Quest For Silence: Nexus + Samsung

[alexander]

Hi, just trying to put the final parts together for a silent computer


Ok, basically my system would be silent if it were not for 3 components.

1) My Nexus Real Silent 350 Watt I think is now the noisest part of the system, I can stop all the other fans (graphics, CPU etc) and not hear any difference in terms of noise.

Is there any way of using software to control the fan speed? I don't want to stick my fingers in it as I'm not good with this kinda of stuff. Would you suggest me getting rid of it and buying a new one?

2) My Samsung Hard Drives are very loud, my ATA one seems to be ALOT louder than my SATA 80GB one.

I have used the utility to quieten them down, I have heard that Drive Suspending is good, what equipment do I need and is it easy? I am a realy tard when it comes to computers and I have a high chance of breaking stuff.
I have read SilentPCReview's Suspension methods but I really cannot understand it and which one i would need.

So A simple list of what I need and how to do it would be nice :-)


Anyway you may need to know the rest of the system:

1) AMD 3500+ With Freezer 64 undervolted to 5v
2) 6800GT 256mb with Vf-700Cu Zalman @ 5v
3) That Loud Spinning thing on the motherboard undervolted to the minium
4) Nexus PSU 350 Watts, "Real Silent"
5) 2 x Samsung HDs, 1 x 80GB (SATA) + 1 x 120GB (ATA)
6) Antec SLK3000B with 120mm Fan Undervolted to 5v


I think that is about it, as you can see I've gone through a hell of alot of fanmates and other silencing stuff.

It's by no means an incredible system but it runs my games fine, all I now need is the final 2 parts in my quest for silence.


Any Suggestions would be a great help, Alex

[Dr. X]

I'm not sure there is a way to control fan speeds in your PSU by software

I'm you're not savvy enough to open your PSU and swap the fans over to something you can control from a baybus then DON'T, there's a lot of change hanging around in your PSU for a long time after you switch it off. We don't want a post saying "I'm gonna open that PSU and have a poke with a screwdriver" and never hear from you again!

I've not got any recomendations for a silent PSU other than the Zalman models which I've heard are exceptional, up there with the SeaSonic models.

What can you hear from the HDDs? Their spinning or the crunching when they access?

[alexander]

I can hear the idle noise and the seeking noise.

The ATA one's idle noise is far worse though.

[silon]

well, if your system is fine with a 350W psu and if u've got a few extra bucks... why dont u get a silent PSU like the antec phantom?

well if u r sure that its the vibrations thats causing ur hdd noise, then go ahead and try those suspending methods... sometimes its just the HDDs design thats noisy

ps: at what rpms does ur freezer64 run at? i use speedfan to lower it to 1500rpms when the system is not under heavy loads... i hate the whine coming from it when it spins at 2200rpm

[alexander]

Hello, thanks for the reply.

I use a Zalman fan mate to run it at the lowest possible setting, I too used to use SpeedFan but I got annoyed having to open it up every time.

The Fan Mate 2 has a control outside the case so you can turn it up when you want.

I have it on the lowest it can and at the moment with Cool N Quiet I am idling at 31 degrees.

What would be most effective, suspension or enclosures?

What Will I need?

[BenW]

I think suspensions are better and obviously very cheap. Get some cheap elastic, tie it to the hard drive cage and slot the hard drive in. I did it to my samsung in a dell case (Tight because the drive cage has little access) and it took about 10-15mins. Should be 5 mins in a case with easily accesible drive cage.

[scotty6435]

I used a zalman 'silent' PSU and it was far from quiet! True, the bearings were a little worn after a years of almost constant use but I'd say it was in the region of 35dBA, with only a 5900XT and 2x undervolted 80mm fans in the case, it was v loud.

You can look into completely fanless PSUs if you have approx £100 to spend, otherwise there are many 120mm fanned PSUs for around the £50-£60 mark that push out 450+ watts of electrical goodness.

