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- Oct 15, 2001
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This is the forum version of an article published HERE. This thread is slightly more updated, than the published article.
Step-by-Step: Building a Quiet PC from the Ground Up.
In my last article "Step-by-Step: How to Build a Cheap and Quiet AMD Dually", I discussed the requirements and some specific recommendations for building a dual CPU AMD system, inexpensively, and with quiet-operation in mind.
Fortunately, single-CPU computer systems don't require as much airflow as dual-CPU computers, so it is possible to build an extremely quiet system, if you know the right components, techniques, and modifications.
This article is the second, in a three part series, on quiet computing. In this installment, I will discuss the requirements for building a cheap and quiet single-CPU PC, give specific purchasing recommendations, and show some simple modifications that can help lower computer system noise. This article is geared toward new system builders, but can be helpful to upgraders and system-modders, too. I won't give specific recommendations on motherboards, processors, or memory, because those particular components aren't the noisemakers of a computer. Also, the choice in those components is highly dependent on other factors, such as the budget, personal tastes, and primary purpose of the machine.
I am always looking for ways to build quieter computer systems. Over the years, I have built many computers and used many different computer cases, fans, power supplies, heatsinks, and hard drives. I have learned what works well, what is just hype, and what products should be avoided at all costs. This article will explain the sources of noise, what can be done about them, and what parts I recommend purchasing, for building a quiet and inexpensive computer system.
THEORY AND APPLICATION
In order to build a quiet computer, you need to know which computer components are the noisemakers. The main sources of noise are as follows: case fans, heatsink fans, power supplies, and hard drives. The computer case, itself, while not actually a noise producer on its own, has a large impact on overall system noise, as well. Its design is, perhaps, one of the most important considerations, when trying to build a quiet system.
*CASE FANS*
One of the most obvious contributors to computer system noise, are case fans. Most OEM manufacturers and custom system builders use cheap, less-than-quiet case fans. When trying to buy your own fans, difficulty arises from the fact that different fan manufacturers use different methods of testing noise levels of their fans. You can't get a realistic impression of their real noise level, unless comparing fan noise specifications from the same manufacturer. There are a few places on the Internet, where you can find real, scientific comparisons of different fans. One of them is HERE. Another one is HERE. Many so-called comparative reviews just use the specifications given by the manufactures. This data is irrelevant, when the different manufacturers use different testing techniques. The good comparative reviews are the ones that do actual testing, themselves.
The most common case fan size is 80mm. Avoid, at all costs, any case that comes with 60mm case fans. 60mm fans must run significantly faster, and louder, to achieve the same CFM (cubic feet per minute) of airflow as their 80mm counterparts.
Cases with 120mm fans, such as the SLK3700AMB I mentioned in my previous article, are great for airflow, but it is VERY RARE to find a 120mm fan that can operate at the low noise level, achievable from a good quality, quiet 80mm fan. In some cases, such as dual processor computers or EXTREMELY overclocked computers, it is advisable to have more airflow than dual 80mm fans can provide. In those rare cases, it is better to have a case that supports dual 120mm fans. You can find a list of these cases HERE.
My two favorite 80mm fans, for quiet computing, are the Panaflo L1A and the PC Power & Cooling Silencer. The L1A is slightly louder than the Silencer, but it makes a great heatsink fan or replacement Power Supply fan. The Silencer doesn't work well as a heatsink fan, but it is a FANTASTIC case fan. Its noise level and airflow can't be beat. It makes a decent replacement Power Supply fan, but can't push the amount of air that the L1A is capable of, in an airflow-resistant environment, such as a Power Supply or Heatsink. The Silencer is also offered in a 92mm variety, for those cases that support 92mm fans.
*HEATSINKS & FANS*
Heatsinks and their accompanying fans are, perhaps, the most notorious noisemakers in a computer. Most heatsinks run 60, 72, or 80mm fans, running anywhere from 1000 RPM's to 7000 RPM's. There are, perhaps hundreds of heatsinks to choose from, but almost all of them are loud and many of the loud ones are still quite inefficient coolers. One of the keys to a quiet computer is getting a good quality, efficient, and quiet heatsink and fan.
As can be seen in the Overclockers.com Heatsink and Watercooling Performance Ratings, the Thermalright SLK-800 and SK-7 are two of the top performing heatsinks on the market today for Socket A systems. One of their best features is that they work very well, even with low speed, low noise fans. Socket 478 users can use the SLK-800U, which is designed for P4 use. These heatsinks all support 80mm fans, which I highly recommend using for quiet operation. An 80mm fan can run slower and quieter than a 70mm or 60mm fan, yet move more air and provide better cooling. An 80mm Panaflo L1A on one of these heatsinks makes a great CPU cooler, and the noise level is VERY low. Those trying to save a few bucks may be interested in the SK-6+ heatsink. The SK-6+ is designed for 60mm fans, but you can use an 80mm fan, with a little ingenuity, and get results identical to the SK-7. I will go into this, later.
*HARD DRIVES*
Hard Drives are a major contributor to system noise, for a couple reasons. I won't go too deep into the physical characteristics of their construction and operation, but for a detailed explanation of what a hard drive is, and how it works, please check HERE.
