Acceptable noise level for quiet PC's?

I was wondering what people's thoughts are on a the noise level of a "quiet" PC. I don't mind if it's not totally inaudible, but I think the "conversation-level" 120mm deltas may be a bit harsh.

Would 45 decibels be acceptable? Or am I looking at about 30?

Thanks to anyone that can help.

Honestly, I think about 35db is about where you start noticing the noise. If you aim for under 30, you will probably think it's pretty quiet. Other people will have other opinions, though.

Thanks for the opinion. What would you say the best 120mm fans are at 35 decibels?

Cheers.

The Panaflo (panasonic) L1A is the most popular.

OK, cheers. I'll look into it. Ta.

Check out this site . For those guys 20 db is too loud for a pc. It's a good site for silent pc stuff.

wannaoc said:

Check out this site . For those guys 20 db is too loud for a pc. It's a good site for silent pc stuff.

Click to expand...

OMG,

Their ears are very picky

Why would anyone want a silent pc? I can't sleep without my computer making lots of noise. Plus my computer blocks out all the other noises while i am trying to sleep.

I believe OSHA's regulations on noise levels is, anything over 85 Db requires ear protection. That's pretty loud. 30 - 40 Db is completely realistic for a 'comfortable' environment.

I personaly like to hear my PC run/hum in the background. I have no idea how loud it is, but I know that the fan I have in the side is louder than I like. I fix that by cranking up the sound on my speakers.

Remember that even though a fan might be 40 dbs, that doesn't mean you hear all of them.

The walls of the case and such block a majority of the sound made by the fans.

additionally u have to think about the airflow... u get quite silent fans ozt there but is cfm rating acceptable ?!
for example the noiseblocker s2 is quite often found here (www.noiseblocker.de) but i guess when i exchange my psu fan for that one then its getting quite hot in there...
and so i have to use at least 2 of them and than is the noise doubled and ih that is still lower than it was before... i dont know

My Wife is the queen of quiet.
Yeah I would say under 20dB is what you want.
Get a good Fan in a good PSU running low speed,
get a large HS on your CPU with no fan, make sure your PSU
has a fan on the bottom to pull the heat out anf off the CPU.
and there you go, a 20dB or less system. however htere will be no OverClocking for you, you also have to get a Board that doesnt use a NB cooler or a Video card that has a GPU cooler.
and if you want good graphics the Zalaman silent cooler, its big but it does work.

however those are the extreams, 30dB is still good for most people which is what I think some Dell's come as,
they only have two fans, one in the PSU, and another in the back with a deflector on the CPU HS too cool it off.

for the rest of us 40-60dB baby, not sure what mine range is.
I have eight high speed fans in my system, most are 80mm 50CFM fans, so im not on the quiet side. and yes my wife hates my system, says its too loud, and sounds like a jet taking off. so im looking into Watercooling to please her ears. its wont be quiet but it will be quieter then its at.

-L_P

I think keeping it under 40db is relaxing

Personally, I find 35 decibels annoying. We all have preferences.

So, how quiet DO you want it? Quiet enough that you can't hear it over your speakers? Quiet enough that you can sleep while the computer is 3 feet from your head? Quiet enough that you don't notice it? Or too quiet to hear?

For the last two, water cooling is pretty much needed.