2005-02-05, 06:17 AM
I've found for a quiet PC solution (without spending a ton for one of those hush boxes) is to start cooling w/ larger dia. fans it is worth the extra $5-$10 to get a better than normal heatsink and larger fan. go with 80mm cpu fans. much quieter than the more common 60/70mm fans because they don't have to run at such high RPMS to push the same amount of air.
the next option for quieting that cpu fan, is to move it off of the cpu heatsink. this is what Dell does. they commonly use a large exaust fan in the rear of the machine (i've seen some as large as 120mm dia) and they then use a hood to channel the air flow up from the heatsink out to the fan.
I figure it'd be easy to fashon a cheap hood/duct out of tin/cardboard/etc. with this option the only sound you'd hear is your power supply fan(s).
the next step is to use a fan controller. if your fans have variable speed control. use a fan controller that can adjust fan speeds automatically (or turn on and off) based on temperature. this way the fans only run if they really need to.
the next option for quieting that cpu fan, is to move it off of the cpu heatsink. this is what Dell does. they commonly use a large exaust fan in the rear of the machine (i've seen some as large as 120mm dia) and they then use a hood to channel the air flow up from the heatsink out to the fan.
I figure it'd be easy to fashon a cheap hood/duct out of tin/cardboard/etc. with this option the only sound you'd hear is your power supply fan(s).
the next step is to use a fan controller. if your fans have variable speed control. use a fan controller that can adjust fan speeds automatically (or turn on and off) based on temperature. this way the fans only run if they really need to.