There are two main noises that come from hard drives. The first is normal-operation spindle-spinning noise, characterized by high pitch whining. The second is seek noise, characterized by lower pitch, chugging noises.
There is a third characteristic of hard drives, however, which is important, although it is not necessarily noise; VIBRATION. The high-speed rotation of the hard drive platters, along with the vibrations caused by hard drive seeks, cause quite a bit of vibration. Some of this vibration is loud enough to cause audible noise. Much of it, however, is actually transferred through the metal hard drive housing and into the computer case. This vibration, which wasn't originally noise, now has a large metal surface (your computer case) which it resonates. This amplifies the vibration into noise. (Think of an Acoustic Guitar. The strings, themselves, don't make that much noise. What happens is that their vibrations are transferred, though the bridge, into the wooden guitar case. This large hollow case then resonates, producing a lot of noise, from a little vibration. The same think happens in your computer case.)
Why is this vibration stuff important? It is important because your case selection should be made with this characteristic in mind. I will talk about this in the next section, regarding cases.
As for hard drive recommendations, in my previous article, I gave some specific recommendations, which I will repeat here.
Over the years, I have discovered three hard drives that I just love. Each is quiet, and is suitable for different needs.
The Western Digital JB series of drives is just great. They are one of the few IDE drives that are still sold with a 3-yr. warranty. They have an 8MB cache, their performance is great and they are quieter than most other IDE drives (not inaudible, but better than most drives.) The weird exception is their drives below 80GB. For some reason, those below 80GB, such as the 400JB, are designed slightly differently, and are VERY loud. The WD 800JB and up are fairly good.
*EDITED for new hard drive recommendation* The new Samsung Spinpoint drive is my top recommendation for a low-noise hard drive. They come with a 3 yr warrantee, unlike most of the hard drive market, today. They are offered in 40, 80, 120, and 160 GB varieties, with 2MB or 8MB cache, and ATA133 or SATA versions. For this reason, there are a lot of different part numbers. Here is a partial list, although I can't promise exact accuracy. (SP0421N, SP0812N, SP1213N, SP1614N, SP0401N, SP0802N, SP1203N, SP1604N, SP0812C, SP1213C, SP1614C) These drives support changing the Acoustic Management properties, using programs such as the HGST Feature Tool, formerly the IBM Feature Tool. The Samsung Spinpoint has lower idle noise than the Seagate Barracuda V and goes neck and neck with the Seagate Barracuda IV (no longer manufactured.) Both Seagate drives lose to the low seek noise of the Samsung Spinpoint, though. For this reason, the Samsung Spinpoint is my NUMBER ONE recommendation for quiet computing. This is the drive I use in my Home Entertainment PC, because I don't want to hear it.*/EDIT*
The Seagate Cheetah 15K.3 is the quietest 15K SCSI drive, available. It is also one of the highest performance drives, anywhere. If you can afford to go with 15K SCSI, I highly recommend it. I think that my upgrade to 15K SCSI gave me more of a performance increase than any other upgrade I have EVER made. For a SCSI controller, I highly recommend the LSI U160. It is a great SCSI controller and only costs about $42. www.svc.com (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.) is a good place to get cheap, round SCSI/IDE/Floppy cables. On my Primary machine, I have a Seagate 15K.3 for my Operating Systems and Games partitions. I have a Seagate Barracuda V for my Files partition, where I keep backups and stuff I need permanent storage for.
A great resource for good hard drive data, including performance and noise, is www.storagereview.com. You can access their Benchmark Database here. Change the drop down menu and click "Sort" to see how drives compare in a variety of real benchmarks and measurements. They have one especially useful database just for Drive Idle Noise.
*CASES*
Cases, themselves, don't produce their own noise. Their construction is important, however, when trying to build a quiet computer system. Most computer cases are built with hard drive mounts that mount a hard drive in direct contact with the metal chassis or with a metal tray, that is then mounted directly to the metal hard drive chassis. If you want a quiet computer, then this kind of case design is flawed. Remember my vibration rant, earlier?
There are some computer cases, fortunately, which have shock mounts for the hard drives. Basically, a shock mount is some kind of mounting method, which keeps the metal hard drive casing from coming into direct contact with the metal part of the case. A popular method to achieve this is to have rubber grommets for mounting the hard drives. The screws, securing the hard drive, go through the rubber grommet and fasten securely to the hard drive. The hard drive is now secured to the grommet. The grommet is secured to the case, but the rubber grommet absorbs much of the vibration from the hard drive, preventing this vibration from getting to the case.
The SLK3700AMB case, I mentioned in my previous article, is one case that has this kind of mounting system. You can find an excellent review of this case, including a picture of the shock mount hard drive tray, HERE. The SLK3700AMB is a great case for dual-CPU systems, where you must have a lot of airflow, but it is overkill for a single CPU system. Since it has 120mm intake and exhaust fans, it is hard to get it as quiet as a case with a single 80mm intake and single 80mm exhaust. If you build your single-CPU computer with the right components, especially a high performance heatsink, then you won't need more than one 80mm intake and one 80mm exhaust.
