Noisy Computer

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mikeh

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I just upgraded to a computer in a rack case. It's a fairly beefy system with a couple of 250 Gig drives - but it is really noisy. I have a one room studio (about 25' by 25') with an isolated vocal booth (about 5' x 7') - so recording vocals is not a concern. However, I often like to lay down accoustic guitar in the open room, (the vocal booth is great for standing in front of a mic - but it's not ideal for trying to get a chair, etc in to record accoustic guitar. There is no way I can put a condensor within 10' of this computer.

The guy who built my computer (and the previous computer) is not a fan of low noise fans ("they don't cool as well as they should") and he didn't really think a heat sink made sense - so I have a noisy computer (much louder than the standard tower I previously had - which was still plenty noisy in a relatively small recording environment).

I can't really put the comp in a closet and I currently have it about 7' away from my monitors/keybord/work station, etc. I'm using wireless mouse and keyboard, but naturally I had to buy extension cables for the monitors. Now the racks I use are 6' tall metal racks - (about 50 rack spaces each) - they are real heavy duty and certainly provide plenty of rack space - but I'm sure the metal racks don't help with the transfer of noise - but it is what it is.

So - after that long rant, here is my question: What methods does anyone use to help reduce computer noise in a one room recording environment?
 
Rack computers (as well as laptops) are always hindered by the cooling problem. Fitting all those parts into a small space is obviously going to retain heat a little more than an open case.

Check with your manufacturer on the brand of Heatsink-Fan combination used. Often you can buy a 3rd party HSF that is more effective and even surprisingly quieter.

Depending on your processor, you may be able to get away with using just a larger heatsink, but I don't recommend this. You may be able to get away with this on an older processor, say pre-pIII. Definitely not with an Athlon XP (64's run cooler but still very hot).

So my solution to you?

Water cooling!

Perhaps an unconventional solution, but if you're aiming for complete discrete cooling, I would say that would be the most effective. You would be able to send the water to the computer and mount the radiator elsewhere (perhaps a sound isolated chamber near a window or something?).

You'll have to read some reviews, spl levels of radiators, etc... I don't believe they are too outrageously priced. Good luck. Perhaps there is a cheaper more efficient method though, see what others have to say!

edit: I came across this article a while ago: http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/09/strip_out_the_fans/
I don't condone it or anything but I found it quite hilarious!
 
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Water cooling!
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For the love of GOD DO NOT CONSIDER THIS!! Rack + Water cooling = REALLY BAD IDEA

I just got done throwing my main board and CPU into the trash because of my water cooling rig

Here is why:

First off, I run a 6u rack. I had a P4 3.4 gHz prescott and used and asetek water chill 1/2" kit. I drilled holes in the back of the case for the radiator and its fan (120mm). It was a VERY tight fit to get everything in the case and with all the plumbing, there was very poor airflow for everything else so video and HD's were all running VERY hot as a result of the hot water circulating through the pipes. Servicing this damn thing sucked really bad since I had to drag the whole thing out every 8-10 months (I used it for about two years) to change the water since it would degrade over time and the temperature would start going up on the CPU. This would take about a day to do since you would have to drain everything, clean it, test for leaks for about 4 hours to be "safe" (more on that in a bit) and then re-install. This very last time, I went through the whole process reinstalled my machine was running smoothly, then BAM. Blackness, machine just stopped working would not reboot. I ran through everything I could think of and eventually pulled it out and to my horror, I had sprung a leak at the CPU water block and my processor was now nice and wet. Bye bye cpu, mainboard, and water cooling. What apparently happened was when I reinstalled the lid, the strain on the tubes from the small enclosed space worked the now fairly worn end which had softened from the long time it had been installed out of the connector and leak a little bit onto the ZIF socket.

Thankfully, this gave me an opportunity to by a new chip, mainboard and memory. My new E6600 is WAY quieter and cooler than the water cooling rig ever was (the pump vibrated and made a fair racket) with its stock heat sink and EVERYTHING in the case runs almost 10 Deg C cooler as a result of better airflow since I stuck a quiet 120mm fan in place of the rad. I was in fact able to pull some internal fans out of the case and it still runs way cooler.

Lessons learned: Water cooling rigs are designed for big, wide vertical standing towers, not racks. Cramping a water cooling rig into a rack will a) cool your CPU well but will raise the temp of everything else b) be a pain in the ass to service c) and be real easy to fuck your shit up

if you want to quiet your system down try downloading speedfan, it will allow to manually adjust your fan speeds. Try some dynamat (the car audio tar and fail stuff) on the sides and lid of the rack. Get a better CPU cooler. Preferably one with a HUGE fan that will still fit into your case (the vapor ones work well and are quiet). Cut a 120mm hole in the very rear of your case and install a big fan there. If your case is anything like mine, it is very long so this should make the fan clear everything else in your rack and make sure it blows out not sucks in.
 
mikeh said:
So - after that long rant, here is my question: What methods does anyone use to help reduce computer noise in a one room recording environment?
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If you want to make things really quiet, the most certain way is to get the CPU out of the room. See if you can find a clever way to rearrange your layout, whatever it takes. Anything else will probably be more trouble and have a smaller chance of success.

