Cooling and quieting the PC....

[bsdgeek]

Originally posted by Frank Marshall

To anyone who might be reading this and doesn't have deep pockets for computer hardware, I recommend that you at least listen to an Enermax Whisper. I think it's the best-bang-for-buck PSU you can get.

You won't have any trouble trying to listen to one!

Seriously, Enermaxes are notoriously loud for a so called "quiet" PSU. Maybe if there is something else that truly drowns it out then I suppose that you won't notice it.

[az]

So Enermax PSUs are like the Zalman ones?

AZ

[CHHAS]

Í exchanged my PSU fans for the 12dB Pabst ones, that sure made a difference

[Seaspray]

PSU

I always thought Enermax were a premium brand? They are very expensive so I just assumed they would be quiter, but I've never owned one.

Whatr would you guys recommend for a *quiet* PSU if not Enermax? I have never heard of Seasonic, can you get them in the UK?

Since somebody else posted a pix of inside their PC I thought I do the same :-)

It looks as if the CPU fan is not running but I assure you it is!

~J

[az]

You should be able to get Seasonic in the UK - they're quieter, yet not quite as good power supply wise (still worlds better than no-name crap, of course).

I've got a modified SinoTech that is SO quiet that harddrive noise is starting to annoy me (I have a GXP180, which is quieter than a Barracuda IV) - I got it from www.noiseblocker.de

Generally, stock PSUs are not really quiet. Pabst modified Enermaxes are good, but quite expensive. Verax modified PSUs are still more expensive and quieter.

The Sirtec HPC-360W (Sirtek=Chieftek) is said to be quite quiet and cheap, for a stock PSU.

AZ

[joonie]

Seasonic is the best quiet PSU you can get. I posted the technical side of it on the second page. I am 100% satisfied with my 400W Seasonic PSU. It's the quietest and good quality.

[az]

It is NOT the best quiet PSU you can get. It might be one of the best and most quiet - with stock fans. Nothing can beat a silence modified PSU, or even a passively cooled Engelking one.

AZ

[leech]

I think I'm going to go ahead and try get some queiter fans for the PSU. I put in the one that came in my Enermax case... even though I also found out it wasn't an Enermax PSU.... but that didn't go over too well, that thing got hotter than hell! So I plopped my 400w PSU back in with it's double fans.

The two fans I have in the Back are Antec 80mm Smart Fans "Up to 80% quieter". Yeah, until the inside of my case heats up and they spin up faster than hell!

The 120mm fan I have in the front is made by Evercool.

It's no wonder my computer is so loud, the fans are running at 4100rpm, 5600 (weird, that drops to 2900, then goes back up while I'm watching it....) and 2200rpm. I don't have more sensors for the other ones.

I did straighten up my cables somewhat last night when I was trying out the other PSU, so it's not quiet so messy in there

Leech

[CHHAS]

The big problem with a lot of temperature controlled PSUs is that the termistor is placed near a hot component, so the fan will speed up shortly after power on and never slow down. Silent PC Review did some articles, I think it was on the Enermax Whisper PSUs.

[Technoid]

I'd just like to add that Papst fans might not be the most quiet ones due to a ovely "knacky" engine

Bought Papst 120mm fans becasue they were suposed to be "silent" §and the fin design made the airflow almost unaudible bit the engine ised in those fans where extremely noisy to b3 1500rpm fans

[az]

Use Papst Sintec then

AZ

[leech]

Well, with all the advice, I think at the very least I'm going to be picking up a new heatsink for my CPU. I was just playing Enter the Matrix and it crashed to my desktop! Then I looked at MBM and it showed that it was running at 65 C/149F! According to a review, that Thermalright SKL-900U kicked some major ass, so that'll be the one I'm getting

Leech

[bsdgeek]

Excellent choice.

[leech]

What would be a good fan to slap on this puppy? Quiet and cool, being the rule. (I was almost considering just taking the Intel fan off the stock heatsink and slapping it on there, Just because the Intel sticker is cool looking )

Leech

[Evildead666]

The Zalman big round copper one looked like it could do some serious cooling. 90mm fan, and i think, 500g of copper and aluminium...2 versions, one all copper, the other a mix of copper and aluminium...
Dont do them for AMD, so i havent been able to judge them.
I use Aerocool 7's, and they're ok.

Habe a too hot case tho, open i get 41, closed, 45C...bummer.