My favorite case for quiet computing, on single-CPU systems, is the EverCase E4252. There are several different models, of essentially the same case. It is available in beige or black, with or without a power supply. You can find it HERE. There are window mods available, as well
This case isn't particularly fancy-shmancy, but it is a well-built case and it is only $25. You can't beat the price. It has a front 80mm intake, a side 80mm intake, and a rear 80mm exhaust. It also features a shock mount hard drive method that works GREAT! With some simple modifications, this case can be quieter than almost any other case available, no matter what their cost. I will describe the modifications a little later.
*POWER SUPPLIES*
There are a few buzzwords you hear in the Power Supply market quite a bit. "Silent, Quiet, Whisper, Stealth, and Noise-Killer" are words used by power supply manufacturers to describe their products. The reason you hear that is because Power Supplies are, sometimes, one of the noisiest components of a computer. They often have one, two, three, or even four fans, yet are described as "Whisper Quiet." Don't believe them. There are VERY few Power Supplies, I have used, that I consider to be whisper quiet. Most are as quiet as a good stiff wind in your ear.
There are a few things to look for, when buying a Power Supply, and a few things to avoid, if you can. Power Supplies with one rear exhaust fan and one bottom-mounted intake fan, are a bad design. They are made that way to take hot air from the neighborhood of the CPU and force it into the Power Supply, which will then exhaust it out the back. That is good. The noise it causes, is not. The bottom-mounted fan, blowing air up and at 90 degrees to the exhaust fan, causes turbulence and a disruption in the airflow and the operation of the rear exhaust fan. This causes noise. As a result, the power supply is noisier than if it just had the exhaust fan and no intake. If you have a Power Supply, like this, and you want it to be quieter, try removing the bottom fan, completely.
A better dual-fan design for Power Supplies is one with a rear exhaust fan and an intake fan, of the same airflow specifications, mounted on the opposite side. This kind of arrangement causes less noise, since both fans are pushing air in the same direction. The design is still less-than-optimal, however, because you have two noise-making fans.
The Power Supplies with three to four fans, including a bottom-mounted intake fan or fans, are just a horrible design. These make lots of noise. Many manufacturers build Power Supplies like this. Vantec sells a series of these, called the Vantec "Stealth" Power Supply. It features three fans, a rear exhaust, a bottom-mounted intake, and another intake, opposite the exhaust. The only thing that these are stealthy to, are deaf people. They are loud. They have three speed settings, a little loud, really loud, and automatically loud. I have their 550-watt version and I kick myself for buying it. Reviews of the lower wattage versions claimed that they were quiet. Either the reviewers aren't as picky as I am about noise, or the 550-watt version is just louder than the others. It is easily the loudest Power Supply I have ever used.
The best Power Supply design would be one with just one exhaust fan or just one intake fan (and a passive exhaust.)
My recommendation is the quietest Power Supply I have ever used. It is the Fortron FSP300 300-Watt Power Supply (alternately labeled as P300XFPN.) You can find it HERE. This Power Supply is just great. Instead of using an 80mm exhaust fan, it has a single 120mm intake fan, which is unusually quiet. This fan is mounted on the bottom of the unit and the back of the Power Supply is a mesh grill. Air is pushed into the Power Supply, by the bottom-mounted 120mm fan and is then passively exhausted out the back. The fan is temperature controlled, so it spins VERY, VERY slow at low temperatures and speeds up, when necessary. The fan and the overall design of this Power Supply, make it nearly inaudible. Perhaps best, this Power Supply only costs about $27. For a quality Power Supply, that is an unbeatable price. I have used this Power Supply on overclocked AMD systems up to 2 GHz, with loads of peripherals. Although only rated for 300 Watts, this Power Supply has a LOT of juice. If you think you need a higher wattage Power Supply, Fortron makes a 350 Watt version, called the FSP350.
PURCHASING RECOMMENDATIONS
*CASE FANS*
Two PC Power and Cooling Silencers -> $7.50 each
(You can get these from PC Power & Cooling. They offer free shipping on orders over $15.)
*HEATSINK*
For AMD Socket A systems:
SK-7 -> $15-20 or SK-6+ -> $10 (for those willing to do the mod)
(SVC is a good place to find these heatsinks and they have cheap shipping.) (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.)
For Intel Socket 478 systems:
SLK-800U -> $38
(SVC is a good place to find this heatsink, too.) (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.)
*HEATSINK FAN*
Panaflo L1A -> $5-10
(Lots of places carry these fans, including www.svc.com (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.) and www.case-mod.com. When you order this fan, make sure to order a "fan tail" as well, since the fan comes from the factory with bare leads.)
*HARD DRIVES*
I have three recommendations, depending on preference, as explained before:
Samsung Spinpoint -> $71-130, depending on capacity, cache, interface.
(Capacities available include 40, 80, 120, and 160 GB. You can find these HERE.)
Western Digital "Special Edition" JB Drive -> $86-252, depending on capacity.
(80, 120 and 250 GB capacities available. You can find these HERE.)
Seagate 15K.3 SCSI Drive -> $207-555, depending on capacity.
(18, 36, and 73 GB capacities available. You can find these HERE. These drives aren't cheap, but they are the quietest 15K SCSI drives, available, so I include them, here. If you get a SCSI drive, you will also need a SCSI card and SCSI cable. The LSI U160 SCSI card is only $42 and its performance is great. You can find it HERE. You can get cheap rounded SCSI, IDE, and Floppy cables from SVC.) (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.)
