distracting you.

My PC is very noisy and I bought for it the Acoustipack Deluxe. Didn't seem to do that much, despite the claims on the website. Yes, I have noisy components, but the Acoustipack seemed to do nothing. :(

So I'm currently considering moving the PC to the bedroom, while the studio remains in my spare room. That way I can happily record voice direct to the PC rather than having to piddle around with Hi-MD recorders with the computer off...
 
i bought an Antec Sonata case, brought my noise down to VERY acceptable levels. the power supply is usually the biggest offender. multiple case fans are generally not necessarry unless overclocking. put a quiet fan on the rear, and a good cpu heatsink/fan combo and you should be GOLD.
 
The only noise that I experience is electrical interference noise when the hard drive is grinding away or I move the mouse. I use a laptop, too :)
 
First determine exactly what components are making noise. One way is to get a condensor mic and a pair of headphones and get inside the case. it's a pretty good way of determining which are the noisy components. You can also stop fans briefly to see if they're creating a lot of noise.

If you've got something like a Dell though you're fucked, they use non standard connectors and stuff so swapping parts out is difficult to impossible.
 
Agent47 said:
Another consideration is keeping you computer in another room. Seriously.
Click to expand...

This is what I did. It makes all the difference in the world.
 
I would recommend going with something like the Antec Sonata. Very quiet. Also Zalman CPU fan, and Vantech Stealth case fans. The SP450 that is in the sonata is quiet, but you can also go with a fanless powersupply. If this isn't enough, there are also foam insulation kits that can further dampen the noise of the case.
 
Put the computer in a different room. It's easier and cheaper to buy a few extension cables at Staples, and a $3 sheetrock saw at Home Depot, and run the cables through the wall to the computer in the next room than to try to soundproof it. Even in an apartment... just save the 1 inch square wallboard cutouts and stick them back in with a little spackle later if you need to. A condenser mic 2 feet from an acoustic guitar is going to pick up the periodic clicking of a hard drive in the same room even if you completely silence the cooling fan.

Tim
 
I think I remember seeing a OC703 cut out and arranged in a box like shape (except for the rear-need to let it breathe)to keep levels down.
 
Another vote for: move the CPU out of the tracking room!

You can spend lots of time and money replacing stuff and still you have something in your studio that will make some noise. Then what?

I gave up and moved the CPU out into the adjoining room and ran the cables under the doorway. Going through the wall was not an option: all the walls are 8" of concrete or thicker. All the cables are carefully dressed under the carpet, through the doorway on the floor and over to the back of the CPU about 1 foot away. I have double, sealed doors into the studio. The outer door is hollow steel, the inner door is solid core wood, and both seal all around to the metal clad, concrete threshold, so even the doorway drops the noise by at least 40 dB, if not more.

Cost me $12 for a monitor extension cable and $30 for a USB extension cable. I'll probably also spend $15 for an extension cable for the Delta 66 so I can have a little more flexibility in placing that unit.

Now, it's once again quiet enough that the power supply on my Casio MIDI keyboard seems loud.

One sacrifice is that I now face away from the monitor speakers to face the computer monitor, keyboard, VU meters, patch bay, interface, etc. Of course, the plus side to this is that the sound at the monitoring spot is much better because there's nothing in the way causing reflections or messing up the stereo image.

ofajen
 
wheelema said:
Two words... Antec P180.
Click to expand...

Do you use this? Is your CPU quieter in the studio than the threshold of audibility? I got there spending $45 and didn't have to rip my G4 apart. Of course, I already had taken considerable pains to block outside noise from getting in the studio. Now if I could just quiet the noises in my head...

ofajen
 
ofajen said:
Do you use this? Is your CPU quieter in the studio than the threshold of audibility?...
Click to expand...
Yes, and no it is not. I still have to swap out the CPU fan which is rather noisy.
 
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