Another vote for the Antec True Power series. May as well go for a 430watt from the get go. It will provide for future expandibility.
I'm using the True330 in one of my systems and can't even hear it. There is also a fan lead in case your mobo has a spare fan header, you can use it to thermostatically control the PSU fans.
Only problem is that the True Power series are heavier than all get out. Hope you're not planning on LAN parties with your box. hehe
Just thinking out my *** here but, couldn't you underclock a proc. and run it with just passive cooling? That would make it silent even though it would degrade performance.
I don't know if you could underclock it far enough to make passive cooling work. Modern processors kick out a lot of heat... and if you did get it cool enough, would it be usable?
O.K.. but is there any reason to believe that it's going to be quieter than the average case...??? Also, earlier an Antec 1030 clone was mentioned... is there a difference between the Antec clones and the actual Antec??? Or, if I do choose to get it, should I just get the clones?Quote:
Originally posted by TheUltimateNewbie
For the power supply, get an Antec True Power 330 or 380. They don't make a 350 watt version. :(
And please, get the Antec SX1030. Best case ever. :)
Um.... no. :p I mean... why would I go through all the trouble of rheostats and cutting holes in my computer (*egad*) when I can just shell out 20 bucks a pop and get the papst fans.. they're 12dB... 12 dBA!!! you can't even hear 12dBA!! :D I do appreciate the help, but I'm trying to find the quietest parts, not the quietest methods... if I wanted the quietest method I could build a sound proof box or something and house my computer in that,.. or cut holes in my wall and run the cables into the other room and leave the computer there. :pQuote:
Originally posted by talldude
Here is what you do. Go and get yourself an alpha pal8045 and a delta focused flow 68cfm 80mm fan. Get a case that has good ventilation (3-4 fan slots in good places). Make a top blowhole, 120mm and get a super-quiet fan. Check out my thread: http://www.sharkyforums.com/showthr...222#post1001222
Basically, get good ventilation but have it controlled by a rheostat. The thing is easy to make and works like a charm as long as you got good quality fans and the right amount of resistance on the rheostats. I'd suggest 1 10W, 50ohm rheostat for a delta focused flow 68cfm 80mm fan. Another 10W, 25ohm rheostat for the case fans (I suggest panaflo 80mm, 30cfm for these). You can hook up 5 case fans (1.5W and below, like the 30cfm panaflo) to one rheostat. The 68cfm delta is loud as crap when turned up high, but doesn't make a sound at low speeds. It consumes around 6-7W though, so don't wire anything else on the cpu rheostat. Wire it all up through a fanbus, bring it to the rheostat baybus and you got absolute control over the noise that your computer makes. That's my .02 Works great for me.
BigBlue... I will look into the true power series... but no.. I don't care aboot weight.. this is going to be a stationary DAW,.. so it's not goin' anywhere.
Rich.. that's definitely a possibility.. and a good idea, but I'd rather try the best parts first and then see how quiet I can get it... if after all this trouble, it's still too loud, then I may go to one of these other "extreme measures"
Thanks for all the help... and if anyone can attest to the "silence" of these Antec cases or the Quiet PC power supply I'd appreciate the input. Thanks.
WATYF
Silverados are the quietsest HSF out there. I made my own using a couple of blowers from Radio Shack. They are the exact same ones that noisecontrol uses. Problem I had and still have is the PS. It is loud (to me). It has temp sensing to adjust the fan speed, but with that much CPU HP, it is always hot. That much current just keeps it that way. Enermax was on my list of toys to buy this week (found a local supplier) but if they aren't quiet I ain't gonna bother.
Rather than underclock, go after a nice cheapo used system. Something in the order of a 200MMX to a PIII 450 or something. Passive cooling will be more than sufficient and I am sure that you could find a nice old wimpy (low power) quiet power supply. I know that it sounds stupid, but if you are just manipulating audio, you do not need that kind of HP. 3D graphics, video, yes maybe you would use that power but audio is not resource intensive. You could probably pick up the whole rig for less than a new power supply.
Another thing that you could try is a KVM unit. You could put the PC in another room and still use the monitor, keyboard and mouse in the studio. That is what we used to do in our on air and production studios.
