Keeping the computer quiet

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thebigcheese

thebigcheese

"Hi, I'm in Delaware."
I used to use my MacBook Pro for recording because, at the time, it made more sense. It was portable, reasonably powerful, and quiet. Now, however, my desktop PC is way more powerful, but it is definitely not as quiet. Well, it's not as portable, either, but really, how often do I record anywhere else? So what I want to know is, what are some good ways to quiet down the computer? My friend recently rebuilt his computer and it is whisper quiet when it is on. We have very similar setups, but the biggest difference is the case. Does the actual case make the biggest difference? Obviously, I can swap out the case fan, but I'm also getting noise from the video card's fan. Is there a way to keep my current case, but make it as quiet as other cases, or is it more cost-effective to just buy a better case? Not looking forward to moving everything to a new case...
 
thebigcheese said:
I used to use my MacBook Pro for recording because, at the time, it made more sense. It was portable, reasonably powerful, and quiet. Now, however, my desktop PC is way more powerful, but it is definitely not as quiet. Well, it's not as portable, either, but really, how often do I record anywhere else? So what I want to know is, what are some good ways to quiet down the computer? My friend recently rebuilt his computer and it is whisper quiet when it is on. We have very similar setups, but the biggest difference is the case. Does the actual case make the biggest difference? Obviously, I can swap out the case fan, but I'm also getting noise from the video card's fan. Is there a way to keep my current case, but make it as quiet as other cases, or is it more cost-effective to just buy a better case? Not looking forward to moving everything to a new case...
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I own a creation station pc that is treated with auralex to dampen the sound.. I'm sure the case has ALOT to do with it.. If I were you i'd look up the creation station pc's from sweetwater and steal thier methods.. my pc is never heard.. I sat and tried to hear it while there was a lot of processing going on, and I could not hear a thing at all. Best of luck!
 
You could upgrade the PSU to a quieter and bigger fan. You can also opt for a cheap video card to replace your current one tat will have a heatsink instead of a fan on it.
 
I just do a run of usb cables that exit the room through a small 1/2 inch hole that is stuffed full of foam and leads outside the booth where the computer is kept.
 
I think the main problem is that the plastic case acts as a resonator/radiator.

I have reboxed a few amps this last year and made the new cabinets out of pine, pine that I hand select for tone. It absolutely amazing how much quieter they are than their originals. The most amazing was a cheap plastic box Art guitar amp - it went from hum to almost dead quiet.

So I would suggest making a cabinet out of pine. I heard of a guy who did it and the reports were good.

I got into all of this through this site:
http://www.mother-of-tone.com/mother.htm

The wood absorbs much of the sound. Also you could get a solid state hard drive as the hard drive is probably the main sonic offender.

A basic rule is if you tap anything and it doesn't sound good - throw it out!
 
buckkillr8 said:
You could upgrade the PSU to a quieter and bigger fan. You can also opt for a cheap video card to replace your current one tat will have a heatsink instead of a fan on it.
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Ha, the video card is for gaming ;) Probably shouldn't be using the same computer for both functions, but I originally built it for gaming, afterwards realizing that it would also be much better for recording...

I'll look into the auralex stuff. I have some Dynamat lying around, but I think that's more to stop vibrations than actual sound. The PSU is really quiet, so that's not the issue. The heatsink/fan for the CPU seems to be pretty quiet, too. It's hard to really pinpoint fan noises, but I think the two biggest factors are the case fan (easy to fix) and the video card. It's unfortunate that the video card is the way it is, but it seems quieter in my friend's case (same card), so I have to imagine there's something I can do about it. Having all kinds of vent holes in the case doesn't really help keep the noise in, but I can't really cover those up, either.

Edit: So the auralex stuff looks like it would be basically the same thing as Dynamat. While that would help with some things, my biggest problem is fan noise...
 
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dintymoore said:
I think the main problem is that the plastic case acts as a resonator/radiator.

I have reboxed a few amps this last year and made the new cabinets out of pine, pine that I hand select for tone. It absolutely amazing how much quieter they are than their originals. The most amazing was a cheap plastic box Art guitar amp - it went from hum to almost dead quiet.

So I would suggest making a cabinet out of pine. I heard of a guy who did it and the reports were good.

I got into all of this through this site:
http://www.mother-of-tone.com/mother.htm

The wood absorbs much of the sound. Also you could get a solid state hard drive as the hard drive is probably the main sonic offender.

A basic rule is if you tap anything and it doesn't sound good - throw it out!
Click to expand...
Uh... I think you posted in the wrong thread... or maybe I am just confused by the post? I have a metal case. Are you suggesting I should build a wood one? That seems like a huge hassle.
 
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I considered building an iso box (wood) for my computer but instead changed the psu and all the fans and it is much quieter. I also changed mobo's and cpu to something newer so it runs much cooler and the fans don't have to work as hard. My previous cpu was known to run very hot and cause the fans to scream.

How about your hard drives, are they loud?