There are a few, newer drives, that are supposedly very quiet and high performance, but I haven't had an opportunity to use them, personally. Most notable, is the IBM/Hitachi 180 GXP drive. It is higher performance then the Western Digital JB drives, and with lower noise. Its noise level, according to StorageReview's tests, is very close to the Seagate Barracuda V. The 180 GB version comes with an 8MB cache and 3-yr. warranty. This is the high performance drive. Lower capacity 180 GXP's come with 2 MB cache and 1 yr. warranties. Their performance will not be as good, due to their limited cache. On the SATA front, the WD720GD SATA drive is making big waves. It is 10K and has 8 MB cache. Its performance is supposed to rival 10K and 15K SCSI, all while operating very, very quiet. I haven't personally used this drive, yet, so I can't comment on ir from personal experience, but it definitely worth looking at.
*CASE*
EverCase 4252 -> $25
(You can find it HERE.)
*POWER SUPPLY*
Fortron FSP300 -> $27
(You can find it HERE.)
*MISC SUPPLIES*
Pack of Rubber Grommets with 1/4" inside Diameter -> $1-2
(You will need four grommets for each hard drive. You can buy these from your local hardware store. Although the EverCase 4252 is has the option of mounting your hard drives with rubber grommets, it doesn't come with rubber grommets.)
Superglue -> $1
(You will need some glue for one of the mods.)
Two Plastic Zip Ties -> less than $1.
(You will need these, if you do the SK-6+ mod.)
*OTHER QUIET COMPUTING PARTS I RECOMMEND*
For CD-ROM's, my highest praise goes to the MSI 8152 CD-ROM. It is available in white or black, it is very cheap, and it is incredibly quiet.
(You can find it HERE.)
For CD-RW's, and DVD-ROM's, I have always had good experiences with Lite-On drives. Mine have always been inexpensive and quieter than most other manufacturers' drives.
(You can find them HERE and HERE.)
*EDIT* Dustin emailed me with a recommendation for CD-RW/DVD Combo drives. He said that the LG Electronics GCC-4480B is a great, quiet Combo drive and it is only $66 at Newegg. I bought one and I have been impressed with its low noise.
As mentioned in my previous article, I have used a product called "Akasa Pax Mate" on many of my computers. It is a thin, foam insulation that you put on the sides, top, and bottom of your case. It is supposed to absorb some sound and make your computer quieter. I don't know if it really works, or not. I do know that it makes your temperatures higher, since some of the heat inside your case can't radiate through the metal sides.
This should be considered a luxury item for the truly noise-picky, who aren't afraid to have slightly higher temperatures. There are several other brands of sound absorbtion products available, but I haven't used any, but Pax Mate.
*UPDATE* I've now found a quite effective sound and vibration dampening combination. I now use Polymeric Mastic (70 mils, part number 9709T19, from www.mcmaster.com) on most of the interior surfaces of the case (sides, top, bottom, parts of the front and back). This is a vibration dampening material that is rubber-based, with an adhesive back. You can cut it with scissors. On top of this vibration dampening material, I affix Sculptured Convoluted Sound Absorbing Foam (Egg Crate, part number 9710T44 from www.mcmaster.com). This is held on using spray adhesive. I use 3M Aerosol Adhesive #77 Multipurpose (part number 7610A11 from www.mcmaster.com) for this. This is the best multi-purpose spray adhesive I've ever used.
You can minimize transferred fan vibration, by using EAR fan isolators. You can buy these several places, but www.mcmaster.com has the best deal. Their part number is 5801K6 and they sell them in bags of 20, for $9.71. This is much cheaper, than other retailers. These are suitable for most fans with standard flange thickness. Thicker flanged fans, such as 120x38mm Panaflo L1A's will require 5801K8. Many thanks to Ralf Hutter of SPCR forums for this information of fan isolators.
MODIFICATIONS AND ASSEMBLY
Ok, you've bought the case, power supply, case fans, heatsink & fan, and hard drive. The case, power supply, and SK-6+ (if you got this heatsink) will require some simple modifications. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to do them.
*CASE MODS*
Ok, here is a shot of that brand new case:
Here is a picture of a side view:
The blue circled part is the vents for air intake on the front of the case. This is a good design. Air can be sucked in, through those vents, and is then blown into the case by the front intake fan. The green circled part is the first project.
When you take off the side of the case, you will see this:
The green circled fan is an undesirable part of this case. It is a side intake fan, designed to blow fresh air over the CPU. This is somewhat helpful for cooling, but it is bad for noise. When you have a fan blowing air into another fan, you get air turbulence and noise. If you have a good heatsink to begin with and some decent case airflow, then you don't need this side intake fan.
First mod: take that side intake fan assembly off. It is attached to the back of the case with three small screws. When you remove it, your case should look like this:
Now, you've got that taken off, but the side of you case has ventilation holes, where it used to have an intake fan. Covering those holes is mod #2. Just cover them, on the inside part of the panel, with some tape.
Here are two shots of the modded side panel:
Inside View:
Outside View:
Step-by-Step: Building a Quiet PC from the Ground Up.