LOL... I can see it now...Quote:
Originally posted by shasha
Rather than underclock, go after a nice cheapo used system. Something in the order of a 200MMX to a PIII 450 or something. Passive cooling will be more than sufficient and I am sure that you could find a nice old wimpy (low power) quiet power supply. I know that it sounds stupid, but if you are just manipulating audio, you do not need that kind of HP. 3D graphics, video, yes maybe you would use that power but audio is not resource intensive. You could probably pick up the whole rig for less than a new power supply.
Friend: "You WHAT??!?!?"
Me: "I down-graded"
Friend: "What the hell for?!?!?!"
Me: "Well, I figured that if I went from my current XP 1900+ to an old PII, my computer would be quieter."
Friend: "Are you on drugs?"
:D
That's quite alright. I do appreciate the suggestions though. But I'm only interested in buying some quieter parts... not changing my entire system.
So far this is what we've got.
HS/F: Silverado (definitely)
Case Fans: Papst 80mm (definitely)
Case: Antec 1030 clone (??? er??? I dunno.. still looking for other options... specifically something known for being quiet.)
PSU: Quiet PC 300W (So far this is the only one I know of that competes with Enermax's "Whisper" series in the "quiet" department. I haven't seen any reviews that indicate that the Antecs are any quieter.)
Accessories: Akasa Acoustic Mats (Most likely. I found out that the dynamats are only for vibration control (which I have no problems with) but aren't really helpful for acoustic dampening... which is what I'm looking for.)
Once again.. silence is the only criteria. If it ain't quiet. I don't want it. :p
WATYF
I understand completely, but just to let you know that it is going to be hard. Just because those components are quieter, combined they are still going to make some noise. That is just the nature of the game. Anything that is that fast is going to generate heat and it has to be cooled. Even quiet fans are going to make some noise, even if it is just the air moving. The silverado is a good choice, as for the papst fans, I have no experience with them, I prefer Panaflo myself. The power supply is the real wild card here, whatever you go with, let us know the results as I am really interested in this one.
One thing that you did not mention was HD noise. I had gotten my old system pretty quiet to where the HD was the most noticeable item. I came up with a HD mounting system that uses rubber grommets to isolate the drives from the rest of the case. Of course it was for a 2 HD RAID array plus a system drive. One drive shouldn't be to bad, but it may be something to look into as well.
I also lined the case's panels with 1/8" corkboard to deaden any vibrations that may be amplified by the case. It is better than regular sound deadening stuff like sonnex because it is flat and doesn't insulate the case or restrict airflow. It just deadens any vibrations. A little corkboard and some 3M spray adhesive fixed it right up.
I amy just go ahead and pick up that Enermax PS tomorrow to see if it does the trick. I just hate the idea of ripping out my beautiful wiring job. I really spent some time on this one and dressed it up.
One more thing that you did not mention either is a voltage regulator for the fan speed. If you get good enough case flow and I imagine your studio is cool (have to protect that equipment) than you could possibly slow those fans down a bit to make them a little quieter. It doesn't have to be the coolest PC in the world, just within specs so you could run it up in the 50C range with no problems.
You may also want to look at doing the haltcooling hack here. I have used it and it made a huge difference (10C) with no performance effect at all. It has to be a KT266 chipset though. When I first did it I actually got worried that it would get too cool.
Well, to be honest, there is no real thing as a quiet case. The one I posted has practically nothing in it (save for two fans that you can rip right out). Those Papst fans can easily replace the two fans inside, which eliminate the only things that make noise in that case.Quote:
Originally posted by WATYF
Case: Antec 1030 clone (??? er??? I dunno.. still looking for other options... specifically something known for being quiet.)
O.K... actually, that's a good idea too, about the corkboard.. I don't mind a "do-it-yourself" fix for the sound dampening. I may look into that as opposed to buying a $20 box of acoustic mats.
And I'm sure there is no real "quiet" case, but I was just wondering if anyone made a case with "silence" in mind.. I mean,.. there's no harm in asking. And I guarantee you that my current case is not one of the more quieter cases (with the fan vents and all) so I guess I should just make sure that the case doesn't have any side or top vents.