If you can't control the noise from your computer, an iso box is a good solution. Be sure to provide adequate cooling.
 
thebigcheese said:
Are you suggesting I should build a wood one? That seems like a huge hassle.
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Yes, a case out of wood.

It would take some effort (what doesn't?), but some computers have a frame you could build on, and I think that a wooden case, a quiet fan and a solid state hard drive would be a great improvement. It has been done before, and my experiments with reboxing this last year suggest it would be the best bang for your buck.

I'll bet I could make a wooden case in an afternoon for less than $10, but I agree, it might not be for everyone!
 
thebigcheese said:
Edit: So the auralex stuff looks like it would be basically the same thing as Dynamat. While that would help with some things, my biggest problem is fan noise...
Click to expand...

The dampening material will keep your fan from making as much noise.. The fans themselves are noisy, but the vibrations caused in your case by the fan are what really make them as audible.. I would absolutely reconsider that as part of your overal plan of attack on this... The power supply itself can be responsible as well.. tell you what..

http://www.sweetwater.com/creation_station/tower.php


These computers are as quiet as they get.. check out the cooling system.. you can't even tell if mine is on at all by sound alone.. super quiet..
 
you couls replace the case with one by antec which are designed for quiet computing.

whether you do that or not you should also look at the following:


An after market CPU fan such as a Scythe or Zalman is often quieter than the stock intel or AMD one.
Mount the Hard drives with silicone buffers to cut down on vibration transfered to the case
Mount the case fans with silicone gromets instead of screw to cut down on vibration
Replace stock case fans with after market ones like Silenex or Scyth
Get Zalman Fan controls to be able to slow down case fans with hardware.
get an older type of video card (Gigabyte Nvidia 8600 GT springs to mind) that dose not use a fan at all
Make sure the air intakes on your PC are unobstructed and dust free as possible
Keep the internal wiring as tidy and uncluttered as possible to ensure good airflow over the components that need cooling
 
Where would I put the Dynamat/Auralex if I was to use it? Between the fan and the case?

I'm pretty sure my CPU fan isn't a problem. It's not the stock one. I used to get overheating problems, so I always buy giant heatsinks now. It's an ASUS one that seems to be rather quiet. The PSU is also only audible if I put my ear up to it, but it may also just be getting drowned out by all the other noise. I definitely need to replace the case fan. It's a cheap one I got from a pack a long time ago, before I learned my lesson to only buy quality materials. I'll look into what to do with the hard drives. They don't seem to be very loud, but they are probably producing a bit of a hum from the vibrations that mics might pick up (probably not, but since I'm in the same room, better safe than sorry).

Again, though, I am not replacing the video card. This is not just a recording PC. I don't have the kind of money to separate things out like that. So as far as that goes, I'm just looking for things that will muffle the noise.
 
thebigcheese said:
This case looks like a good deal, and is rated as being pretty quiet:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0304045

Does anyone know anything about replacing fans on video cards? I'm sure it's possible, I'm just not sure where one would find the right parts. That would be the next step in quieting things down.
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There are many different VGA coolers to choose from. Larger fan = quieter.
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=576&name=VGA-Cooling
 
Just as an update for those interested, that Cooler Max case is a pretty nice case and it really helps keep the noise down. I'm still going to have to do something about that video card, though... Prices are much cheaper online, so I'll probably get one of the Zalman ones.
 
Easy/Cheap fix would be a cardboard box around it during recording. Cut a blow whole in the back for the exhaust. Remove the box when you mixing. If you want a permanent fix then buy a Antec Sonata case. Whisper quiet. Cant even hear mine running. If the video card is making all the noise then get rid of the card and buy a Nvidia based card with no fan or a small one. 2nd and 3rd generation GPU's (Nvidia 6800 for example) dont need a fan or much of one. And they are cheap and work fine for DAW's
 
BushmasterM4 said:
Easy/Cheap fix would be a cardboard box around it during recording. Cut a blow whole in the back for the exhaust. Remove the box when you mixing. If you want a permanent fix then buy a Antec Sonata case. Whisper quiet. Cant even hear mine running. If the video card is making all the noise then get rid of the card and buy a Nvidia based card with no fan or a small one. 2nd and 3rd generation GPU's (Nvidia 6800 for example) dont need a fan or much of one. And they are cheap and work fine for DAW's
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sigh... I get the feeling most people don't even bother to read most of the responses...
 
thebigcheese said:
sigh... I get the feeling most people don't even bother to read most of the responses...
Click to expand...

Your right I apologize. But if some other individual is having issues then my response might help. Sorry for not reading your last entry :)
 
No worries, there's just been a lot of people posting the same "get a new video card" suggestion. Which, honestly, is not a very good suggestion when I can just get a new fan for it for $35. I might try out the box idea for now, though. Even with my new case, I can still hear the video card fan a bit. I opened the case up and stopped the video fan and that is literally the only thing making noise. It's ridiculous.
 
An alternative to the cardboard box would be to surround it with studio baffles
 
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