Noise Reduction

[Kalamity]

i have heard of rubber pads, and rubber washers, and all the rest of it, but that doesn't really seem like it would significantly reduce the noise level. has anyone seen / found any good / cheap ways to get rid of the fan noise?

i find it difficult to study and sleep with my computer on, and i'd like to be able to read and write in peace, without having to shut it off. the only good thing i could think of would be to get some fan controllers for the front bay, but those're $50!

 

[Tipycol]

Though this probably falls into "all the rest of it", how bout taking the grills off the fans that don't really need it (ie if your cpu fan had one). Also, you'd be surprised how much those rubber washers help though.


Tipycol

 

[Kalamity]

yeah i've already taken the grill off. i think it actually looks better without it. anyhow, i'll take your word for it and try rubber washers, i guess. i have these paper/cardboard ones in now that don't seem to be helping much. thanks.

 

[Goo Kenson]

Rubber washers could reduce vibration, right? It may not seem like much, but I think you'd defenitely notice a big change if there was no vibration in your case.

Also getting rid of the grills, maybe even line the inside of your case with sound absorbing pads, not too expensive but if you have windows then it's a no-go...

Or you could use the most effective method. Put it inside a wooden cabinet, with holes only for your case fans to get fresh air. Wood works like a dream to get rid of cpu sound, just make sure you have holes for the case fans.

 

[Serraph]

You should've bought one of those 6 port baybus's from Frozencpu. I bought mine when they were on sale for about a week for $16 but they're back to $30. The 4 port ones are only $16 now though. You can run the fans at 12v/7v/0v. I'd suggest getting one. You can turn the fans off when you're sleeping or studying instead of having to turn off the whole computer. www.frozencpu.com

 

[1Time]

Positioning your computer's exhaust to within a foot of a window curtain or a hanging towel, and positioning a hanging towel like on the back of a chair between you and your computer with it close to the computer will help. Low tech but effective.

 

[DreamingWolf]

I found that a cardboard box, with the side facing away from you cut out for air circulation, actually works pretty well. This also makes a great place to hang a towel which cuts the noise even more
(Thanks to 1Time for the idea to add a towel)

DWolf

 

[Nico3k]

what i would do is get a fan adaptor and then put a 120mm low-speed fan. they are almost noiseless and will cool your system enough.

 

[Kalamity]

i have a hard drive cooler in the front bay that seems to be making a lot of noise. now i don't have the hard drive in it because i don't overclock that high, and i just wanted some extra ventilation. would it make less noise if i put the hard drive in it?

 

[Lord Moreira]

50 dba DROP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Better yet
This past week i bought and replaced all 6 fans i had with the vantec stealth fans
www.vantecusa.com or u can go to www.bestbyte.net for the cheapest price in the US
I ran some numbers like cfm rates compared with dba rates and dropped my total dba's by 50 (more then a loud 6000rpm fan)
Without hurting the cooling @ all !
I even lowered my CPU temps
Here's what happened:

what i had--------------------------------------------
29x3=87dba 80mm
35x2=70dba 92mm
39x1=39dba 60mm 6000rpm
total=196dba PSU fan not included (replacing this 1next )

Now i can sleep!-------------------------------------
21x3=63dba 80mm
28x2=56dba 92mm
27~39=27dba 80mm w\ 60-80 adapter
total=146dba

The cfm's that they push are close to loud fans
Best mod of the year so far for me
Next it's rounded cables and cleaning up the other power cables.
U'll pull it off under 50bucks and u can always sell u ur old fans here in the forums for like a 2 bucks a pop just to get rid of them.

Overall a KICKASS MOD!!!!!!!!!!!
Peace

 

[JSealy00]

Um, I hate to break it to you Lord Moreira, but you can't add dBs like that. If you really want to find out your total dB level there are calculators out there somewhere. Your actual total dB initial is probably something like 40-50 dB. So I wouldn't go around claiming you had a 50 dB drop.

 

[JSealy00]

Ah...here we go. A Decibel calculator for you.

http://ao.tripod.com/decibel.html

 

[jlin453]

What I don't like about the stealths are that they suck at cfm's. Low 20 cfm's for $10-15 just doesn't cut it, no matter how quiet it is.

 

[JzAr]

What about those smart fans that speed up when the temp increases?

 

[UnWishedLegacy]

You MAY NOT need to go out and but a fan bus.
you couls either use a 7v Mod (there are lots of How-To's in here)on your minor fans (how many do you have?). or you could use an app like SpeedFan (the link is somewhere in O/C.com's 'Utilities' section).

its more than effective and it also monitors your voltages and CPU usage in one app.

but rubber washers and matting does help- even discarded mouse mats are a good source of dampening foam- and as for the comment from Goo Kenson about not using it for windows...
you can always cut AROUND the window, and put some on the side panel what is never opened (if you have a midi-tower like mine- as there is nothing there apart from cd/hd mounting screws there anyway).

But the thing i would definatly recommend- REPLACE YOUR PSU!!!
for many people- this is a major culprit of noise, as soon as I can get the money and time together thats what im gonna do next.

you could do any/some or all of the things mentioned here- alone it may not make difference- but every little helps.

Good luck

 

[Lord Moreira]

LOL
Thanks guy
Thats why this forums are so cool
I didn't know about the right way to calculate DB but......
I know it's quieter then before cause i recorded the sounds with my digital recorder
About them beeing low rpm fans , trust me u won't notice it, they blow more then enough air , and they don't cost 15$ if u buy them @ the link i posted before 4.99$ for 80mm and up
The only problem with the Vantec Thermalflow is that the temp rates are to low.
Let me explain..
The low speed are for temps of 25 degree , which in my case they would always be running @ high speed cause i never have less then 29 degrees.
And yes the PSU in my case is the main noise maker followed by my hsf fan.
Thanks again guys

PS: U won't regret buying the Stealth Fans
I would like to get a Stealth PSU but they don't make tehm @ 350w and i don't need a 430W or have 100bucks to pay for it.

 

[failsaf3]

Kalamity- JzAr is right- I have the Thermaltake Smart Fans in my PC. You can either use the included thermo sensor (though I don't know how good this works) or you can use the included speed control and manually adjust when needed (which is what I do) They run as low as 1300RPM 17dB all the way up to 4800RPM 48dB (loud but they pull 75 CFM at full).

 

[Kalamity]

yeah, i have a volcano 9 with the smartfan on it. i was thinking about maybe getting one of those. theyre pretty quiet, and not too expensive. i'll probably either get 2 stealthfans or 1 stealthfan and 1 smartfan because the smartfans dont come in 60mm, only 80mm, and my intake is for 60mm only.