Again,.. are those Antec clones just as good as the actual Antecs? If I do go that route, I'd like to get a clone (obviously).
As for the results... I will use my new DAW to record the room sound made by my new rig once I get everything set up. So you can all see the fruit of your sugestions.
And more suggestions are welcome, too.
WATYF
Yep. They're from the same manufacturer. Only difference is brand name and what's stuck in them.Quote:
Again,.. are those Antec clones just as good as the actual Antecs? If I do go that route, I'd like to get a clone (obviously).
*grins*Quote:
As for the results... I will use my new DAW to record the room sound made by my new rig once I get everything set up. So you can all see the fruit of your sugestions.
Expect some good results :D
What about the AX-7 with a Papst
I have spent a lot of time in the noise removal area, it is almost an obsession with me. This is my old system here. I have since upgraded again, rounded the IDE cables and dressed the power much nicer, but it has most of my best tips minus the HD mounts. Maybe I will go ahead and update it later this week after I throw in the new PS.Quote:
Originally posted by WATYF
And I'm sure there is no real "quiet" case, but I was just wondering if anyone made a case with "silence" in mind.. I mean,.. there's no harm in asking. And I guarantee you that my current case is not one of the more quieter cases (with the fan vents and all) so I guess I should just make sure that the case doesn't have any side or top vents.
WATYF
Edit: Damn I just looked at my old site, I really need to update it, that is just ugly ;)
Actually, I'm kinda likin' the corkboard idea. I'm a musician (duh.. since I have a DAW) and we'll sometimes use corkboard for acoustic dampening.. it's not exactly the most "professional" way to go, but it does work.
One thing I've noticed I don't have a problem with, and that's the HD... I can't hear it at all. Even when it's accessing, it's barely a mutter.. I've got a Maxtor D740X 40GB, and I'm quite happy with it...
Here's an idea of what the system sounds like now... Listen (I left it in wav format to give you the most realistic sound. It's not too big since it's such a short clip)
You'll have to listen to it in silence to get an idea of the true noise level, and headphones help.
Keep in mind that I'm doing 24 bit recordings on this system, and that much background noise is simply unacceptable. I have a pair of studio monitor headphones, and when I put them on, I can still hear the live noise of the system bleeding through into the headphones. Another thing to keep in mind is that the clip was recorded with a dynamic mic, not a condensor mic... In other words, you're not really getting a true idea of how much background noise it makes, since the dynamic mic is focused on close-range sounds. Right now, sitting at my desk, I can hear it loud and clear, but that mic doesn't pic up nearly as much noise as you hear in real life. The problem comes in that eventually I'll want a really nice condensor mic to record vocals, and that's gonna just suck up all that background noise and the recording will sound even more messy.
WATYF
I've been looking in to doing similar for my next system. I just have 1 alternative to offer on the PSU.
http://www.zalmantech.com/ST300BLP.html
this is temp controlled but runs at max of 23dB in its spec sheet, compared to quiet PC one as <26dB, which I assume means >25dB
I have not heard either of them so can't actually comment on performance. I've also considered getting a good quality PSU and puting a Papst fan inside, I'm just worried as to whether the cfm of a papst will be enough for most PSU's, mebbe the 19dB 26.5cfm one would be? I'd appreciate any comments on my suggestions.
Honeymonster
Well, I just picked up an Enermax PS, the EG365P-VE, which is not one of the whisper series I believe, but it is a lot quieter than my other one, atleast on the bench. I fired it up real quick and could not hear it. Of course my PC was on and it is a little louder and it had no load to heat it up and make those fans speed up, but it is pretty promising, straight from the box. I may get around to putting it in later tonight, but I am lazy. I am pretty proud of myself for actually going to the store and buying, don't want to wear myself out in one day ;)
Just listened to your clip, it doesn't sound that bad, just a lot of air movement from what I can gather. I really think that a variable speed fan setup would be in your best interest. Either rheostat or voltage regulator (my preference). That way you could lower it for when you mic stuff and record and then crank it back up if necessary. The haltcooling is really a good idea as well, since the cooler the CPU, the slower the PS fan turns, the quieter your system.