Your best bet for drive suspension is to use relatively thin (maybe 5mmx1mm) elastic to hold the HDDs up. Punch a hole in each end and screw the elastic into the HDD and cage at respective ends. You'll probably need to double up the elastic though. Subsequent HDDs CAN be hung off the first but it's best to use new strands for each HDD. This mod will cost you all of about £5

Look into using a zalman 47J passive northbridge cooler on your motherboard (that's where the small spinning fan is). If your fan is spinning slowly, this new cooler will probably keep temps even lower despite the lack of fan. Changing the coolers normally requires the motherboard to be removed but I completed the mod in a shuttle (not easy!) in about 20 minutes. The zalman's only about a fiver now!

Also, use arctic silver 5 on all heat transfer points (graphics card, CPU and northbridge) as it will take at least 1-2 degrees off the normally shoddy supplied thermal grease (silicone vs. silver based solutions). Managed to get a small 3.5g tube of the good stuff for only £3.50 so it's cheap when ordered with your PSU. The arctic silver adhesive is more expensive at a tenner but can be used 50/50% with AS5 to attach RAM sinks to your graphics card and NB (50/50 mix makes it possible to remove if you need to change for any reason).

[/mad typing rampage]

[YorkieBen]

I heard that samsung make quiet hard drives?

[BenW]

They do in comparison to others. They make them with 2 different motors, JVC ones and Nidec ones with the Nidec being quieter.

I have the JVC one and it was quite audiable seeking with AAM so i suspended it and turned off AAM and i can no longer hear it unless my ear is on the side of the case

[Lu-tze]

have you tried to remove the hdd from the drive cage to make sure it is the drive that makes the noise, and not the vibrations it sends through the case?

if it is the drive, then a suspension cradle wont work, an enclosure would be better, preferably one designed to work as a heatsink, like ac-ryan, silentmaxx, and a few other companies make them.

that said, an enclosure would set you back £35, at which price you can buy a replacement hdd and upgraded to SATA at the same time.

as for the psu, i wouldnt go for the phantom unless you have very good case cooling, which i would say you don't. i would probably have a look at a 400W akasa model myself but everyone has different views on this, and i think the psu is likely to always be the loudest component in your PC reagardless of what fan-based model you have.

[weebroonieuk]

check out the fanless psu in the bargain section on offer from hexus and quiet pc expensive but alot better than the phantom as its heatsink is protruding out the back of the psu this means not much of its heat will go back into the case but to the outside ....

for silencing your drives a popular trick is getting 4 straight lengths of perforated pieces of meccano (i found some on ebay for a couple of quid!)

screw your drives into them as u would a cage then hang the meccano and drives inside your case with elasstic bands

i have 4 hard drives and it made a hell of a differenc !

[BenW]

The phantom isn't neciserily going to put more heat into the case. It depends on the efficiency of them. If the phantom is much more efficient then it gives off less heat meaning it runs cooler. You'll have to check out the specs though

Take a look at the Seasonic S12, ultimately quiet fanned psu i think. Comes in 430W or 500W IIRC

[dodgybob]

The phantom isn't neciserily going to put more heat into the case. It depends on the efficiency of them. If the phantom is much more efficient then it gives off less heat meaning it runs cooler. You'll have to check out the specs though

Take a look at the Seasonic S12, ultimately quiet fanned psu i think. Comes in 430W or 500W IIRC

Aren't seasonics very hard to get in the uk though? I was looking for them and could only find models like the SS-401HT which are bulk oem models and different internals. Do you know where you can get reasonably priced 430W S12s in the uk?

As a recommmended psu I think you're spot on though, very quiet and excellent power regulation.

[Lu-tze]

x-case do a selection of seasonic psus, but not the one you want. perhaps if you e-mail them, they might be able to get it in for you.

http://www.xcase.co.uk/acatalog/Seasonic_Psu_s.html

[BenW]

Yea i think xcase was the place i found with S12s but not the 430W model. I might have found the 430W model somewhere, if i did it was a google search