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Loud PC, heat

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Loud PC, heat
I've got a dual Athlon system that's very loud. Mostly because it's a duallie, but also because I've got a lot of fans in it to help combat the heat this thing generates.

To reduce the noise, I've tried placing the pc in the pc cabinet of my desk. The soude is muffled quite a bit, but being enclosed reduces the airflow for the front and side fans and the warm air just bounces around getting sucked in and out until blown out the back of the fan and out of the back of the cabinet. The thermostat things in the case will cause the pc to shut off after about an hour of intensive work, and about 3 hours when idle.

When sitting just on my desk there aren't any problems with over heating, but the noise is just unbareable. It sounds about like I'm running a couple of generators in my room with all the rattling in case. I've noticed that if I apply a lot of pressure to the front of the case, the rattling goes away and all you hear is a deep hum.

Has anyone got any suggestions on how to reduce the noise? Is there some sort of noise absorbant material I can line the interior of the case with?

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Radio Shack (assuming you're from the US) makes fans that are about 4.5 inches by 4.5 inches and can be wired into an extension cord wire (or hook-up wire). We have a "server closet" in which we've added a couple of fans and it keeps the closet around 75 degrees. You could cut a hole in your closet and mount the fan so that it either sucks air in or blows air out.

Good Luck
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
I looked into this a while back, here are some links:

http://www.quietpcusa.com/
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

The best things you can do is to get a quiet power supply, and also some quiet fans for your dual athlons.

Cheers,

Alex
--
Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Quote:
with all the rattling in case. I've noticed that if I apply a lot of pressure to the front of the case, the rattling goes away and all you hear is a deep hum.
Sounds like something is loose (besides the noisy fansSmile). Make sure all the screws are tight. Also, if you find something loose that won't screw down, installing some foam weatherstripping will help reduce the rattle/drumming noises
--
Rob

SW Montana's Online Community
Modular Model Railroading
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Re: [Alex] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Where's the fun in that? Tongue

Fan + Saw = Big Fun
(and maybe a little electric shock)
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Re: [Watts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
I checked through my open case while the system was running to find the source of the rattling. I've stuffed thin wedges of anti-static foam in a few places. I also triple checked all the screwes were in tight. That elminated all the rattling. Now the darn thing is just a loud hum.

The processors are now running an average of 39C and 48C -- much better than the 50C and 60C I was getting before.

I ordered a pair of ThermalTake Volcano 9's which should arrive by UPS tomorrow. I'm currently using the stock heatsink/fans that came with the processor. They're running at about 7000rpm and pushing about 30cfm at about 40db each. this should be a big improvement, since the Volcano can push the same amount of air at a slower speed and db level.

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Just to throw a spanner in the works, ever considered water cooling?

Last edited by:

manic: Oct 1, 2002, 2:30 AM
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Re: [manic] Loud PC, heat In reply to
yeah, but I'm not about to spend $250 on a brand new case with water cooling when I've already got that much invested on a regular case. I've haven't seen a water cooling system for a dualie yet, either.

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Is it just me or does water + electricity not sound too sensible Smile
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Re: [Paul] Loud PC, heat In reply to
that makes me a little uneasy too... but you know you've got the same thing in your car so there's not much to worry about unless you like to go poking about with a needle. besides, pure water does not conduct electricity (well).

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.

Last edited by:

fuzzy thoughts: Oct 1, 2002, 8:05 AM
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
In Reply To:
yeah, but I'm not about to spend $250 on a brand new case with water cooling when I've already got that much invested on a regular case. I've haven't seen a water cooling system for a dualie yet, either.
True there is the price factor. But what case do you have? As long as its not a microtower you should be fine.

Last edited by:

manic: Oct 1, 2002, 12:41 PM
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Re: [manic] Loud PC, heat In reply to
It's an X-Raid I bought at colorcases.com. it's about $65, plus I've got 2 hard drive fans, 2 bay fans, 4 front fans, a pci slot fan, and a rear exhaust fan. Thats $65 plus $100 right there, and add that two the 2 $30 Volcano 9's I bought. Almost the same $$$.

