The ultimate quiet PC

[AzureFan]

In my quest for the ultimate quiet PC, I'm thinking of installing a water cooling system inside my PC case and getting rid of all the noisy fans. I've read the article on Tomshardware about the Innovatech cooling kit. There's also other kits available from other companies for different price ranges and arrangements.

As I read more reviews and check out other products, I thought I could use some input from you guys if you have any experience/information on that matter. What do you think I should look into, what do you recommend?

The noisiest fan in my case is the power supply's. It's a 350 Watt PS. My concern is: Can I remove it without risking to damage the PS (Is the fan inside the PS intended to cool components inside the PS itself)? I have a mid-sized tower with a really bigger size than average with still lots of room inside.

My other concern is with the radiator's fan that comes with the cooling kit itself. Really how quiet is it. I do not want to go through a radical change for my system with no meaningfull results in the end.

All input is appreciated.

[AzureFan]

http://www.water-cooling.com

[Edneeis]

It depends if you buy a full kit or the system in pieces. Some of the kits come with some load fans for the radiators. Its all a compromise, you can go really quiet and have about the same temps as a noisy air setup or you can go pretty quiet to normal and have a very cool running rig. If you aren't sure then you might want to use an Enermax or other brand fan that has an adjustable tiny knob. I would get a radiator from DangerDen since they have some good but small ones. Another good spot is DTekCustoms. Also I hope you have a dremel because you'll need to do some cutting to fit the radiator.

[Lightning]

There are "mini" PC's with no fan at all, they are a silent as your TV (on mute)

[AzureFan]

Edneeis --

Well, some kits out there look complete enough for me (nameley, cooling blocks for the CPU, GPU and chipset). As far the rad's fan goes, yes, it has to be as quiet as possible. I'm not trying to cool down my actual temps even more or trying to overclock for now.

Thanks for the advice on DangerDen. I'll look into that. What do you think of Koolance, though? They seem decent. Also, let's say I buy a full kit, will I be able to replace parts of it for future system upgrades?


Lightning --

I like the roominess that a big case offers, so I'm sticking to my current case for now. Thanks!

[kleinma]

my friend just bought some new fan for his PC that he said was 99% silent.. and much more practicle than a water cooling system... he said his computer is so much quieter now than with the stock fan..

if you want i will find out what make/model.. unless you are set on water cooling

[AzureFan]

Kleinma --

I'm open to other possibilities and would be interested in knowing the make/model. Besides, if I buy a second case in the future, I'm not going to install a second water cooling system. So a fan is always indispensable. Also, if this fan is particularly quiet, I might consider using it on the radiator in my water cooling setup.

Thanks!

[kleinma]

i shot him an email... ill let you know what he says

[Sastraxi]

I'll bet it's a Zalman 6000(AL)CU/7000CU CPNS. 20 dB and can sufficiently cool a 2600+ thoroughbred, or a 2000+ palomino. At 35 dB, it can cool any thoroughbred and any palomino up to 2600+. That's the 6000 version, by the way.... the 7000 series is made for P4, and has similar performance points.

[Edneeis]

If all you want is noise reduction instead of temp, then I'd say listen to Kleinma. There are some fans out there that are pretty darn quiet and that route is a heck of a lot cheaper and easier. You don't get the same braggin' rights though.

Here is a site that has mp3 of the fans so you can hear how quiet (or loud) they are. I don't think they have audio for all of them but you could get a feel for the dba you find acceptable.

http://www.SIDEWINDERCOMPUTERS.com


Oh and Koolance is fine but I think you get the whole case and everything on that one.

Also here are some reviews of different coolers which specifically talks about the noise.

http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/200...cooler-03.html

http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/200...cooler-30.html

http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/200...ooler5-08.html

[NoteMe]

Originally posted by Lightning
There are "mini" PC's with no fan at all, they are a silent as your TV (on mute)

My TV is making a hell of a not noise, so I don't hope it makes that much noise....

[siyan]

First off to keep temperatures down you'll want a CPU that runs at high clocks on low voltage (XP 1700 Tbred B WPWM or XPWM, which can do like 2.1-2.2 on 1.5V).

Secondly, for the case: Evercase ECE4252, Antec Sonata, or Antec SLK3700AMB. The Sonata is the "easiest" solution though, I'd go for it...

Thirdly, fans: Vantec Stealths are great, and come in 120mm varieties. Panaflo L1As also come in 120mm I think (I know they do in 80mm), and are essentialy just as good.

Fourth, water: Yes, water is good and quiet, but it has to be done well.

Fifth, heatsink: If you do indeed go with a heatsink, then an SLK-900U on a Panaflo L1A will do the trick. Temps may be a tad high but hey, can't have everything.

[siyan]

Originally posted by Lightning
There are "mini" PC's with no fan at all, they are a silent as your TV (on mute)

No fan? Must be based on a C3 or Eden...or maybe an old Celeron on a large copper heatsink.

[Edneeis]

Another thing you can do to keep noise down is use a bigger fan and an adapter. On my server I have a 90mm fan instead of a 60mm with a little adapter to fit it. Normally larger fans push more air but spin slower so they can keep your stuff cool with very little noise. The adapter is only like $8 too. I forgot about this but it works very well, the server is even quieter than my water cooled rig.

[si_the_geek]

a couple of web sites you should check out if you are looking for a quiet pc...

http://www.quietpc.com/
(sellers of everything needed to reduce the noise)

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
(magazine - had a test of many Quiet systems this month, including lots of advice)

[kleinma]

the fan he got for his PC is made by Pabst

[AzureFan]

Thanks guys. This gives me enough thinking material for now. I'll get back to this thread for any questions and I'll let ya know what I've done (I'll try to take pictures also. )