Shut that badboy up!

[shav]

Hi all,
I've just managed to build my own PC that I will use for a Home Theatre System and also for gaming. Everything works a treat and my only problem is the noise. Therefore, I want to quieten everything down to the max, so that it doesn't sound like I have a hoover stuck underneath my TV.

What I've got is the following
Gigabyte 8N-SLi Pro motherboard
Intel 775 630 3Ghz CPU with stock fan
XFX 7600GT XXX graphics card
Cooler Master Cavalier 4 (Desktop Chassis)

1) My biggest source of noise is the 7600GT. Playing games, this thing makes more noise than a blender. I've been searching but can't really find anything that says it compatible with this card since it's new. Any suggestions out there?

2) CPU fan doesn't seem too bad, however would like to cool it down some more and also reduce the noise level. My problem here is that, on the motherboard, there's a heatsink beside the CPU so I can't fit any of monster FAN on the CPU. Honestly, 900mm (which is also the standard FAN width) is all nearly all I got to play with in terms of space, so open to suggestions here?

3) Being a desktop, the CPU fan will sit directly on the CPU so in terms of weight what is the max I can go with? Officially, I think it's just below 500gram but can I get away with higher?

4) The PC case itself also has 3 fans 1x80mm & 2x60mm. What would you recommend for these?

5) What's the best in terms of padding to reduce noise for a Cooler Master case?

6) How loud exactly is 20 Dba or 30Dba? Also, Artic cooling talk about sone. In everyday terms, what do these translate to?

7) Anything else, you think might be helpful?

Cheers
Shav

 

[maypep_necro]

Change fan or download SpeedFan® and lower the speeds. But watch the temperature.

 

[shav]

Hi,
unfortunately this is something I would rather not do. Instead I'd prefer to get something that cools the system more and also makes it quieter. Cheers
Shav

 

[bob8701]

I quiet my computer last week, you will not believe how simple it is:
1. undervolt you cpu voltage, lower voltage means less heat, so cpu fan does not need spin so fast. less rpm mean less noise.9 help cooling)
2, change fan size, 60mm is nor good for moving air, I will get 92 mm at least, 120 mm is the best. ( help cooling)
3. fan control. it become loud when fan spin over 1500 rpm, drop fan to 7volt, it become silent to me.you can buy zalman fan mate 2 fro 5 dollars. which control voltage to the fan, adjust it to make balance between temp and noise.
I download speed fan program, run prime 95 and 3d mark 05 to check cpu and video card load temp. monitor both temp close after each change, better be safe than sorry.
I found out if front fan spin faster than rear fan, cpu fan will get more cool air, so i can drop cpu fan speed even lower.
No side window, it does not help mine, my cpu temp is two degrees higher after I close side panel, i think my set up is working really good.
*power supply has a fan too, if it is not temp control, it gets loud too, i took risk and change mine to 5 volts.
hope this help you, good luck

 

[sjps220]

hey Shav,

I have an eVGA 7600gt and I had the same problem with noise. I replaced the cooler with a zalman vf700 (vf900 also works, but more expensive) and my temperature dropped significantly, and its a lot quieter. It has two settings, and I haven't even had to try it on the quieter one yet.

 

[Scarchunk]

I recently placed my computer in the living room as well and I have the same cpu(P4 630). I bought an Arctic Cooler Freezer Pro 7 as the stock Intel cooler wasn't working very well for me and was very loud. The Arctic Cooler kept my cpu between 30-32C along with my 2 120mm case fans. I needed it quieter so I had to sacrifice a few degrees for silence. I ended up enabling Intel Speedstep by changing power profile to laptop in order to lower the voltage when idle and it hasn't made a noticable performance degrade. I then enabled the "Q-fan"(yours is named differently, I'm not sure) in the bios to let the MB lower the voltage to my HS/F when idle and I bought an Aspire fan controller to lower the voltage to the case fans. My temps have risen to 34C idle 48C load on the cpu and 33C on the MB, but my computer is almost completely silent. Huge improvement with little temperature gain. My Leadtek 6800GS graphics card is very quiet even under load and idles at 44C so I can't help you there, but my friend is very happy with his Arctic Cooler VGA HS/F. I saw a passive cooler with heatpipes on Tom's the other day so you might check that out.

 

[nobly]

4) The PC case itself also has 3 fans 1x80mm & 2x60mm. What would you recommend for these?
5) What's the best in terms of padding to reduce noise for a Cooler Master case?
6) How loud exactly is 20 Dba or 30Dba? Also, Artic cooling talk about sone. In everyday terms, what do these translate to?

4) Get rid of those 60mm's! They make the most annoying noise. I bet they're spinning at a high rate and reverberating through your case. Get slow moving 80mm fans or 120mm's if you can. I have some vantec stealth 80mm's that are very nice and have lasted me for 5 yrs so far.

6) 30db is 2x as loud as 20db. 20-25db is like someone whispering. Try to stay in that range when looking at fan specs, etc. High fan rotational speed = higher noise.