I'll consider a water cooled case for my next system, but I don't see that happening soon. with a combined 3.2GHz, I don't see the need buy another system for several years.

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Somebody needs to call volkswagen and apple and find out how they can cool a case without a fan.

Sheesh ... and people say Apple machines are expensive. I read all kinds of threads were you gotta buy this or buy that. I spend my money on memory and drives. Well, once I got an extra video card for my second monitor.

I really feel sorry for all you PC folks, sounds like you get the bait-and-switch all the time.

openoffice + gimp + sketch ... Smile
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Re: [QooQ] Loud PC, heat In reply to
It's expensive because I've made it expensive. Had I bout a cheap case, noname motherboard, a single low-end Athlon, and really cheap hard drives and cd/dvd drives, I'd be less likely to spend money to keep the case cooled.

This is what I have:

Tyan TigerMP S2460 ($200)
2 Athlon MP 1900+ ($175 each)
2 Volcano 9 hs/f ($30 each)
512MB DDR PC2100 ($200)
2 60GB Seagate Barracuda IV ($115 each)
16x LG DVD-rom ($50)
40/12/48 TDK CDRW ($100)
X-Raid case ($65)
various fans ($100)
Radeon 7000 64MB DDR ($90)
NIC ($10)
SBLive XGamer ($75)
TV Wonder VE ($50)

That's $1405, and still FAR LESS than what many people pay for an inferior system.

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
not bad Smile

I only build pc boxes for friends that have very little cash to work with. It's a challenge that I like. You also learn all kinds of things along the way too. I should start charging ... it's really a pain.

openoffice + gimp + sketch ... Smile
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Re: [QooQ] Loud PC, heat In reply to
my GOD what a difference a good heat sink will do! I've got one running slightly above minimum speed, and the other at medium high. both processors running at 45c and no deep hum or rattling. it's quieter than my desk fan now, easily half the noise I had before. with both heatsinks at minimum, you can't hear it standing a foot away... of course the temps go up 15c like that.

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.
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Re: [fuzzy thoughts] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Not sure if this will be useful to anyone, but the Editor/Publisher of Silent PC Review sent me this link for posting in the forum, an article on silencing a dualie AMD:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/goto.php?t=s&id=66&a=1

Jack
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Jack Ong, C.O.O., Gossamer Threads, Inc.
9th Floor, 100 West Pender, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 1R8
Email: <jack@gossamer-threads.com>
Tel: (604) 687-5804 Fax: (604) 687-5806
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Re: [Jack] Loud PC, heat In reply to
*Paul's dreams of the day when he actually has a dual AMD*
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Re: [Paul] Loud PC, heat In reply to
I've got a spiffy PSU now with a bottom intake fan and adjustable speed dial. That helps considerably with the noise and heat. I've learned to live with the soft air conditioner-esque flow of air.

My roommate and I swapped bedrooms the other night after my 2nd roommate left for basic training in the Army. I placed my older pc in the rear right corner of my room on a small desk, a good 6 feet behind me when I'm using my Tiger system. I could not believe how much more noise that thing put out in comparison to the Tiger.

How did I not notice that before?

Philip
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Limecat is not pleased.
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Re: [Paul] Loud PC, heat In reply to
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*Paul's dreams of the day when he actually has a dual AMD*

Just need to upgrade your server plan. Wink

Cheers,

Alex
--
Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: [Alex] Loud PC, heat In reply to
Paul's monthly outgoings...
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Paul's monthly incomings....

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Now if we were talking about a free upgrade then that's a different story. I'll settle for a free RAM upgrade - a belated christmas present, if you will Laugh

Last edited by:

Paul: Jan 10, 2003, 5:08 PM