Easy way to quiet 3 year old desktop?

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poguesquadron

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May 24, 2011
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I have a build from a few years ago:

Core i5 2500k (not OC)
Radeon HD 6950 1GB
8GB RAM
750w PSU
Recently upgraded to 240GB SSD (Intel 530)

and it's always been an awesome computer for me. One thing, however, is that it's always been fairly on the loud side. Not the loudest thing in the world, but just loud enough so that when it gets turned off, I finally remember what it's like to have silence in the room.

I don't have a very fancy tower, I'm using the stock CPU fans and all that (mostly because I'm a scaredy cat and don't want to even touch the CPU). Is there any EASY way to quiet this computer down without:

a.) Tinkering with the stock CPU fan
b.) Spending a fortune

My CPU is also idling around 45 degrees C, which I'm not sure is safe (but not incredibly uncommon)? Any advice? Could upgrading the fans on my tower help out at all?
 
Solution
HiTechObsessed
I would take the system out, take all the panels off you can, and take a leaf blower to it to get all the dust out. And no, this is not a joke lol it is perfectly safe, costs nothing, and will get about as much dust out as possible.

One option could be to do one/both of these. These case fans are very quiet, as is the CPU cooler. For stock CPU clocks, this will be VERY quiet.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: SilenX EFZ-100HA2 58.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Rosewill Hyperborea 57.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Rosewill Hyperborea 57.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.99 @ Newegg)...
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Adroid

Adroid

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Jul 2, 2009
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You need to isolate which fans are the loudest and go from there. Scythe makes some quiet, albeit super expensive, high end fans that are quieter for your case. Your options for your GPU and CPU are limited, unless you go for a high-end water cooled scenario which will require modding for GPU. I also don't recommend tinkering with your PSU unless you really know what you are doing.

Other than isolating which components are the loudest and replacing/upgrading/modding them, you don't really have any options.

As for the case fans, you may be able to downclock them a bit, which may require a fan controller, or if your motherboard/fans are compatible, the motherboard should be able to control 3 fans.

Whatever the scenario, don't trade case temperature for noise control. It's more important that your case has proper cooling than it being "too loud".
 
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HiTechObsessed

HiTechObsessed

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Dec 3, 2013
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I would take the system out, take all the panels off you can, and take a leaf blower to it to get all the dust out. And no, this is not a joke lol it is perfectly safe, costs nothing, and will get about as much dust out as possible.

One option could be to do one/both of these. These case fans are very quiet, as is the CPU cooler. For stock CPU clocks, this will be VERY quiet.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: SilenX EFZ-100HA2 58.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Rosewill Hyperborea 57.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Rosewill Hyperborea 57.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $32.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-02 10:59 EDT-0400)

I would still try the leafblower first, as it's free lol
 
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