Also note that where you place your computer can have a large effect on its noise output. E.g. if its in an enclosed space, get it out to some open air! If there's no place to vent the heat, it'll just get louder and louder.
If its sitting on a heater vent, that's probably not good either.

You may even consider changing cases if all else fails. :?

 

[shav]

Hi all,
I really appreciate all of the response, very informative. However, have a few things to say

1) Not sure if any of ye have seen my type of case before, it's a Cooler Master Cavalier 4 but by the looks of things due to case design/motherboard position I can't replace the 60mm fans with something bigger. Therefore, what are the best/quietest 60mm fans that I can get? Also, I don't really want to replace the case itself, looks pretty cool!

2) Due to restrictions on my motherboard regarding space, what CPU cooler would recommend that will do the job but more importantly be quiet. Due to the placment of the northbridge chipset, I only have the width of the stock fan to play with ~90mm and about 100mm in height.

Are the heatsink/fans designed to hang over the Northbridge chipset?
I've seen a few pictures on the web of different ones, which look like they might do it but don't want to take a gamble without some expert advise first?

Does anyone know what heatsink/fans are compatible with a Gigabyte 8N-SLI Pro motherboard?


Bob8701 & ScarChunk, I'll give your suggestions a shot re voltage & fan speeds but I don't want to take this too far cause afraid of doing permenant damage to the system.

With regards to VGA cooling, seems the VF700/900 best option out there.

Once again, thanks all for the help. Cheers
Shav

 

[mad_fitzy]

Wow a 900mm/90cm cpu fan.

 

[czar1020]

You could always get a Thermaltake CL-W0042, that would take care of your noise, but then again i dont think you want to spend that kina money.

 

[rodney_ws]

Make sure it fits before you buy...

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/04/14/is_the_kuformula_vf1_plus_the_formula_for_graphics_cooling/

 

[Scarchunk]

Take a look at the Arctic Cooler Freezer Pro I am talking about.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186134

It actually sits up off your MB with the heatpipes enough that it might still work with your MB. My northbridge HS is also very close, but this cooler clears it by a few cm. It uses a pin method to secure it similiar to the Intel stock unit, so it seems to be about the same diameter on the mounting and you won't have to remove your MB to install. As far as changing the voltages, it's simple using the method I was refering to. Go into your power management in Windows and change the profile from desktop to laptop/portable. This will enable the Intel speedstep(similiar to AMD C'n'Q) assuming your MB supports it. Then go to your bios and enable the motherboard to monitor your temps and adjust the heatsink fan accordingly at a preset temperature threshold. My option for this is called Q-fan, but I'm sure yours is named something else. If this causes your temps to rise a great deal or causes any problems, just set your bios to default options to get rid of it. As far as your case fans, they're going to louder than a 120mm fan, so if you can't change them you might consider buying either of these two fan controllers depending on if your fans are 3 or 4 pin. I like these because I usually find a good mix of sound and performance and then set them and forget about it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118217

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811998129

 

[shav]

Czar1020, you're right! I don't wanna spend that kinda money.

ScarChunk, I was looking at the Freezer Pro, but I was reading a review on silentpcreview and it says that this cooler has a noise level of up to 37 dba. How do you find it in terms of noise? Also, I would prefer a cooler that blows the air vertical up cause due to desktop chassis, I have an air vent directly above the CPU.

I was thinking of a Thermalright heatsinks with Silenx fans cause of their design it looks like they might hang over the Northbridge or also a Scythe Samurai Z it might be possible. Any thoughts on these?

Cheers
Shav

 

[bob8701]

I just found out you have a htpc case, so forget the change fan to larger size. it is hard balance cooling and noise in limited space, I have a few ideas.
for gpu cooling: zalman is best for quiet operation,
for cpu cooling, since top case has holes direct above cpu, so you want cpu fan blow hot air out case right away. so cpu fan should mount on top of heatsink not side way. make a duct around cpu heatsink, so hot air does not stay in side the case.
pc cooling is all about air temp inside the case. let hot air leave case asap, if there are pci slot unuse around the video card, open them up.
for fan noise, you have to drop their voltage to lower level,
I highly recommand under volt the cpu voltage, even 0.1 volt will drop at leat 4 to 5 degrees.
hope everything work out, let us know.

 

[bweir]

A bit on the expensive side, but at 17-19Db, you will barely hear anything:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835116017

 

[penguinusaf]

How about Liquid cooling for graphic and CPU?

 

[Fox_granit]

Other things you can look at are: silicon spacers for the 60mm fans for the screw sockets, replacing the 60mm fans (there are adapters out there to change from 60 to 80mm but they are probably too big for the case), but in your specific case, possibly turn down the voltage on the cpu a bit. I hate to say that becuase it reduces processing power (not good for a gaming pc) but other than changing cases, i'd say this is the last resort. You can also put those silicon spacers on almost anywhere you have screws. They kinda like shocks on cars. This won't help the noise directly from the fans, but it will reduce overall vibrations.