first build, nice but noisy

[Al Smith]

I just finished building my first computer. It's got this inside:

Asus K8V-X Motherboard
1 gig PC3200 400 MHz RAM (two 512 meg chips)
AMD 64-bit 3200+ CPU
Sapphire Radion 9600 XT 8X AGP
Intel modem (still on dial-up)
Sony floppy drive
LG CD/DVD burner
80 gig WD drive, primary
120 gig WD drive, secondary

I really like this system except for one thing. The fan noise. My
old Dell had two fans, and was quiet. This box has four fans --
case, CPU, power supply and video card -- and I can't think of any
way to mute them.

I tried installing the Cool n Quiet software that came with the
Asus motherboard disk, but it didn't seem to do anything. The fans
didn't slow down when it was running. Is there some trick to
getting it to work? Or is there some other software that would
allow me to adjust the speed of the fans manually?

Frankly, I'd rather have my computer run hot and quiet, than cool
and noisy. What's the best way to shut it up?

 

[Dave C.]

I just finished building my first computer. It's got this inside:

Asus K8V-X Motherboard
1 gig PC3200 400 MHz RAM (two 512 meg chips)
AMD 64-bit 3200+ CPU
Sapphire Radion 9600 XT 8X AGP
Intel modem (still on dial-up)
Sony floppy drive
LG CD/DVD burner
80 gig WD drive, primary
120 gig WD drive, secondary

I really like this system except for one thing. The fan noise. My old Dell
had two fans, and was quiet. This box has four fans --
case, CPU, power supply and video card -- and I can't think of any way to
mute them.

I tried installing the Cool n Quiet software that came with the Asus
motherboard disk, but it didn't seem to do anything. The fans didn't slow
down when it was running. Is there some trick to getting it to work? Or is
there some other software that would allow me to adjust the speed of the
fans manually?

Frankly, I'd rather have my computer run hot and quiet, than cool and
noisy. What's the best way to shut it up?

Now is not the time to be asking. Sapphire makes PASSIVELY cooled video
cards which make no noise at all. You could sell your current one and then
buy a passively cooled one. There is such a thing as a quiet power supply.
They are quite common. But you'd have to shell out money for one. It might
even cost less than the one you already have. The best you could do at this
point without shelling out a lot of cash is to replace your case and CPU
fans. Replace both with quiet case fans. This should cost you about 15
bucks total, or 20 with shipping. -Dave

 

[Fitz]

If your case fans are 80 mm, and will accommodate 120mm, you could go to the
larger, but slower fan- they will move as much air with less noise (around
2100RPM vs 4000+).There are "low noise" fans out there, but no matter what
you get, I doubt you can match the noise level of a (insufficiently cooled)
mass production computer.

There is also noise damping material that can be installed on the inside of
a case. I've not used it, and don't know how it effects heat retention in
the case.

Good Luck,
Fitz

 

[Cuzman]

" What's the best way to shut it up? "


Firstly, for Cool'n'Quiet to make a noticeable audio difference, you need to
be running temperature-controlled fans. Even then, it may not make a huge
amount of difference, as it just lowers the power by dropping the FSB
settings on-the-fly.

http://www.asus.com/products/mb/cnq.htm
http://www.amdboard.com/coolnquiet.html

It may be that one of your fans is considerably noisier than the others, but
there is just as much chance that all are slightly noisy. You could try
stopping them (gently) one-by-one, to see if you can isolate the problem.
You also have to bear in mind that your hard drives will probably give out
more noise than the one(s) on your Dell did.

You also didn't state your PSU, which could be an obvious giveaway to the
problem. Many manufacturers substitute the best components for excessivly
powerful (and loud) cooling.

CASE:

If you can fit 120mm fans, then do so, but 80mm temperature-controlled fans
are sufficient, as long as their dBA-range is still quiet at the top-end.
i.e. http://www.arctic-cooling.com/en/products/fan_pro_tc/ If you can fit
three, then get three, two intakes and one exhaust.

9600XT:

The Zalman products can be run silent, but you may need to add a fan which
could make it excessively heavy.
http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/code_list.asp?code=013

However, I would recommend the much better (and cheaper) Arctic-Cooling VGA
Silencer instead. http://www.arctic-cooling.com/en/products/vga_silencer/ .
You would need to make sure you get 'Revision 3' of this product.
http://www.ocfaq.com/reviews/ArcticCooling/VGASilencer_Rev3/

PSU:

As I previously mentioned, you didn't state your PSU. It could be making
considerable noise, butcould also be at an acceptable level. The silent
offerings from Zalman and SilenX are expensive, especially when you get
towards 400W.

CPU:

There are a lot of options here. You could just swap the fan for a quieter
one, if that is possible with your current heatsink. There are more and
more Socket-754 HSF-combos being released by the week, and most have reviews
about their dBA levels. One thing I would recommend though, is to download
Motherboard Monitor. http://mbm.livewiredev.com/ If you begin using a
quieter option, you may wish to keep a better eye on the CPU temperature.

 

[JK]

I just finished building my first computer. It's got this inside:

Asus K8V-X Motherboard
1 gig PC3200 400 MHz RAM (two 512 meg chips)
AMD 64-bit 3200+ CPU
Sapphire Radion 9600 XT 8X AGP
Intel modem (still on dial-up)

Very amusing. Do you want a war inside your pc?

Sony floppy drive
LG CD/DVD burner
80 gig WD drive, primary
120 gig WD drive, secondary

I really like this system except for one thing. The fan noise. My
old Dell had two fans, and was quiet. This box has four fans --
case, CPU, power supply and video card -- and I can't think of any
way to mute them.

I tried installing the Cool n Quiet software that came with the
Asus motherboard disk, but it didn't seem to do anything. The fans
didn't slow down when it was running. Is there some trick to
getting it to work? Or is there some other software that would
allow me to adjust the speed of the fans manually?

Frankly, I'd rather have my computer run hot and quiet, than cool
and noisy. What's the best way to shut it up?

This website is interesting. http://www.quietpc.com/
I suggest that you first figure out which fan(s) are making the most
noise.
To do this, power up the system with the case open, then hold one end
of a rubber tube near your ear, and move the other end near each of
the fans and listen carefully. You should then get a good idea of where
much of the noise is coming from. My guess is that the biggest offender

in terms of noise is probably he power supply. It might be the case fan
or other fan though. Good luck. Next time you build a system, choose
components that are known to be lower loise. They might be a bit more
expensive, but don't necessarily have to be much more expensive.