OTOH, if you just want a lower level of din, you can waste significantly more time and money tinkering with the unit and probably get the job done, eventually. :)

Good luck!

Otto
 
Good advice altitude909. I'll keep that in mind if I ever go rack!
 
Thanks for the responses guys - the water cooling option just scares me half to death.

I agree that the only real solution is to remove the CPU from the room - but it just isn't a reasonable option (given my space)

I'll look into speedfan (and whatever fan options may be avaiable). I did explain to the guy the built the system about my concerns re: noise and he even installed a fan that only kicks in when it is needed (although it sure seems it is going non stop).

Computer recording is much better then the reel to reel tape I came up on (we're currently baking tapes trying to to save the gummed up oxides) - but computers certainly pose their own challenges.
 
Cardboard or wooden box, & spaced & significantly bigger for air circulation, lined with insulating materials or even bubble wrap, door for CDROM & buttons, cut out for cables at back.
Works pretty well but not as good as another room or a cupboard.
 
i have a water cooling system in my rack case, it's a zalman with external radiator .cpu and chipset heatsinks.
it was easy to fit ,not that expensive and keeps my processor at 20 degree's
and motherboard at 27 degree's there is a fan in the case turning at 10,000 rpm just to move the air around the case.

all in all i've been very impressed with it so far (only had it 2 months)
 
have a water cooling system in my rack case, it's a zalman with external radiator .cpu and chipset heatsinks.
it was easy to fit ,not that expensive and keeps my processor at 20 degree's
and motherboard at 27 degree's there is a fan in the case turning at 10,000 rpm just to move the air around the case.
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Care to post a pic of this magical computer that runs below room temperature?
 
what is the ambent temprature in detriot ?

but over the other side of the pond in my house the studio room is normally
15-18 degrees
 
ah, one of those monster convection towers, I can see where that would have some advantages over the regular pump-res-rad system

I didnt even bother with water cooling my conroe since it ran cooler than the old water cooled rig with the stock fan. After my experience though, I wont have anything to do with water cooling
 
38-42 C between idle and full load. My water cooled prescott would idle at 42 and go up to 52 at load
 
Ive been battling with computer noise for years, but thats after my battle with cooling that left me with 5 or 6 fans making my comp sound like a harrier jet.

Liquid cooling is a noisy solution due to the pumps involved which are louder than any fan could be, not to mention disasterous if a component fails or punctures. Liquid cooling was only intended for overclockers who could care less about noise.

The trick is to get a minimal fan setup:
1 fan included in power supply
1 fan required for processor

and thats it. Look specfically for low noise power supply's and especially for copper/aluminum low noise fan/heatsinks. avoid graphics cards with gasoline powered turbine fans, find passively cooled ones.

One other consideration that people dont seem to realize is that the harddrives, especially if you have more than one running, make a ton of noise. This is in part from the harddrives causing the whole case to vibrate, so some cases come with a rubber band style mounting system (they basically sit on the bands) to reduce vibration noise. Its the perfect solution if your not into moving your case around for lan gaming and want less noise.

The last possible solution is to get sound dampening foam designed for the atx form factor. Ive tried this and cant really attest to its effectiveness, namely because it insulates the box and causes the cpu fan to work harder which is turns just creates more noise and slows down performance, but if you live in the artic north it might work out.
 
mikeh said:
Thanks for the responses guys - the water cooling option just scares me half to death.

I agree that the only real solution is to remove the CPU from the room - but it just isn't a reasonable option (given my space)
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My advice is to reread this thread top to bottom several times, then reread all the other threads about noisy computers and the hassles people go through and their level of success and then have someone lock you in a room with strict instructions not to let you out until you figure out a way to move the CPU out of the recording space! :)

I'm only sorta joking, here!

Cheers,

Otto
 
Liquid cooling is a noisy solution due to the pumps involved which are louder than any fan could be
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i think this may have been the case a year ago but the new liquid cooling system from zalman is wisper quite i cannot hear it and i'm sat 4 feet away from it
 
I tried to rig up some 4' x 4' - panels of partical board wraps with thhick bath towels to "box off" the computer rack and lined the sides of the rack with some Auralex - it reduced the noise a little - but you can still here the computer through a condensor mic.

After trying some " engineered" solutions, seeing the replies to this post and reading everything I can - it seems moving the computer is the only real option.

I do have a closet adjacent to the studio - but on the wall located away from where I need the computer. The closet is full of drums, guitar cases, unused rack gear, etc. etc. I would literally have to reconfigure my entire studio - but it may be worth it, cause the noise is simply unacceptable.

I have to so some research into the longest functional distance for all the cables. I have 2- Delta 1010s hooked up to the computer- so I have to figure out the longest cable run I can work out.
 
Could you provide some info on your system, what kind of a case, your chip, power supply, Mobo, what kind of cooling you have, ect. you may have some further otions.
 
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