Should I upgrade my computer's power supply?
Dec 21, 2003 at 6:17 AM Post #16 of 25
Quote:

Originally posted by ServinginEcuador
Tim,

Since I have time before I could get a PSU to me, I may choose to wait a year and see what comes out in the mean time. Who knows, maybe they'll release some really good, quiet PSUs in that time that blow away even these silent wonders.


Yeah it could happen. Otherwise you could just get some PSU and mod it (replace the fan). I did it on my Sparkle, replacing it with a 21 db Panaflo L1A and got amazing results. For some PSUs you can just plug in different fans. For mine I had to cut the wires and then splice the wire from the PSU with the fan's.

And in response to fewtch, yeah, cases have come a long way. I'm starting to hate my 4 year old case because it has no usb ports in the front.
 
Dec 21, 2003 at 6:24 AM Post #17 of 25
Quote:

Originally posted by pennylane
Yeah it could happen. Otherwise you could just get some PSU and mod it (replace the fan). I did it on my Sparkle, replacing it with a 21 db Panaflo L1A and got amazing results. For some PSUs you can just plug in different fans. For mine I had to cut the wires and then splice the wire from the PSU with the fan's.


That might be a very good solution. I have some friends with soldering equipment, so maybe I should just get the Panaflo fans and remove what I have and replace them.

Thanks PennyLane! This might be a great solution that saves me some money too.
 
Dec 21, 2003 at 9:30 PM Post #18 of 25
seriously guys, when you are wearing a set of headphones, the computer's fans are going to annoy you? I have to run my dualie AMD box with the side off because of heating issues, and its got a rack of drives in there (10k rpm scsi's) and about 7 fans whirring. When i'm wearing even my hd600s at moderate volume i don't notice computer noise. (Also a switch with tiny 40mm fans thats the annoying high pitched whine you guys might find exception too)

I got one crazy friend that seems to think tornado fans are quiet too... i guess fan noise is subjective. I'm used to sleeping with a noisy box.
 
Dec 21, 2003 at 9:36 PM Post #19 of 25
mjg,

Preferred listening level determines how much ambient noise affects sound quality of cans. I for one listen quite low with my cans, and the background noise of the computer running interferes with normal listening. When I shutdown the computer late at night the sound level takes on a whole new level of details and quality. It is quite noticeable. The Stax Omega IIs are also open cans, but there is only a 1 micron piece of mylar between the computer noise and my ears, making them poor blockers indeed.
 
Dec 21, 2003 at 10:15 PM Post #20 of 25
Yah, quite frankly even tho my computer makes less noise than normal breathing, it's still annoying, I prefer absolute silence when listening. It's really no big deal during busy passages where the music easily overcomes the ambient noise, but during quiet passages it obscures quite a bit.
 
Dec 21, 2003 at 10:21 PM Post #21 of 25
Quote:

Originally posted by ServinginEcuador
That might be a very good solution. I have some friends with soldering equipment, so maybe I should just get the Panaflo fans and remove what I have and replace them.

Thanks PennyLane! This might be a great solution that saves me some money too.


No problem. Soldering equipment isn't absolutely necessary. I just used a wire cutter and tied the wires together, then covered it with electrical tape. It's been working fine for almost a year.
 
Dec 21, 2003 at 10:25 PM Post #22 of 25
Quote:

Originally posted by pennylane
No problem. Soldering equipment isn't absolutely necessary. I just used a wire cutter and tied the wires together, then covered it with electrical tape. It's been working fine for almost a year.


Cheaper, easier, and quicker. Me likes.
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Dec 22, 2003 at 9:46 PM Post #23 of 25
Dec 22, 2003 at 10:41 PM Post #24 of 25
Quote:

Originally posted by hottyson
From the anandtech list at http://anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1841&p=25 I think the Zalman looks the best for a quiet solution.


Here is someones review on a Zalman ($90) ATX power supply.
http://www.maximumoc.com/reviews/zalman_zm400a-apf.html
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I got that PSU. Its very good build quality, is very quiet and offers extremely stable and clean power. In fact, putting this in my machine solved a buzzing problem I used when moving my mouse around. I think its worth having a good PSU.
 
Dec 22, 2003 at 11:27 PM Post #25 of 25
I use the Fortron 350W Aurora 120mm fan one. I like the fact it has knob to control the fan's speed. So when I need the power and more cooling, I just crank it up.
 
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