In my last article "Step-by-Step: How to Build a Cheap and Quiet AMD Dually", I discussed the requirements and some specific recommendations for building a dual CPU AMD system, inexpensively, and with quiet-operation in mind.
Fortunately, single-CPU computer systems don't require as much airflow as dual-CPU computers, so it is possible to build an extremely quiet system, if you know the right components, techniques, and modifications.
This article is the second, in a three part series, on quiet computing. In this installment, I will discuss the requirements for building a cheap and quiet single-CPU PC, give specific purchasing recommendations, and show some simple modifications that can help lower computer system noise. This article is geared toward new system builders, but can be helpful to upgraders and system-modders, too. I won't give specific recommendations on motherboards, processors, or memory, because those particular components aren't the noisemakers of a computer. Also, the choice in those components is highly dependent on other factors, such as the budget, personal tastes, and primary purpose of the machine.
I am always looking for ways to build quieter computer systems. Over the years, I have built many computers and used many different computer cases, fans, power supplies, heatsinks, and hard drives. I have learned what works well, what is just hype, and what products should be avoided at all costs. This article will explain the sources of noise, what can be done about them, and what parts I recommend purchasing, for building a quiet and inexpensive computer system.
THEORY AND APPLICATION
In order to build a quiet computer, you need to know which computer components are the noisemakers. The main sources of noise are as follows: case fans, heatsink fans, power supplies, and hard drives. The computer case, itself, while not actually a noise producer on its own, has a large impact on overall system noise, as well. Its design is, perhaps, one of the most important considerations, when trying to build a quiet system.
*CASE FANS*
One of the most obvious contributors to computer system noise, are case fans. Most OEM manufacturers and custom system builders use cheap, less-than-quiet case fans. When trying to buy your own fans, difficulty arises from the fact that different fan manufacturers use different methods of testing noise levels of their fans. You can't get a realistic impression of their real noise level, unless comparing fan noise specifications from the same manufacturer. There are a few places on the Internet, where you can find real, scientific comparisons of different fans. One of them is HERE. Another one is HERE. Many so-called comparative reviews just use the specifications given by the manufactures. This data is irrelevant, when the different manufacturers use different testing techniques. The good comparative reviews are the ones that do actual testing, themselves.
The most common case fan size is 80mm. Avoid, at all costs, any case that comes with 60mm case fans. 60mm fans must run significantly faster, and louder, to achieve the same CFM (cubic feet per minute) of airflow as their 80mm counterparts.
Cases with 120mm fans, such as the SLK3700AMB I mentioned in my previous article, are great for airflow, but it is VERY RARE to find a 120mm fan that can operate at the low noise level, achievable from a good quality, quiet 80mm fan. In some cases, such as dual processor computers or EXTREMELY overclocked computers, it is advisable to have more airflow than dual 80mm fans can provide. In those rare cases, it is better to have a case that supports dual 120mm fans. You can find a list of these cases HERE.
My two favorite 80mm fans, for quiet computing, are the Panaflo L1A and the PC Power & Cooling Silencer. The L1A is slightly louder than the Silencer, but it makes a great heatsink fan or replacement Power Supply fan. The Silencer doesn't work well as a heatsink fan, but it is a FANTASTIC case fan. Its noise level and airflow can't be beat. It makes a decent replacement Power Supply fan, but can't push the amount of air that the L1A is capable of, in an airflow-resistant environment, such as a Power Supply or Heatsink. The Silencer is also offered in a 92mm variety, for those cases that support 92mm fans.
*HEATSINKS & FANS*
Heatsinks and their accompanying fans are, perhaps, the most notorious noisemakers in a computer. Most heatsinks run 60, 72, or 80mm fans, running anywhere from 1000 RPM's to 7000 RPM's. There are, perhaps hundreds of heatsinks to choose from, but almost all of them are loud and many of the loud ones are still quite inefficient coolers. One of the keys to a quiet computer is getting a good quality, efficient, and quiet heatsink and fan.
As can be seen in the Overclockers.com Heatsink and Watercooling Performance Ratings, the Thermalright SLK-800 and SK-7 are two of the top performing heatsinks on the market today for Socket A systems. One of their best features is that they work very well, even with low speed, low noise fans. Socket 478 users can use the SLK-800U, which is designed for P4 use. These heatsinks all support 80mm fans, which I highly recommend using for quiet operation. An 80mm fan can run slower and quieter than a 70mm or 60mm fan, yet move more air and provide better cooling. An 80mm Panaflo L1A on one of these heatsinks makes a great CPU cooler, and the noise level is VERY low. Those trying to save a few bucks may be interested in the SK-6+ heatsink. The SK-6+ is designed for 60mm fans, but you can use an 80mm fan, with a little ingenuity, and get results identical to the SK-7. I will go into this, later.
*HARD DRIVES*
Hard Drives are a major contributor to system noise, for a couple reasons. I won't go too deep into the physical characteristics of their construction and operation, but for a detailed explanation of what a hard drive is, and how it works, please check HERE.
There are two main noises that come from hard drives. The first is normal-operation spindle-spinning noise, characterized by high pitch whining. The second is seek noise, characterized by lower pitch, chugging noises.
