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i can't take the noise from my computer anymore!

post #1 of 22
2/7/11 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 

i really can't...it has SSDs etc, but it's a gaming PC, and i can't drop the noise completely, i've heard people use those little asus eee thingies, i was thinking i could get one of those (or perhaps a really small pc, as i like to watch 1080 movies), plumb it into an external usb drive, pump the digital to my Aune DAC, and all is good...

 

any suggestions on such a small PC that will handle audio and 1080 playback?  cheers :)

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post #2 of 22
2/7/11 at 10:06am

Power supply? There are solutions to make your system less disturbing by upgrading the power supply and dimming little noises. 

 

It can be costly but even so I am planning to upgrade my own power supply and dimming little noises, it has been bugging me lately. 

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post #3 of 22
2/7/11 at 10:46am

My solution was to locate my music PC in another room and control it remotely from a laptop using Windows Remote Desktop or using a wireless device (iPhone, Driod phone, PSP, Archos, etc) or an RF Remote, which all work seamlessly with my music player software (J.River Media Center). I use a DAC in the listening room and feed it with SPDIF over Coax.

 

Another alternative is something like a Roku Soundbridge, or one of the many new DLNA devices which work over a network, most wireless.

 

This allows you to keep all your computer power, hard drive space, etc.

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post #4 of 22
2/7/11 at 10:53am

What noise??? , fan noise , interference in audio??

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post #5 of 22
2/7/11 at 12:24pm
Thread Starter 

heya, thanks for the suggestions :) unfortunately moving the pc ain't an option :(

 

and fan noise...the cost of making the computer dead silent would easily equal the cost of a much lesser mini computer of sorts like the eee, yet render it unable to game...(i run it rather overclocked...)

 

 

ahh i found something very interesting....

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-1080P-Media-Player/dp/B001ILFDCK

 

i think something like this is exactly what i am after...

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post #6 of 22
2/7/11 at 12:29pm
Thread Starter 

oh my god, i think this is it

 

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1456/1/

 

this is almost exactly what i need :D

 

i guess i should live up to my name more and google before i ask questions hahahaha

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post #7 of 22
2/7/11 at 12:38pm

Go with water cooling, and rather than loads of little fans get 1 massive 1 and you can run it at a lower rpm and it will be quieter.

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post #8 of 22
2/7/11 at 12:51pm
Thread Starter 

the next performance pc i build (this one is 3 years old and still loads of life left i hope) will certainly be watercooled!  one nice big radiator with 140mm, low rpm fans...modern PSUs can run almost dead silent too i think 

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post #9 of 22
2/7/11 at 12:59pm

it will be the graphics card fans

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post #10 of 22
2/7/11 at 1:17pm
Thread Starter 

indeed, i use rivatuner to overclock (or bottom the clocks out) my HD4770 and set the fan speeds, the onboard PWM of the card is useless and alternates between low speed and 55% zoom fests, very irritating.  hamster wheel fans are less than brilliant.  the bulk of my problem is the CPU (stock intel) and PSU, and replacing them both isn't worth it considering i'll only be using the SSD in any future builds.

 

am doing a bit more looking into those media player box things and i think i'll get one and report back on it in a few weeks :)

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post #11 of 22
2/7/11 at 1:37pm

erm a good psu sould last to a new build and if its the stock cpu cooler then replace it with something better.  dont sit an go "oh no it makes a noise , i cant stand it" and then refuse to actually do anything about it.

 

if you want suggestions for a new computer or media box just say thats what you want.  there id suggest a Dell Zino or boxee box

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post #12 of 22
2/7/11 at 2:02pm

Another option is a recent ThinkPad, if you are considering a second PC or laptop.  New ones (I've got a T510) run very, very quiet, thanks to owl wing-inspired fan blades and excellent heat sink/vent designs.

 

It's incredibly good at dissipating heat as well - the T510 remains cool to the touch when running at full stop, with only very slight warmth underneath the processor.  The main intake is on the rear and the main vent on the left side, with many widespread intakes on the bottom as well.  Setting it on your lap or a suffocating fabric doesn't make any noticeable impact to the heat level or noise.

 

I had an older Asus 900A netbook before, which ran very hot and noisy - not to mention slow.  I know the newer netbooks are better, but I'd never get one with an Atom processor.

 

Other than that, the whole 120mm fans/water cooling, etc. recommendations are all good.  A new case can make all the difference too, if you're using a poorly designed one.

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post #13 of 22
2/7/11 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mark2410 View Post

erm a good psu sould last to a new build and if its the stock cpu cooler then replace it with something better.  dont sit an go "oh no it makes a noise , i cant stand it" and then refuse to actually do anything about it.

 

if you want suggestions for a new computer or media box just say thats what you want.  there id suggest a Dell Zino or boxee box


indeed, but a good psu also costs a lot of cash, as much as a media box thingy, and my next build will be somewhat beefy.  the media box thingy has at least 1tb internal storage, so i can power my PC down.  

 

 

think pads are really nice, and really out of my price range :P  i see lots use second hand mac minis and the like, but that would never be able to handle 1080

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post #14 of 22
2/8/11 at 9:47am

Check out silentpcreview, they're all about silencing your computer whether by upgrading components or building from scratch, or buying complete.  It's an huge source of info for silent computing.

 

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

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post #15 of 22
2/8/11 at 10:00am

I recently went through my computer and swapped out my PSU for one of the NZXT Hale 90s, and it's really very quiet. I heard some Seasonic PSUs don't turn on the fan until over 20% load or something, but they are a bit more expensive. Got a Mugen 2 to replace my Samurai ZZ for CPU cooling, that's very quiet too. And I built a fan control with some potentiometers and switches such that I can turn off my case fans if I wish. With all my case fans off, my computer is very close to silent, and inaudible from my listening seat about 1m away. Temps only go up a few degrees too.

 

I don't know what kind of equipment you have, but maybe it's worth seeing how your temps are with all the case fans off. Even though mine are 120 and 140mm and run at low RPM, they made a lot of wind noise. If it cuts down the noise significantly and your temperatures are still reasonable, it's only a few bucks for some switches and some time to cut a panel.

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