You can get bits and bobs from here: http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/home?gclid=CMPdqu3c9pACFSFYEgodBT5t2A The main culprits in my system were the CPU fan, the GFX card fan, and the old HDD. I replaced the CPU fan, got a passive cooling solution for the graphics card, and bought some new hard drives.. It is still not completely silent tho and has more problems with overheating.. Certainly not that simple! James On Mon, Jan 14, 2008 at 09:23:33PM +0000, Studio 32 wrote:

Start with tracking down the loudest component - which I doubt is the harddisk. I went through the process of making my PC quieter, and while it is not totally silent, some relatively small changes made a huge difference. I did the following: I replaced all fans with 'silent' fans. I got Nexus fans, which I am very satisfied with. I replaced CPU fan and PSU fan and added (!) a case fan. The PSU fan is a bit tricky and possibly dangerous, as it requires opening up your PSU and maybe soldering, so you might be better off buying a quiet PSU, but obviously more expensive. Adding a fan might seem contradictory, but a better airflow will allow you to have the CPU fan run at lower speeds. Yes, you will need some fan-speed control (some fans are sold with it, or get some additional controllers). As for airflow: make sure your components and cables are placed to assure an optimal airflow. Also, realize that bigger fans are better than smaller fans: at lower speed (hence, less noise) they give the same airflow. I have a fanless videocard (a FX5600, and before that a FX5200), which is more than enough for my needs. Some other things that come to mind: you can mount your drivers with rubber bands. I never did this, but some people do. For further reading, tests and hardware recommendations, I recommend http://www.silentpcreview.com/ maarten

Studio 32 wrote: 1) When shopping shop quiet - some Shuttle models are fanless or nearly so 2) Yes, I suppose the Mini is quiet, and can run Jack/Ardour/etc., but you're still shopping 3) Given what you've already got, and avoiding shopping, do what some parents do with a noisy child - send it to its room, or leave it where it is and they move to another room I assume you need to quiet things down for recording and not just because it annoys you. If so, #3 above means do your recording away from the computer. I've got a Behringer mixer and 20' microphone and instrument cables. It's no problem to hit record and walk over to the mike. That's the second part of #3. You could also employ a sound baffle that the noise is placed behind - not inside as that would cook the poor thing, but just some acoustically absorptive material (simple as a pillow) in the "path" of the noise to the microphone. The first part of #3 would be to locate the computer box out of the acoustic area where the work is being done. A simple example, even if a bit radical, would be to put it outside a window with the cables entering through the small opening - which could also be "sealed" with a towel or something. The hallway or whatever is outside the room would work as well, and even a closet which might be considerably cooler than the working room if it's anything like mine in this cold area and with poor insulation. Good luck! Frank

Monday, 14 January 2008 alle 21:23:33, Studio 32 ha scritto: Hi Facing this problem since my first PC... You can't eliminate the noise completely without moving in another room and still have a PC with some "balls" You can change the fans, and this will reduce the noise for some month(s) but the problem with fans is that they move a lot, and after some time even the quietest fan start to make too much noise again. I also built a rockwool "cover" for the case like you see here: http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html#noise Not expensive and it reduces noise a lot. Still, I haven't found anything acceptable if you're recording quiet instruments in the same room as the PC, especially with condenser mics. Try dynamics mic, move away from the PC and point the mic's null at the noise source. HTH Ciao -- Emiliano Grilli Linux user #209089 http://www.emillo.net