There is a third characteristic of hard drives, however, which is important, although it is not necessarily noise; VIBRATION. The high-speed rotation of the hard drive platters, along with the vibrations caused by hard drive seeks, cause quite a bit of vibration. Some of this vibration is loud enough to cause audible noise. Much of it, however, is actually transferred through the metal hard drive housing and into the computer case. This vibration, which wasn't originally noise, now has a large metal surface (your computer case) which it resonates. This amplifies the vibration into noise. (Think of an Acoustic Guitar. The strings, themselves, don't make that much noise. What happens is that their vibrations are transferred, though the bridge, into the wooden guitar case. This large hollow case then resonates, producing a lot of noise, from a little vibration. The same think happens in your computer case.)
Why is this vibration stuff important? It is important because your case selection should be made with this characteristic in mind. I will talk about this in the next section, regarding cases.
As for hard drive recommendations, in my previous article, I gave some specific recommendations, which I will repeat here.
Over the years, I have discovered three hard drives that I just love. Each is quiet, and is suitable for different needs.
The Western Digital JB series of drives is just great. They are one of the few IDE drives that are still sold with a 3-yr. warranty. They have an 8MB cache, their performance is great and they are quieter than most other IDE drives (not inaudible, but better than most drives.) The weird exception is their drives below 80GB. For some reason, those below 80GB, such as the 400JB, are designed slightly differently, and are VERY loud. The WD 800JB and up are fairly good.
*EDITED for new hard drive recommendation* The new Samsung Spinpoint drive is my top recommendation for a low-noise hard drive. They come with a 3 yr warrantee, unlike most of the hard drive market, today. They are offered in 40, 80, 120, and 160 GB varieties, with 2MB or 8MB cache, and ATA133 or SATA versions. For this reason, there are a lot of different part numbers. Here is a partial list, although I can't promise exact accuracy. (SP0421N, SP0812N, SP1213N, SP1614N, SP0401N, SP0802N, SP1203N, SP1604N, SP0812C, SP1213C, SP1614C) These drives support changing the Acoustic Management properties, using programs such as the HGST Feature Tool, formerly the IBM Feature Tool. The Samsung Spinpoint has lower idle noise than the Seagate Barracuda V and goes neck and neck with the Seagate Barracuda IV (no longer manufactured.) Both Seagate drives lose to the low seek noise of the Samsung Spinpoint, though. For this reason, the Samsung Spinpoint is my NUMBER ONE recommendation for quiet computing. This is the drive I use in my Home Entertainment PC, because I don't want to hear it.*/EDIT*
The Seagate Cheetah 15K.3 is the quietest 15K SCSI drive, available. It is also one of the highest performance drives, anywhere. If you can afford to go with 15K SCSI, I highly recommend it. I think that my upgrade to 15K SCSI gave me more of a performance increase than any other upgrade I have EVER made. For a SCSI controller, I highly recommend the LSI U160. It is a great SCSI controller and only costs about $42. www.svc.com (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.) is a good place to get cheap, round SCSI/IDE/Floppy cables. On my Primary machine, I have a Seagate 15K.3 for my Operating Systems and Games partitions. I have a Seagate Barracuda V for my Files partition, where I keep backups and stuff I need permanent storage for.
A great resource for good hard drive data, including performance and noise, is www.storagereview.com. You can access their Benchmark Database here. Change the drop down menu and click "Sort" to see how drives compare in a variety of real benchmarks and measurements. They have one especially useful database just for Drive Idle Noise.
*CASES*
Cases, themselves, don't produce their own noise. Their construction is important, however, when trying to build a quiet computer system. Most computer cases are built with hard drive mounts that mount a hard drive in direct contact with the metal chassis or with a metal tray, that is then mounted directly to the metal hard drive chassis. If you want a quiet computer, then this kind of case design is flawed. Remember my vibration rant, earlier?
There are some computer cases, fortunately, which have shock mounts for the hard drives. Basically, a shock mount is some kind of mounting method, which keeps the metal hard drive casing from coming into direct contact with the metal part of the case. A popular method to achieve this is to have rubber grommets for mounting the hard drives. The screws, securing the hard drive, go through the rubber grommet and fasten securely to the hard drive. The hard drive is now secured to the grommet. The grommet is secured to the case, but the rubber grommet absorbs much of the vibration from the hard drive, preventing this vibration from getting to the case.
The SLK3700AMB case, I mentioned in my previous article, is one case that has this kind of mounting system. You can find an excellent review of this case, including a picture of the shock mount hard drive tray, HERE. The SLK3700AMB is a great case for dual-CPU systems, where you must have a lot of airflow, but it is overkill for a single CPU system. Since it has 120mm intake and exhaust fans, it is hard to get it as quiet as a case with a single 80mm intake and single 80mm exhaust. If you build your single-CPU computer with the right components, especially a high performance heatsink, then you won't need more than one 80mm intake and one 80mm exhaust.
My favorite case for quiet computing, on single-CPU systems, is the EverCase E4252. There are several different models, of essentially the same case. It is available in beige or black, with or without a power supply. You can find it HERE. There are window mods available, as well
This case isn't particularly fancy-shmancy, but it is a well-built case and it is only $25. You can't beat the price. It has a front 80mm intake, a side 80mm intake, and a rear 80mm exhaust. It also features a shock mount hard drive method that works GREAT! With some simple modifications, this case can be quieter than almost any other case available, no matter what their cost. I will describe the modifications a little later.
