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Advice on building a quiet system



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 2nd 03, 01:45 PM
Chris Nowak
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Default Advice on building a quiet system

Dear Collegues,
The customer is always right......and he wants a quiet system 2.8 Athlon xp
tower. Does this mean I just need a quiet cpu fan / power supply? or is
there more to it?

One more thing I see sound output quoted in dBa, but is 20Dba quiet or
should it be less?

Any suggestions - printable ones that is!
Chris


  #2  
Old November 2nd 03, 03:22 PM
bigbrian
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On Sun, 2 Nov 2003 12:45:17 -0000, "Chris Nowak"
wrote:

Dear Collegues,
The customer is always right......and he wants a quiet system 2.8 Athlon xp
tower. Does this mean I just need a quiet cpu fan / power supply? or is
there more to it?

One more thing I see sound output quoted in dBa, but is 20Dba quiet or
should it be less?


Apparently anything less than 25 or 26 is officially "quiet" -
Zalman's CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System) is intended for less
than 25dB at 56C.

I have their 400W PSU running at 1350RPM (20dBa), combined with a
7000 series CPU cooler, no case fans. and the whole thing is
completely inaudible from where I'm sitting (my left ear is about 4ft
from the case) and running at 31C

Brian
  #3  
Old November 2nd 03, 03:35 PM
tHatDudeUK
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"bigbrian" wrote in message
...
Apparently anything less than 25 or 26 is officially "quiet" -
Zalman's CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System) is intended for less
than 25dB at 56C.


And AFAIK 50 decibels isn't twice as loud as 25 decibels, it's over 4X the
overall volume or something like that? Anyhow there's some sort of factor
applied to it somehow, I'm sure someone who knows would be more help.


  #4  
Old November 2nd 03, 05:05 PM
bigbrian
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On Sun, 2 Nov 2003 14:35:02 -0000, "tHatDudeUK"
wrote:


"bigbrian" wrote in message
.. .
Apparently anything less than 25 or 26 is officially "quiet" -
Zalman's CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System) is intended for less
than 25dB at 56C.


And AFAIK 50 decibels isn't twice as loud as 25 decibels, it's over 4X the
overall volume or something like that? Anyhow there's some sort of factor
applied to it somehow, I'm sure someone who knows would be more help.

Its a logarithmic scale, so, if I understand it correctly, double the
noise means an extra 3 dBa (10 times log 2 = 3) I'm sure someone will
correct me if I'm wrong

Brian
  #5  
Old November 2nd 03, 11:52 PM
Paul Hopwood
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Posts: n/a
Default

"Chris Nowak" wrote:

The customer is always right......and he wants a quiet system 2.8 Athlon xp
tower. Does this mean I just need a quiet cpu fan / power supply? or is
there more to it?


A quiet machine just needs a bit more thought and money to build but
the result will be not only quieter but almost certainly of better
quality than a typical build too.

You really need to check how quiet they want it to be. The noise
level from the PC can be reduced by spending a few extra quid on a
decent CPU cooler and PSU, but a truly quiet machine can cost a couple
of hundred pounds more than a similar machine using cheaper, more
common, parts.

Main culprits are the fans fitted to the PSU, CPU, GPU and case.
Replacing or removing them will reduce noise but can increase
temperatures so you'll need to put a bit more thought into airflow.
Where performance is not paramount consider using more conservative
components which generate less heat.

Athlons aren't the easiest to get quiet but there are a few decent
heatsink/fans with low noise. QuietPC or Zalman PSUs are almost
inaudible. Zalman do a whole range of components designed with
efficiency/noise in mind. Case fans can be replaced with good quality
Papst or YS-Tech and/or throttled back to reduce noise.

Having all but eliminated fan noise you'll find other components seem
noisy, drives especially. Seagate or Western Digital hard drives tend
to be quieter than most although other manufacturers now have
utilities for balancing performance vs seek noise.

Although they only tend to be audible in use, CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives
can also be distracting, especially in a quiet PC where they may well
be the loudest component. I find Toshiba to be by far the quietest
and most cheap drives to be noisy, with the exception of Pioneer, who
tend not to be cheap but are one of the noisiest.

One more thing I see sound output quoted in dBa, but is 20Dba quiet or
should it be less?


20dBA will be practically inaudible in most environments. Anything
less than mid-20s should suffice.


--
iv Paul iv


[ Mail: ]
[ WWW:
http://www.hopwood.org.uk/ ]
  #6  
Old November 3rd 03, 01:01 AM
Chris Nowak
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Paul Hopwood" wrote in message
...
"Chris Nowak" wrote:

The customer is always right......and he wants a quiet system 2.8 Athlon

xp
tower. Does this mean I just need a quiet cpu fan / power supply? or is
there more to it?


A quiet machine just needs a bit more thought and money to build but
the result will be not only quieter but almost certainly of better
quality than a typical build too.

You really need to check how quiet they want it to be. The noise
level from the PC can be reduced by spending a few extra quid on a
decent CPU cooler and PSU, but a truly quiet machine can cost a couple
of hundred pounds more than a similar machine using cheaper, more
common, parts.

Main culprits are the fans fitted to the PSU, CPU, GPU and case.
Replacing or removing them will reduce noise but can increase
temperatures so you'll need to put a bit more thought into airflow.
Where performance is not paramount consider using more conservative
components which generate less heat.

Athlons aren't the easiest to get quiet but there are a few decent
heatsink/fans with low noise. QuietPC or Zalman PSUs are almost
inaudible. Zalman do a whole range of components designed with
efficiency/noise in mind. Case fans can be replaced with good quality
Papst or YS-Tech and/or throttled back to reduce noise.

Having all but eliminated fan noise you'll find other components seem
noisy, drives especially. Seagate or Western Digital hard drives tend
to be quieter than most although other manufacturers now have
utilities for balancing performance vs seek noise.

Although they only tend to be audible in use, CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives
can also be distracting, especially in a quiet PC where they may well
be the loudest component. I find Toshiba to be by far the quietest
and most cheap drives to be noisy, with the exception of Pioneer, who
tend not to be cheap but are one of the noisiest.

One more thing I see sound output quoted in dBa, but is 20Dba quiet or
should it be less?


20dBA will be practically inaudible in most environments. Anything
less than mid-20s should suffice.


--
iv Paul iv


[ Mail: ]
[ WWW:
http://www.hopwood.org.uk/ ]


Thanks for your detailed answers - does anyone recommend a Zalman trade
supplier who will take a small order?
Chris


  #7  
Old November 4th 03, 10:15 AM
mike91
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Posts: n/a
Default

"Chris Nowak" wrote in message
news

Where is th euac group? I searched blueyonder news and it didn't find it.
Chris


You should be able to find uk.adverts.computer on your server...

But you can find Dorothy Bradbury he
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dorothy...ry/panaflo.htm


--
Mike
Email reply is spamtrapped


  #8  
Old November 5th 03, 12:25 AM
Usenetter
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Posts: n/a
Default

Get a howler if you like - it doesn't matter ... as long as you fit a
fan-controller to shut fans up when not required.


"Chris Nowak" wrote in message
...
Dear Collegues,
The customer is always right......and he wants a quiet system 2.8 Athlon

xp
tower. Does this mean I just need a quiet cpu fan / power supply? or is
there more to it?

One more thing I see sound output quoted in dBa, but is 20Dba quiet or
should it be less?

Any suggestions - printable ones that is!
Chris




 




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