*POWER SUPPLIES*
There are a few buzzwords you hear in the Power Supply market quite a bit. "Silent, Quiet, Whisper, Stealth, and Noise-Killer" are words used by power supply manufacturers to describe their products. The reason you hear that is because Power Supplies are, sometimes, one of the noisiest components of a computer. They often have one, two, three, or even four fans, yet are described as "Whisper Quiet." Don't believe them. There are VERY few Power Supplies, I have used, that I consider to be whisper quiet. Most are as quiet as a good stiff wind in your ear.
There are a few things to look for, when buying a Power Supply, and a few things to avoid, if you can. Power Supplies with one rear exhaust fan and one bottom-mounted intake fan, are a bad design. They are made that way to take hot air from the neighborhood of the CPU and force it into the Power Supply, which will then exhaust it out the back. That is good. The noise it causes, is not. The bottom-mounted fan, blowing air up and at 90 degrees to the exhaust fan, causes turbulence and a disruption in the airflow and the operation of the rear exhaust fan. This causes noise. As a result, the power supply is noisier than if it just had the exhaust fan and no intake. If you have a Power Supply, like this, and you want it to be quieter, try removing the bottom fan, completely.
A better dual-fan design for Power Supplies is one with a rear exhaust fan and an intake fan, of the same airflow specifications, mounted on the opposite side. This kind of arrangement causes less noise, since both fans are pushing air in the same direction. The design is still less-than-optimal, however, because you have two noise-making fans.
The Power Supplies with three to four fans, including a bottom-mounted intake fan or fans, are just a horrible design. These make lots of noise. Many manufacturers build Power Supplies like this. Vantec sells a series of these, called the Vantec "Stealth" Power Supply. It features three fans, a rear exhaust, a bottom-mounted intake, and another intake, opposite the exhaust. The only thing that these are stealthy to, are deaf people. They are loud. They have three speed settings, a little loud, really loud, and automatically loud. I have their 550-watt version and I kick myself for buying it. Reviews of the lower wattage versions claimed that they were quiet. Either the reviewers aren't as picky as I am about noise, or the 550-watt version is just louder than the others. It is easily the loudest Power Supply I have ever used.
The best Power Supply design would be one with just one exhaust fan or just one intake fan (and a passive exhaust.)
My recommendation is the quietest Power Supply I have ever used. It is the Fortron FSP300 300-Watt Power Supply (alternately labeled as P300XFPN.) You can find it HERE. This Power Supply is just great. Instead of using an 80mm exhaust fan, it has a single 120mm intake fan, which is unusually quiet. This fan is mounted on the bottom of the unit and the back of the Power Supply is a mesh grill. Air is pushed into the Power Supply, by the bottom-mounted 120mm fan and is then passively exhausted out the back. The fan is temperature controlled, so it spins VERY, VERY slow at low temperatures and speeds up, when necessary. The fan and the overall design of this Power Supply, make it nearly inaudible. Perhaps best, this Power Supply only costs about $27. For a quality Power Supply, that is an unbeatable price. I have used this Power Supply on overclocked AMD systems up to 2 GHz, with loads of peripherals. Although only rated for 300 Watts, this Power Supply has a LOT of juice. If you think you need a higher wattage Power Supply, Fortron makes a 350 Watt version, called the FSP350.
PURCHASING RECOMMENDATIONS
*CASE FANS*
Two PC Power and Cooling Silencers -> $7.50 each
(You can get these from PC Power & Cooling. They offer free shipping on orders over $15.)
*HEATSINK*
For AMD Socket A systems:
SK-7 -> $15-20 or SK-6+ -> $10 (for those willing to do the mod)
(SVC is a good place to find these heatsinks and they have cheap shipping.) (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.)
For Intel Socket 478 systems:
SLK-800U -> $38
(SVC is a good place to find this heatsink, too.) (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.)
*HEATSINK FAN*
Panaflo L1A -> $5-10
(Lots of places carry these fans, including www.svc.com (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.) and www.case-mod.com. When you order this fan, make sure to order a "fan tail" as well, since the fan comes from the factory with bare leads.)
*HARD DRIVES*
I have three recommendations, depending on preference, as explained before:
Samsung Spinpoint -> $71-130, depending on capacity, cache, interface.
(Capacities available include 40, 80, 120, and 160 GB. You can find these HERE.)
Western Digital "Special Edition" JB Drive -> $86-252, depending on capacity.
(80, 120 and 250 GB capacities available. You can find these HERE.)
Seagate 15K.3 SCSI Drive -> $207-555, depending on capacity.
(18, 36, and 73 GB capacities available. You can find these HERE. These drives aren't cheap, but they are the quietest 15K SCSI drives, available, so I include them, here. If you get a SCSI drive, you will also need a SCSI card and SCSI cable. The LSI U160 SCSI card is only $42 and its performance is great. You can find it HERE. You can get cheap rounded SCSI, IDE, and Floppy cables from SVC.) (I am no longer recommending SVC, due to their lack of acceptable customer support.)
There are a few, newer drives, that are supposedly very quiet and high performance, but I haven't had an opportunity to use them, personally. Most notable, is the IBM/Hitachi 180 GXP drive. It is higher performance then the Western Digital JB drives, and with lower noise. Its noise level, according to StorageReview's tests, is very close to the Seagate Barracuda V. The 180 GB version comes with an 8MB cache and 3-yr. warranty. This is the high performance drive. Lower capacity 180 GXP's come with 2 MB cache and 1 yr. warranties. Their performance will not be as good, due to their limited cache. On the SATA front, the WD720GD SATA drive is making big waves. It is 10K and has 8 MB cache. Its performance is supposed to rival 10K and 15K SCSI, all while operating very, very quiet. I haven't personally used this drive, yet, so I can't comment on ir from personal experience, but it definitely worth looking at.
*CASE*
EverCase 4252 -> $25
(You can find it HERE.)
*POWER SUPPLY*
Fortron FSP300 -> $27
(You can find it HERE.)
*MISC SUPPLIES*
Pack of Rubber Grommets with 1/4" inside Diameter -> $1-2
(You will need four grommets for each hard drive. You can buy these from your local hardware store. Although the EverCase 4252 is has the option of mounting your hard drives with rubber grommets, it doesn't come with rubber grommets.)
Superglue -> $1
(You will need some glue for one of the mods.)
Two Plastic Zip Ties -> less than $1.
(You will need these, if you do the SK-6+ mod.)
*OTHER QUIET COMPUTING PARTS I RECOMMEND*
For CD-ROM's, my highest praise goes to the MSI 8152 CD-ROM. It is available in white or black, it is very cheap, and it is incredibly quiet.
(You can find it HERE.)
For CD-RW's, and DVD-ROM's, I have always had good experiences with Lite-On drives. Mine have always been inexpensive and quieter than most other manufacturers' drives.
(You can find them HERE and HERE.)
*EDIT* Dustin emailed me with a recommendation for CD-RW/DVD Combo drives. He said that the LG Electronics GCC-4480B is a great, quiet Combo drive and it is only $66 at Newegg. I bought one and I have been impressed with its low noise.
As mentioned in my previous article, I have used a product called "Akasa Pax Mate" on many of my computers. It is a thin, foam insulation that you put on the sides, top, and bottom of your case. It is supposed to absorb some sound and make your computer quieter. I don't know if it really works, or not. I do know that it makes your temperatures higher, since some of the heat inside your case can't radiate through the metal sides.
This should be considered a luxury item for the truly noise-picky, who aren't afraid to have slightly higher temperatures. There are several other brands of sound absorbtion products available, but I haven't used any, but Pax Mate.
*UPDATE* I've now found a quite effective sound and vibration dampening combination. I now use Polymeric Mastic (70 mils, part number 9709T19, from www.mcmaster.com) on most of the interior surfaces of the case (sides, top, bottom, parts of the front and back). This is a vibration dampening material that is rubber-based, with an adhesive back. You can cut it with scissors. On top of this vibration dampening material, I affix Sculptured Convoluted Sound Absorbing Foam (Egg Crate, part number 9710T44 from www.mcmaster.com). This is held on using spray adhesive. I use 3M Aerosol Adhesive #77 Multipurpose (part number 7610A11 from www.mcmaster.com) for this. This is the best multi-purpose spray adhesive I've ever used.
You can minimize transferred fan vibration, by using EAR fan isolators. You can buy these several places, but www.mcmaster.com has the best deal. Their part number is 5801K6 and they sell them in bags of 20, for $9.71. This is much cheaper, than other retailers. These are suitable for most fans with standard flange thickness. Thicker flanged fans, such as 120x38mm Panaflo L1A's will require 5801K8. Many thanks to Ralf Hutter of SPCR forums for this information of fan isolators.
MODIFICATIONS AND ASSEMBLY
Ok, you've bought the case, power supply, case fans, heatsink & fan, and hard drive. The case, power supply, and SK-6+ (if you got this heatsink) will require some simple modifications. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to do them.
*CASE MODS*
Ok, here is a shot of that brand new case:
Here is a picture of a side view:
The blue circled part is the vents for air intake on the front of the case. This is a good design. Air can be sucked in, through those vents, and is then blown into the case by the front intake fan. The green circled part is the first project.
When you take off the side of the case, you will see this:
The green circled fan is an undesirable part of this case. It is a side intake fan, designed to blow fresh air over the CPU. This is somewhat helpful for cooling, but it is bad for noise. When you have a fan blowing air into another fan, you get air turbulence and noise. If you have a good heatsink to begin with and some decent case airflow, then you don't need this side intake fan.
First mod: take that side intake fan assembly off. It is attached to the back of the case with three small screws. When you remove it, your case should look like this:
Now, you've got that taken off, but the side of you case has ventilation holes, where it used to have an intake fan. Covering those holes is mod #2. Just cover them, on the inside part of the panel, with some tape.
Here are two shots of the modded side panel:
Inside View:
Outside View:
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Now if only someone here has seen these same type of screws so that you don't need to superglue your own(or buy more 3700 cases)! If Antec sold those screws they could make a fortune hehe.
